Heroic Myth
by Harouki
Summary: In the distant past, before the Gods descended onto the lower world, Heroes made contracts with Spirits to fight the monsters born from the Dungeon. But with the descent of the Gods and the advent of the Falna, those Heroes and Spirits have passed onto legend. However, with the discovery of a certain object in the Dungeon, these legends will return to life once more.
1. Servant

Heroic Myth:

FGO x DanMachi

**Chapter 1: Heroic Spirit**

Within this world there exists the city of Orario, the City of Adventurers. Mortals of all ages and races travel to this city in pursuit of their desires and dreams. For this is the city of Adventures. Orario was built over a massive dungeon that spawned monsters out and threatened the lives of all who lived on the surface and in the past were left unchecked save for the efforts of brave heroes who made contracts with the enigmatic Spirits and fought back against the endless hordes.

It was only when the Gods above came down from "Tenkai." and sealed the dungeon with the Tower of Babel and offered their own gifts to the ones living on the surface were the mortals able to fend for themselves, and the contracts between Spirits and Mortals fell out of use in favor of the Gods' Blessings, the Falna.

The Falna is the grace given by the Gods to members of their family, or Familia. Within these Familia are Adventurers who make use of their Gods' Falna to make a living both within Orario and its dungeon and outside of it. The power of the Falna increases the more experience (known as excelia) they gather. This excelia is written upon their Falna, allowing a God to read about the growth their child has experienced like a story.

Currently within the dungeon, a young and new Adventurer was making his own story, bringing back the legends of old. Of Heroes, Spirits, and contracts.

X-x-X-x-X

Bell Cranel made his way through the dungeon, paying attention to his surroundings in order to not be caught of guard by either the Kobolds or Goblins that live on the upper floors. Today he had decide to try going a bit further in than he normally did. Although it's only been two weeks since he became an Adventurer, he already made it to the fifth floor of the dungeon. According to his Guild Advisor, Eina Tulle, most newbie Adventurers stuck to the first two floors and didn't go further without prior preparation.

However, Bell felt that he was making enough progress that he could go a bit deeper since he could already handle Goblins and Kobolds on the first four floors and wanted a change in scenery.

"But even so, nothing's come out yet…" he muttered as he looked around and scratched the back of his head.

He had been on the fifth floor for at least an hour now but not a single monster had appeared so far.

"Did someone else come before me?" He wondered.

Although Monsters were a always being born within the dungeon, it wasn't a constant spewing mass. If another Adventurer or group of Adventurers had cleared out an area of monsters, it would be some time before more were born.

"Should I try another path?"

As Bell considered retracing his steps a bit, he spotted something out of the corner of his eye.

It was located in a dead end path off to the side of the main path. A rather small red box…no it was more of a red chest with golden edges that was just sitting there without a care in the world.

"A treasure chest!?" Bell shouted before clapping a hand over his mouth and looked around but no one seemed to be there. "Is this a new kind of drop? Why didn't anyone find this before?"

If someone had found it before, they would consider a chest sitting on the upper floors a rather obvious looking trap. However Bell, either being too trusting or too inexperienced, held no such thoughts in his head aside from the possibility of finding some treasure.

"Maybe it's some kind of sword…or maybe some armor?" Bell wondered hopefully as he crouched down in front of it and placed his hands on the box. "Oh, it's not locked!"

And with a small heave, he easily opened the box and found…a beautiful golden goblet.

Though he was a little bit disappointed by the fact that it wasn't something like a holy sword or an invincible armor, the goblet mesmerized him all the same. It was overall rather simple in shape but the detail engraved into the gold itself was amazing.

"Wow…"

He had no idea how much this thing was worth but it definitely couldn't be a small sum. Or rather, it was so beautiful he couldn't even think of selling it, even if it could help his Goddess a bit and their tiny Familia of One. Instead of selling it for money, it might make a better gift for his Goddess instead.

"This is probably enough for today," he said as he stood up with the golden goblet in his hands. "I should head back and-"

As he turned around to make his way back to the surface, a giant brown skinned monster with the head of a bull and the body of a man. A minotaur. A monster so powerful that it could easily defeat a high class Adventurer if they weren't careful.

And it was somehow up on the upper floors where only newbies resided.

"URRRRROOOOOARRRRRR!"

"AIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEE?!"

As the minotaur roared in Bell's face, he let out a not so manly scream as he dived out of the way from its hoof which smashed into the ground and left a small crater.

"DAAAAHHHH!"

Clutching the goblet for dear life, he ran as fast as he could away from the monster. He had no idea where he was running to but anywhere was better than his current position.

Unfortunately, he only ended up at a dead end and found himself with his back against a wall with the minotaur looking down on him.

"Hii!" He let out another shriek in fear as he held up the goblet in his hands as if that could somehow protect him from the monster but he knew it was futile.

And so, he could do nothing but beg with all of his might.

"_Someone, save me!_"

And then, as if reacting to his wish, the goblet began to glow…and a calm voice filled with strength rang out through the dungeon.

"Servant, Archer. By your request I have been summoned."

That declaration was immediately followed by the minotaur's roar of pain, prompting Bell to slightly open his eyes.

In front of him was a man with tanned skin and stark white not unlike Bell's own wearing black armor with a red mantle over it. In his hands were a pair of swords, one black and the other white with some kind of eastern design. The man was looking at Bell over his shoulder with a smile on his face.

"I ask of you. Are you my master?" He asked in a voice filled with mirth as if amused at some inside joke as Bell looked up at him while still clutching the golden goblet in his arms.

"I…uh…huh?" Bell couldn't do anything more than babble at the man who was wearing such a bright smile on his face.

"You look like someone in over their head," the man said as he turned back to face the minotaur, who was clutching a bloodied stump of an arm. "Just hang tight while I beat this guy."

With speeds far faster than Bell could hope to match, the man launched himself forward like an arrow toward the minotaur. The monster roared in a bloody mixture of pain and fury as it swung at him with its remaining arm.

The man met the blow head on with the the white blade in his right hand and bisected the beast's arm right down its length, stopping just as he was right in front of the monster and bringing his left hand up with the black sword, slicing open the monster's chest. With those two blows the minotaur falls back with a weak gurgle, landing on the dungeon floor with a loud thud as it dissolved into black mist.

The monster that Bell couldn't even touch was defeated in an instant and Bell could only sit and watch with awe as the man released his grip on his blades, causing them to shatter into light, and pick up a large purple magic stone that had been left behind by the minotaur.

"You all right over there?" The man asked as he turned back toward Bell.

"Ah! Y-yes!" Bell said as he quickly got up to his feet and lowered his head. "Thank you for saving me!"

"It's what I do," the man said as he tossed the magic stone at Bell. "Catch."

"Huh? W-what!?"

The crystal bounced around in Bell' hands for a moment before he managed to catch it.

"W-wait a minute. I can't take this!" Bell said quickly. "You're the one who defeated it."

"Consider it a gift," the man said with a shrug. "Or a down payment I suppose."

"Down payment?"

"I don't have a clue where I am," the man said as he looked around. "And I can't tell my right from my left around here."

Bell stared blankly at the man.

"Umm…are you saying you don't know how to get back outside the Dungeon?" Bell asked as the man chuckled.

"Suppose so," the man replied with a shrug. "Mind leading the way? You can keep the crystal as thanks."

"I still think that that's still too much for payment…" Bell muttered as he led the way for the man. He thought to himself that the man was probably from a more well off Familia that had enough people where a Minotaur's magic stone was more or less pocket change. Still, with this money he would be able to help his Goddess a bit more.

As they made their way up through the dungeon, they passed by a few Adventurers making their way down but no monsters, making the trip rather quiet.

"Umm…" Bell spoke up, drawing the man's attention away from a passing Chienthrope. "If it's all right, can I get your name? Ah, I'm Bell Cranel."

"…Archer," the man replied after a moment's silence.

"Archer? Like a bowman?"

"My parents were really dull with names," Archer replied with a shrug.

"Oh…I see…" Bell said, unsure if it was a joke he should laugh at or not.. "Umm…Mister Archer?"

"No need for that," Archer said quickly.

"Then…Archer?" Bell tried again and the taller man nodded. "Which Familia are you from?"

"Familia…huh," Archer replied as he stroked his chin. "What would you do if I were to say that I am currently between Familias?"

"I would ask that you not tease me like that hahaha…" Bell said with a laugh as Archer looked at him with a smirk. "Hahaha…you're not joking."

"I am not joking," Archer said with a nod as he continued walking past Bell.

"T-t-t-then can I ask you to join my Familia?" Bell asked as he ran up to Archer's side and kept pace with him. "I mean, we're not very well off and it's only me and the Goddess there but if you join I think we'll be able to become a great Familia!"

"Great Familia, huh?" Archer repeated with a chuckle. "Well, we'll see about that. Your goddess is the one that decides, isn't she?"

"Don't worry!" Bell says with a reassuring smile. "We aren't that big of a Familia yet so there's no way she'll turn down a potential recruit!"

"For some reason, that doesn't fill me with confidence."

X-x-X-x-X

Before heading to the old church which was the home of the Hestia Familia, Bell wanted to cash in the Minotaur's Magic Stone and report to Eina first.

His guild advisor, a brown haired woman with slightly pointed ears wearing the guild standard uniform of a black vest, white shirt and black slats, was just looking through some files at the reception desk when he entered the Guild. After asking Archer to wait by the door, Bell ran up to the half-elf woman with a smile.

"Miss Eina, I'm back!" He said as she looked up.

"Welcome back, Bell," Eina said with a rather surprised looked, tilting her glasses up slightly. "You're back rather early today. Did you change your mind on going to the dungeon today? There's nothing wrong with a little break after all."

"No I did go into the dungeon," Bell replied. "I just had an incident of sorts is all."

"Huh? What happened?"

And so Bell recalled for Eina the incident from finding the goblet to being jumped by a Minotaur and then being saved by Archer who showed up in the nick of time.

"Putting aside the fact that you met a minotaur, a monster from the middle floors, on the upper floors…" Eina began, rubbing her forehead. "How many times do I have to tell you that an adventurer shouldn't go on an adventure? You need to be properly prepared in order to go explore the lower floors."

"Ye-yes…" Bell said, feeling a bit ashamed. He did try diving deeper into the dungeon with the hopes of meeting a cute girl he could save after all. But that was then…he still wanted to save people, but not just cute girls. Archer's back was still engraved into his mind. Steadfast, strong, proud, and unflinching in the face of danger. Like an invincible wall that would protect everyone that stood behind him. And though he felt it was a little rude, he felt that any girl would fall in love with that right away.

Bell wanted to be someone like that too, though the protecting girls thing was now a distant second, he wanted to be someone who, just by showing up, can make it so the person in danger could feel safe and relieved. That they had been saved.

The word Adventurer didn't really fit that kind of feeling though. More like…a hero?

"Anyway…where is this Archer person?" Eina said, taking Bell out of his thoughts.

Bell waved over toward the door where Archer had been resting against the wall with his arms folded across his chest. Spotting him, Archer pushed himself off the wall and walked over.

"What is it?" Archer asked as he looked from Bell to Eina. "Hello Miss. You're Cranel's Guild Advisor?"

"Pleased to meet you, Mister Archer, my name is Eina Tulle," Eina said with a slight bow. "First off, please let me express my thanks in helping Bell Cranel in the dungeon."

Archer nodded his head to show that he accepted the thanks and for her to continue.

"I also would like to tell you since you appear to be a newcomer to the city that although there is nothing stopping anyone from entering the dungeon, you will not be able to exchange any magic stones for Valis until you register at the Guild."

"Got it," Archer nodded. "Sorry for the hassle."

"It's fine if you understand," Eina said as she pulled out a large folder and places it on the counter with a loud thud causing Archer to take step back. "Here are all the proper materials to read over, sign, and turn into the guild. By the way, which Familia are you in?"

Archer replied by pointing a finger at Bell.

"Oh my, Bell," Eina said, clapping her hands together with a smile. "You didn't say you got a new Familia member."

"Well, it's not official," Bell replied, scratching the back of his head. "We haven't met with Lady Hestia to welcome him in yet."

"Then I won't keep you any longer," Eina nodded. "Oh and don't forget to exchange any Magic Stones you collected before you leave."

"Got it. Come on, Archer. I'll show you how it works."

X-x-X-x-X

After exchanging the Magic Stones, with the Minotaur stone netting Bell more money than he had ever made within his two weeks of being an Adventurer combined, he guided Archer to their Familia Home.

"It's not much since we're kinda poor…" Bell admitted as the two of them stood in front of a rather run down church where the walls were crumbling and the goddess statue on the roof was also riddled with more holes than a piece of Swiss cheese. "But it's really comfy. We have running water and a kitchen at least."

"Just having a roof is enough for me," Archer said as he followed Bell inside. They went pass the broken pews to a small room behind the altar. It was once a storage room lined with empty shelves which opened up to reveal a stairwell.

The two of them descended the stairs where Bell opened up the door at the bottom and announced himself.

"Goddess, I'm home!"

At his call, a person that had been sprawled out on the sofa sits up.

"Bell, welcome back!" A short girl with her hair done up in twintails wearing a white dress with a ribbon tied to her arms across her front. "You're back early today…and who's that with you?"

"Goddess, this is Archer. He says he wants to join our Familia!" Bell excitedly replied.

"Really?" The Goddess Hestia shouted as she jumped up from her couch and ran up in front of Archer. "Do you really want to join my Familia?"

"Y-yes…if you'll allow me, Goddess Hestia," Archer answered with a nod.

"Hurray!" Hestia cheered before grabbing Archer by the hand and pulling him over to the single bed in the room. "Now, take off your shirt and lie down on the bed and I'll bestow my blessing upon you."

Looking rather bemused, Archer did as he was told, stripping off his mantle and undershirt and laid himself down on the bed…with his legs poking off the edge.

"Hoh hoh…even without a blessing, you've taken good care of your body didn't you, Mister Archer?" Hestia said as she got onto his back with a silver knife in her hand.

"I suppose," Archer said with a shrug, rocking Hestia slightly.

"Hee hee, you've got a lot of catching up to do Bell," Hestia joked as Bell let out a small chuckle. "All right, now hold still. This might tickle a bit."

Hestia proceeded to prick her finger with the knife and then traced her blood onto Archer's back. Once that was done, Hestia placed a piece of parchment onto Archer's back where she traced her finger and pulled it back, leaving several words and numbers on it.

Hestia turned the parchment toward herself and frowned slightly.

"Hey, 'Archer,'" Hestia began as she hopped off Archer's back and held the parchment to his face. "Is there a reason you didn't tell us your real name?"

Archer looked at Hestia in surprise as Bell's eyes widened in shock at his goddess's words. Archer took the parchment from Hestia's hands and skimmed through it.

_**Emiya Shirou**_

**Level 1**

**Strength**: I0

**Defense**: I0

**Dexterity**: I0

**Agility**: I0

**Magic**: I0

**Magic**:

**Reinforcement**: Strengthen oneself or objects with magic.

**Projection**: Create temporary imperfect objects with the use of magic power. Quality of item jumps up when creating "swords." Can also alter objects slightly from their main form while retaining innate properties.

_Trace On._

_Judging the concept of creation. _

_Hypothesizing the basic structure. _

_Duplicating the composition material. _

_Imitating the skill of its making. _

_Sympathizing with the experience of its growth. _

_Reproducing the accumulated years. _

_Excelling every manufacturing process…_

**Unlimited Blade Works**: Project one's inner reality out into the world. Reduce Projection costs of "Swords" to zero when within inner reality. Can passively examine and understand the history and blueprint of any weapon on sight and recreate them.

_I am the bone of my sword_

_Steel is my body and fire is my blood_

_I have created over a thousand blades_

_Unknown to death_

_Nor known to life_

_Have withstood pain to create many weapons_

_Yet, these hands will never hold anything_

_So as I pray, Unlimited Blade Works_

**Skills**:

**Independent Action:** Parameters Increase when fighting alone.

**Hawkeye:** While on a vantage point, can see and target opponents within a four kilometer range with near perfect accuracy.

**Mind's Eye:** Using one's insight, one can calmly grasp the current battle situation and find a way to escape.

"My apologies," Archer said as he sat up and lowered his head slightly. "I haven't really considered that my name for a long time."

"You shouldn't let a name go like that," Hestia said as she took the parchment back from Archer. "It's your parents first gift to you, their child after all. Well, I won't push it if you don't want to be called by that name anymore. But to think you'd have magic without Falna. And one without a chant even…not to mention this Skill…"

"That's amazing, Archer!" Bell said as he looked over Hestia's shoulder at the stat sheet while Archer was getting redressed. "So this 'Projection' is how you created those swords earlier?"

"Still, I always thought Humans couldn't use magic without a Falna," Hestia mumbled. "I suppose there are exceptions to everything."

"Well…so long as we're being honest…" Archer said as he finished putting on his mantle. "I'm…not exactly human."

"Eh?" Bell gasped as he and Hestia looked at him. "What are you talking about? You look human enough to me."

"Did you forget, Bell?" Archer asked. "About a certain thing you picked up in the dungeon?"

"Picked up? Ahh! I totally forgot!"

Bell quickly opened his bag and pulled out the golden goblet he found in the chest earlier.

"Bell? What is that?" Hestia asked as she stared at the golden glowing grail. "It doesn't seem like a normal cup."

"That's something called the Holy Grail," Archer explained. "Under normal circumstances, it is able to grant the wish of anyone who possesses it."

"Under normal circumstances?" Hestia asked. "What's abnormal about this one?"

"Considering that it was found in the dungeon, for one," Archer pointed out. "I also believe Bell made a wish on the grail to be saved from the Minotaur that attacked him."

"WHAT!?" Hestia shrieked as she wheeled around toward Bell. "You got attacked by a Minotaur?"

"I-I-I'm fine though!" Bell quickly reassured her. "Archer saved me and I wasn't hurt at all! But wait, does that mean it can't grant any more wishes?"

"I don't know the answer to that," Archer replied with a shrug. "Normally, the grail summons seven Servants who do battle under seven masters and the last pair standing gets to use the wish. Normally. The fact that it materialized before I was even summoned means every normal thing I should know about it doesn't necessarily apply anymore."

"Servants?" Hestia repeated. "Are you saying you're one of these Seven Servants? What is a Servant anyway?"

"A Servant is the physical manifestation of the aspect of a legend of a 'hero,' usually," Archer replied. "In theory, all those myths and legends of heroes of the past and those that have yet come to be, can be summoned into physical form."

"You mean I can summon one of the heroes from one my Grandpa's books and stories?" Bell asked with stars in his eyes.

"Supposedly," Archer shrugged again as he pointed to himself. "Normally you only get one though."

"A manifestation of a legend…" Hestia mumbled. "A spirit of a hero…I see, rather than a human, you're closer to a Spirit. I didn't think a Spirit could be graced with the Falna. Then again, all the Spirits I know about don't want to become Adventurers. Does that mean your 'name' is just a title of sorts?"

"Yes. Saber, Archer, Lancer, Rider, Caster, Assassin and Berserker. These seven classes of sorts act as containers to hold the Heroic Spirit. A Saber is usually a hero well known for their swordsman ship or one that carries a famous sword, Archer is usually a peerless bowman but any kind of projectile would work such as a sling, Lancer is one that wields a polearm and usually are known for their speed as well, Rider usually has a famous mount, Casters are peerless magicians, Assassins are feared and famous killers and Berserers are heroes who lost their reason and went mad at one point in their lives."

"Hey, Archer," Bell said as he held up the grail. "Do you think I can summon another Servant with the grail?"

"Not satisfied with me, Master?"Archer asked with an smirk.

"No no, nothing like that," Bell said quickly. "I was just thinking that if I could summon more Servants, we could use them to fill the ranks of the Familia and explore the dungeon better. And by doing so, we'll be able to make more money to help out our goddess."

"Bell…" Hestia said, looking at him for a moment before tears filled her eyes. "I'm sorry we're poor…"

"Nonononono! It's not your fault! You're doing your best at your job too!"

"If…there isn't any other Masters out there…" Archer began, ignoring the two's antics. "It should theoretically be possible for you to try summoning another Servant. However, it's not as if it's free. While the costs for summoning a Servant is burdened by the grail, the cost for keeping the Servant bound to the physical world is on the Summoner." Archer then turned his head to look behind him toward his back. "Although I don't know how exactly the Falna interacts with that. I feel as though I'm getting the upkeep from two sources. Both from you and Lady Hestia"

"How exactly is this upkeep paid for?" Hestia asked, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Well, with the Master's magic power."

Hestia and Bell shared a look before Hestia shooed Archer off the bed and Bell took off his shirt before scrambling onto it. Hestia got on top of Bell's back and pricked her finger with her knife again before repeating the same process on Bell's back like she did for Archer.

"…It's there…" Hestia said before placing some parchment onto Bell's back and pulling it off.

_**Bell Cranel**_

**Level 1**

**Strength**: I77 - I82

**Defense**: I13

**Dexterity**: I-93 - I96

**Agility**: H148 - H172

**Magic**: I0 - I50

**Magic**:

**Servant Summoning**: Summon a Heroic Spirit into one of Seven Servant Containers. Requires upkeep once servant is summoned.

_Let silver and steel be the essence._

_Let stone and the archduke of contracts be the foundation._

_Let red be the color I pay tribute to._

_Let rise a wall against the wind that shall fall._

_Let the four cardinal gates close._

_Let the three-forked road from the crown reaching unto the Kingdom rotate."_

_"Let it be filled. Again. Again. Again. Again._

_Let it be filled fivefold for every turn, simply breaking asunder with every filling._

_My dreams form the body_

_Your Spirit shall show me the path as I walk it by my own power_

_And so I hereby swear,_

_That I shall be all the good in the world_

_That I shall defeat all the evil in the world._

_You seven souls who reside at the fate I wish to reach_

_Come forth from the binding circle_

_Oh Keeper of the Balance!_

(Open)

**Skills**

None

Bell let out a cry of joy as he read through his updated status sheet.

"His numbers are better than mine…" Archer noted blandly.

"That's just how it works," Hestia said looking off to the side not meeting his eyes. "Having zero doesn't mean your status is zero. Everyone starts at zero whether you're just a baby or a grown adult that can lift a cart over their heads with one hand. Bell's stats are what they were due to him being two weeks your senior."

"I see…so that's how that works…" Archer muttered. "In any case, it seems like your magic status will grow on its own so long as I'm around and you're providing my upkeep."

"I see," Hestia said with a nod. "So Bell's magic status will continually grow even if he doesn't do anything.."

"So? Do you think I can summon another Servant?" Bell asked again as he stood up and walked up to Archer.

"Don't overdo it," Hesita said quickly. "Hephaistos told me what happens when you overuse magic. You get affected by something called 'Mind Down' and collapse. In worst cases, it could kill you."

"Oh…I see…" Bell deflated a bit at that before looking back at Archer. "It's probably dangerous, isn't it?"

"It is," Archer nodded. "However…as I said, since I received the Falna, I feel like I am also getting magic power from both you and Lady Hestia. Depending on things such as the type of servant you summon…as in the hero you summon plus the class they are summoned into, I believe you may be able to summon another one provided Lady Hestia gives them her blessing as well. That is, if they accept it. Some heroes are rather arrogant and would refuse it after all."

"What class would you say then?" Bell asked, perking up again as Hestia sighed and shook her head.

"Caster would be my recommendation," Archer answered. "Being magic users themselves, they should hold a lot of magic power inside of them so that there isn't as much upkeep required for existing and using their abilities. They also have skills for creating and holding territory so they could be useful in tidying up this church a bit."

"Is it okay if I try, Goddess?" Bell asked, turning his shining puppy dog eyes toward Hestia who looked away as if his gaze was too bright for her.

"Grrr…" Hestia groaned as she glanced at Archer. "Is there any way to reduce upkeep even more?"

"If I do this…" Archer began before disappearing from view causing both of them to jump.

"Archer?" Bell called out as he waved his hand at the spot where Archer had been standing only to touch nothing but air. "Where are you?"

"Over here."

Both Bell and Hestia turned around to see that Archer had made himself at home on the couch, his long arms resting on the top of the couch with one leg over the other.

"Dematerialization," Archer said. "Most servants can do this. It temporarily shifts our bodies from the physical plane where we can't interact with anything but it helps reduce the cost. If it's too much for Bell to handle, I'll spend some time like that until he can handle it."

"Mumumumumu…" Hestia seemed both unwilling to let Bell take on such a risk while at the same time not wanting to deny her first Familia member something that would only help their Familia grow. "Fine! But if he falls unconscious you are dematerializing right away, got it!?"

"Thank you Goddess!" Bell said as he picked up the grail again and looked around. "Umm…so how do I…?"

"Follow me," Archer said as he took the grail from Bell's hands and headed up the stairs with the two of them following him.

Up on the altar of the church, Archer began carving a strange magic circle into the wood. As he worked, he also explained about the command spells that symbolized the connection between Master and Servant. Bell was confused for a second before he took off his glove and saw that red marking had etched themselves on the back of his left hand in the form of a flame made up of three lines. Archer explained that those three lines were spells that could be used to give a servant an absolute order that couldn't be disobeyed, even for the servant to take their own life if need be and were very valuable as it meant that the Servant would think twice before betraying him.

"I don't want to make anyone do something like that…" Bell muttered as Archer shrugged.

"Consider it insurance of a sort," Archer replied. "It's not like that's the only way you can use it. It can be used as a power up to let a Servant cast a spell immediately or for them to warp to your side if you are in danger. If it's an order that both you and the Servant agree upon like 'Take down that monster' then the Servant will get a power boost as they fight the monster you direct them too. The more specific the command, the more powerful the spell will be."

"I see. That's good then," Bell said, looking a bit happier that it wasn't just a tool to order someone to their own death.

"It's done," Archer said as he stood up and placed the grail on the pedestal at the edge of the alter. "Now say your chant clearly beside the circle and a Servant should appear."

Bell nodded at Archer's instructions as he held out his left hand with the command spells on them and began his chant.

With each verse the circle began to shine and a gust of wind began to blow from it. Behind Bell, Archer stood in front of Hestia to shield the goddess from the bellowing winds as Bell continued undaunted.

As the lights began to shine in a golden color, Bell hit the final verse.

"_You seven souls who reside at the fate I wish to reach,__ Come forth from binding circle, Oh Keeper of the Balance!"_ Bell shouted as the light exploded.

"Did…did it work?" Hestia asked as she peered around Archer's back while Archer could only gape at the cloud of dust in front of Bell.

Bell meanwhile had his arms in front of his eyes to shield himself from the dust. As the dust began to dissipate, he lowered his arms and saw someone in front of him.

A man with golden hair and blood red eyes was staring at him with a frown on his face. He was wearing a short veil on the back his head, a short blue vest that didn't do anything to cover his bare chest and long red pants that opened up to reveal part of his thighs and legs. In one hand was a stone tablet and in the other was a large golden axe.

"Servant…Caster," The man declared. "Gilgamesh of Uruk has come due to your summoning, mongrel."


	2. Adventure

**Chapter 2: Party Play**

"Of all the Heroic Spirits out there…" Archer muttered as he placed his hand against his face.

"Hoh…" Caster Gilgamesh let out a small breath as he looked around the broken down church with a hint of amusement in his voice. "I appear to have arrived in an interesting place. Although this is hardly an appropriate place to summon a king, don't you think?"

"I'm sorry!" Bell said quickly while lowering his head. "But it was the only place really available to us…"

"No need to grovel, Mongrel," Caster said with a laugh. "Raise your head. I am rather amused right now so I will let this minor slight pass. Hmm?"

Caster's eyes fell upon Archer…or rather the small figure peeking her head around him.

Caster walked pass Bell and off the alter so that he was standing right in front of Archer.

"Move," he ordered at the tanned servant. Archer remained where he was, not breaking eye contact for a moment before stepping aside so that Caster could see Hestia fully. "So it is true then…the Gods have descended upon the mortal world and live amongst the mortals even in the dirt?"

"It-it's not like I want to live in a run down church!" Hestia shouted back. "It's just…we don't really have the money to live anywhere else…if we did, I'd want at least a two story house with five rooms…"

Caster threw his head back in laughter at that.

"Truly one can see and hear so many ridiculous things even after ascending to the Throne of Heroes," he said as he tucked his tablet under the arm holding the axe so he could place his hand against his face. "Very well, I agree to this summoning and contract if only to amuse myself in this world even further."

"R-really?" Bell asked as he jumped down from the altar and walked up to Caster. "Do you really mean it sir…no wait…you said you were a king? Then Sire…or Your Majesty?"

"Either is fine, I will allow it," Caster said as he turned to face Bell while Archer sighed into his hand again. "You will have the right to muster me into battle so long as I agree to it."

"Thank you very much, Your Highness!"

"Really now…" Hestia sighed as she glanced over at Archer before looking at Bell and Caster. "I can already tell this one is going to be a handful."

X-x-X-x-X

With the contract finished, the four of them returned to the underground room where Hestia presented them with Potato Puffs that were given to her as leftovers from the food stand that she worked at while telling Archer and Caster a bit about the world's history at Caster's request.

"…What exactly are these things…?" Caster asked from his seat on the couch as he picked one up and sniffed it.

"Jagamaru-kuns!" Hestia explained as she sat down next to Bell on the bed. "They're very popular in town. Everyone in the city knows about them!"

"If you don't want them I'll take your share," Archer said as he ate standing by the wall, seemingly not wanting to sit next to Caster.

Caster didn't say anything as he took a bite and chewed it slowly before swallowing. His eyes opened slightly before he took another bite.

"I see…this is the taste of an offering from the Goddess of the Hearth huh…" he muttered as he finished and reached for another one. "It should not be fit for a royal palate but…"

"See? They're great aren't they?" Hestia asked as she puffed out her chest.

Caster didn't answer and instead shifted the topic.

"So the Gods of this world created these Familias after descending to both amuse themselves and to give the mortals a chance to better themselves and survive against the monsters born from this Dungeon," Caster summed up and Hestia nodded. "It is more incredulous hearing it straight from the mouth of a goddess than it is learning about it from the Grail."

"It can't be helped, it's boring up there after all," Hestia shrugged. "And with so many others already descended, the work in directing the fallen souls of mortals is pushed onto whoever is left."

At that Caster let out an amused laugh at the image of overworked gods.

"You mentioned famous Familias like Zeus and Hera…" Caster began. "Is it only the Greek Gods that descended?"

"Greek?" Hestia asked as she tilted her head to the side. "What do you mean."

"I see…I shall be blunt then. Is there a goddess by the name of Ishtar about?" Caster asked.

"Ah…her…" Hestia muttered, her cheeks turning a bit red at the topic of a goddess of sexual love when she herself was a virgin goddess. "Yeah, she's around. She hangs around…or rather runs most of Orario's…err…naughty places…"

At Hestia's words Caster's face twisted into a harsh expression as if he had tasted something vile.

"I see…" he said simply before taking a rather violent bite into his potato puff.

Bell looked at Caster in worry before glancing at Archer who shook his head, telling the young Master not to ask about it.

"In any case…it seems that being in a Familia is required for most things in this city, correct?" Caster asked.

"Yes," Hestia nodded. "The Guild runs most things and although regular people can live here well enough, being in a Familia allows you access to more of the city's functions and you get a lot of direct support from the Guild itself. Even the money exchanger is only available to registered Adventurers."

"I see…" Caster muttered again, looking rather unhappy about something. "Humanity is over reliant on the gods…nothing good can come out of it should they all disappear…but that is how this world is. If I were to be incarnated I would do something but as it is…I should just enjoy what this world has to offer."

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Hestia asked.

"Never mind," Caster shook the question off. "And one can leave the Familia whenever they wish?"

"Well, so long as the God agrees to it yes," Hestia nods. "But there is a limit of one year before you can leave when joining a new Familia. It's to prevent people from just bouncing from Familia to Familia or to join a Familia then leaving just for the blessing. Umm…I would prefer if no one left mine if they joined though…we're small enough as it is."

"…I suppose it is only prudent for countermeasures like that," Caster muttered. "I do not particularly enjoy the fact that being bound to a god is the only way to get anything done. Well, I shall entertain this for the time being."

"T-Then…?" Hestia asked with eyes full of hope.

"Rejoice, Goddess Hestia," Caster said as he stood up. "I will grace your Familia with my membership."

"Hurray!" Hestia shouted as she jumped to her feet.

"However," Caster cut in before Hestia could do anything else. "I will not settle for being a second to anyone. That boy…" he gestured toward Bell with his chin. "May be my summoner, but I have not accepted him as a Master. He may rally me onto the field of battle, but otherwise I will be the one giving out the orders."

"Umm…so you want to be the Familia Captain then?" Bell asked. "That's fine with me. I don't really know how to lead people yet and since you're a King I bet you could do it a thousand times better than I can."

"Do not think you can just slip away from any responsibilities of your station," Caster said, frowning at Bell. "You are human, you exist in this world without requiring an anchor. We…" he gestured toward Archer and himself. "…are Servants. Our time here is fleeting like the morning dew. By our nature we are unable to make any true lasting change to this world. That would be up to you."

"Y-yes!" Bell nodded as he stood up straight. "I won't let you down, Your Majesty!"

"I have no expectations but see that you do not," Caster said without any change in expression as he leaned back in his seat while Bell looked rather excited at being given a task by a Hero.

"Then, do you want to receive the Falna now, after dinner or tomorrow morning before I leave for work?" Hestia asked Caster as she sat back down on the bed.

"Let us finish the meal you have laid out for us first," Caster replied simply. "Though it is fine on short notice, do not think it will be enough come 'morrow."

"I'm sure we'll be able to do something with the familia's rather small budget," Archer spoke up for the first time in a long while. "Unless you have some to contribute."

"But of course," Caster said without much fanfare. "If I am to grace this Familia with my membership, it is only natural I do not live in a ruin. Boy."

"Yes?" Bell reacted to the call, snapping out of his daydream.

"Does the Guild services also include a way to sell valuables?"

"Umm…I'm not sure but if I ask Miss Eina, my advisor, I'm sure she can help find someone that can."

"Then in the worst case I will be forced to endure these dreary surroundings for a few days," Caster sighed.

"What are you planning to sell?" Hestia asked. "If it's a weapon, I can show it to my friend Hephaistos for an estimate."

"A quote from a god of the forge?" Caster said, eyebrows rising slightly. "Yes, I suppose if one were to get a fair evaluation. I had wished to see the inside of this dungeon tomorrow but I suppose there are more important things to handle first."

"Yes…registration and orientation at the Guild may take a while too…" Bell said. "I really wanted to see how amazing the two of you can be."

"Then you'll be waiting for a long time," Caster said dismissively. "I doubt that there are any things in the dungeon that would require me to show off my full power."

In contrast to Archer who let out another sigh and rubbed his forehead, Bell just looked even more eager at the promise of strength from the king.

"Then tomorrow, the three of you should go to the guild so Archer and Caster can get registered…of course you still need me to give you the blessing," Hestia said, looking at Caster. "After sitting through Orientation, Bell should bring Caster over to my stand around closing time then I can bring him to meet Hephaistos while Bell and Archer…uh…do something else to wait for us."

"I wouldn't mind getting a tour of the market," Archer said. "If we're going to serve something fitting for His Royal Highness's stomach, then we should see what we have to work with."

"Do as you wish," Caster said, not taking Archer's bait. "I doubt you'll find anything coming close to being worthy. Although I would not mind being surprised."

"Can you cook, Archer?" Bell asked.

"I may have dabbled once or twice," Archer admitted. "At the very least, I can provide more side dishes than just potato puffs…not that these weren't nice Lady Hestia, but you and Bell probably shouldn't subsist on only potatoes."

"Just us?" Hestia asked. "What about you two?"

"Servants do not need to eat or sleep to survive," Archer explained. "We can subsist solely though the connection between our Master and the grail. It does help with Morale though."

"Once we meet with Hephaistos there would be no need to be stingy with food though so there's no need to worry about that," Hestia said. "Hopefully."

"Fear not," Caster said. "If a single blade is not enough I have countless in my treasury that should be enough to afford a new base for the Familia. Come to think of it…Boy, how many more Servants do you plan on summoning?"

"Well…I don't think I'll try summoning any more until my Magic grows a bit," Bell said. "But I think it'd be great to summon the other five eventually. Not only to help the Familia grow but I want to learn how each Hero was a Hero."

"Learning from ghosts is all well and good but do not mimic us," Caster said, folding his arms in front of his chest. "You need to find your own path of becoming a Hero, not walk down a path already traveled."

"Much as I hate to agree, he's right," Archer added. "Your reasons and ideals for becoming a hero must be your own. Not mine, not your grandfather's, but your own. Understand, Bell?"

"Yes!" Bell nodded with a smile.

"We shall see about that…" Caster muttered.

"Well, that's enough planning for the future for now," Hestia said as she stood up from the bed and slapped her hand on it. "Now take off your vest and get over here and I'll give you your falna."

Caster didn't say anything, only raising an eyebrow at the goddess before walking over and sitting down on the bed. As it seemed that he wasn't going to lay down like the others, Hestia simply crawled behind him, pricked her finger with her knife and drew on his back as she had with Archer.

"I see…so this is how it works…" Caster muttered. "The connection is now shared between the two of you."

"Archer said the same thing," Hestia said as she placed some parchment on Caster's back and peeled it off along with his status. "All right…Gil, you're done."

"…Do not shorten my name like that…" Caster said rather irritably before taking the sheet from Hestia.

_**Gilgamesh**_

**Level 1**

**Strength**: I0

**Defense**: I0

**Dexterity**: I0

**Agility**: I0

**Magic**: I0

**Magic**:

**Melammu Dingir**: Long-range bombardment spell symbolizing a long forgotten kingdom.

_I permit you to ready your arrows! _

_Show me how you would defend Uruk and its unrivaled fortune! _

_It is my will that shall wash over the land! _

_The King's Signal Cannon!_

_Melammu Dingir!_

**Skills**

**Gate of Babylon**: The Treasury of the King is always accessible to him and able to connect to the treasury across space so that the tools within the vault are available to use. Can be deployed at will to retrieve items from within and magic wands can be fired directly from within the gate. Most weapons are currently sealed.

**Territory Creation**: Creation of a Temple to draw in Magic Power is available.

**The King of Heroes**: Release restraints on the Gate and draw out its full power.

**Omniscient and Omnipotent Star: Sha Naqba Imuru**: Able to discern truth from lies and see through the eyes of all creation.

"But really…Spirits are rather amazing after all," Hestia said as Caster tossed aside the parchment after he finished reading it, allowing Bell to catch it before it hit the ground to read it for himself. "Even if your legends were based on humans, it's still completely different from how Bell started out. I'm going to have to ask Hephaistos how to lock and hide the Falna or anyone who can read the hieroglyphs will be able to understand your status and wonder why a pair of Level 1 supposed humans have skills and magic on their first day."

Archer nodded his head while Caster looked uninterested.

"By the way, about what time do you usually wake up, Bell?" Archer asked.

"At five in the morning sharp!" Bell said with a proud look on his face. "It's been pretty much ingrained into me ever since I lived with Grandpa."

"Good, then in the morning I'll measure your ability," Archer said. "I need to know what you can handle and what you can't."

"Got it!" Bell nodded, brimming with excitement over the thought of being trained by Archer. "Please take care of me!"

"If everything is settled, I will be taking my leave," Caster said as he stood up. "I wish to see what this city has to offer with my own eyes first."

"But it's late!" Hestia said. "Can't you wait until morning?"

"Servants do not require sleep," Caster said. "And the sooner we get acclimated to this city, the sooner we can focus on more important things."

"He's right," Archer said looking as though he swallowed something bitter. "In order to find out how much money we need for a new home, he needs to find a building close to our needs and what it costs."

"Close?" Caster repeated, glaring at Archer. "Do you think I will not find somewhere that suits my needs exactly?"

"Oh, I am 100% positive that you'll find a place suiting your needs just fine," Archer said with a smirk. "It's whether or not that it would be suitable for a Familia that worries me."

"Okay! No more arguing!" Hestia said, quickly inserting herself between the two. "Caster, if you want to go look at some real estate, go ahead."

Caster scoffed but nonetheless headed toward the exit without another word.

"And you, Archer," Hestia said, thrusting her finger at Archer's face barely an inch from his nose. "Why are you antagonizing him so much?"

"Call it an incompatibility between heroes," Archer said and didn't elaborate beyond that. "I'm going to look at the kitchen to see what is in stock and what appliances are available."

And with that Archer pushed himself off the wall and headed into the kitchen as silent as Caster was when he left.

"You managed to summon quite a pair of characters, Bell," Hestia said with a sigh while Bell could only let out a nervous laugh.

X-x-X-x-X

At five in the morning, Bell opened his eyes groggily and looked around. His goddess was still sleeping soundly on the bed while neither Caster nor Archer could be seen.

Sitting up properly on the sofa, he let out a large yawn and scratched his head.

"Yesterday wasn't a dream, right?" He muttered as he looked down at his hands. "Doesn't look like it."

The command spells were still marked on the back of his hand, symbolizing his connection to Archer and Caster.

"Well, you're up like you said you would be."

A deep voice spoke up behind him and Bell turned his head around to see Archer holding a glass of water out to him.

"Is the pantry usually empty?" Archer asked as Bell accepted and downed the glass.

"Yes…" Bell shamefully admitted. "Most of what we earn goes into taxes and the utilities and what little else goes into food. So…yeah, what we usually eat is whatever the Goddess can bring back."

Archer made a rather pained face at Bell's words.

"We will definitely go food shopping today," Archer said as he gestured to the door with his head. "Grab your weapon and follow me. I believe that minotaur crystal provided a good amount of money?"

"Y-yeah," Bell nodded as he set the empty glass on the table and grabbed his trusty knife before following Archer up the stairs. "I got fifty thousand valis from it. More than I made in the last two weeks combined. The monsters on the upper floors usually only give little shards and the minotaur crystal was much bigger and fuller than they were thus a lot more useful to the Guild."

Bell then let out a long sigh and turned his eyes to the side.

"Or rather…it was so much money I was surprised that such a crystal existed in real life…first class adventurers must be something else to make that much money…"

"It's probably due to their weapons as much as their skill," Archer said. "And having better weapons means the maintenance costs for them must be huge so they would have to kill a lot more of those bigger monsters just to break even like you do."

"I guess you're right," Bell nodded. "Though I think the bigger Familias have enough members to have Supporters…oh uh, Adventurers who don't do the fighting but support the front-liners by carrying equipment and carving the magic stones out of monsters so that the front-liners can pay attention to the monsters and not worry about leaving the stones behind."

"Sounds like under-appreciated work," Archer commented as they stepped out into the morning sun. "Now then, let me see your knife."

Bell pulled it out of its sheath and held it out to Archer, handle first. Archer plucked it out of Bell's hand and turned it around in his hand for a moment before holding out his other hand. Then, in front of Bell's eyes a wooden dagger suddenly formed in Archer's free hand.

"Wow…so that's your magic, right?" Bell said as Archer handed him both the wooden dagger and his real one.

"Yeah," Archer nodded. "It won't last forever but it is sufficient for what we're about to do. Is the weight all right?"

"Yes!" Bell said as he sheathed his regular knife and gave a few practice swings. "Aside from being made out of wood, it feels just like my other knife."

"That knife was given to you from the Guild?"

"Yes. The guild gives out a…um…oh right, a stipend for new Adventurers. It comes with some money and a weapon…even if you have to pay them back later. Although I suppose you and Caster don't need one. You can make whatever you need with your magic and Caster has that big axe of his."

"Yeah, this thing," Archer said as he held out his hands and blue energy swirled between them before solidifying into a large golden axe. "It's fairly light despite its looks and makes a good focus for channeling magic. The blade is rather sharp too. Perfect for a caster to bludgeon enemies with when they get too close."

"And I would prefer if you did not create fakes of my treasures so freely, mongrel."

The air behind Archer distorted for a moment before it solidified into Caster's form.

"Welcome back Your Majesty!" Bell greeted cheerfully as the axe in Archer's hands disappeared. "How was your search."

"Unfortunately the state of the city's larger homes are insufficient," Caster replied. "The ones that are kept in order are already occupied by other Familia and the ones that are not have been abandoned and are in states similar to this church."

"So we'd need to spend money to refurbish them anyway?" Bell asked as Caster clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Maybe we should try finding one through the guild?"

"I suppose it would be best to delegate this matter to others," Caster sighed. "That is, unless I decide to take on the project of building what the familia requires myself. Although I now have a better understanding of the real estate in this city. In any case, you have my leave to continue your play."

"Gee, thanks," Archer said irritably as a short sword made out of straw appeared in his right hand. "Now Bell, what do you want to focus on?"

"What do you mean?" Bell asked.

"Do you want to focus on attacking or defending? Or a mixture of both?"

"Uh…both I guess?"

"Then, defend yourself."

"Huh?"

Bell blinked in confusion and when his eyes opened, Archer was right in front of him sword hand raised over his head.

With a scream, Bell dived to the side as the straw sword went pass him only for it to swiftly curve and smack him in the back.

"Ouch!" Bell yelped as he rolled a bit and turned back to face Archer. The hit didn't so much hurt as it surprised him along with the loud clack it made on his back.

"Wha are you doing? I said defend yourself."

Archer was standing upright lazily with the sword still in his hand. He was staring at Bell with his gray eyes with a frown.

"Pay attention. We have already started."

"Y-yes!"

Bell said as he got ready and prepared himself for Archer's next attack. And the moment he did, Archer burst forward once more, sword moving toward Bell's Flank. Bell's dagger managed to deflect the sword but as it pulled away, Bell suddenly felt his legs leave the ground before his head hit the floor.

"Don't just watch the weapon, pay attention to the legs as well!" Archer shouted as he waited for Bell to get back to his feet.

"Yes!" Bell said without complaint.

Although Bell wasn't sure what to expect from being trained by what he understood was the personification of a Hero, he certainly didn't expect to get his butt kicked all morning. It also served to make him realize just how big the difference was between the two. If Archer had been a normal adventurer just how high of a level would he be?

By the end of the hour, Bell was reduced to being a bruised and panting mess on the ground.

"I suppose that's as much as we can do this morning," Archer said as the sword in his hand disappeared alongside the dagger in Bell's hand. "Anymore and we'd worry your Guild Advisor."

"You're amazing, Archer…" Bell said as he caught his breath and sat up. "You move so fast. I could hardly keep up."

"If such a speed is too much for you then your journey will be a long and arduous one indeed," Caster scoffed. "Archer's speed is only middling as far as Heroic Spirts go. The speed of Lancers and Riders will usually outclass the others."

"As much as I hate to admit it, he's right," Archer said as he took Bell's hand and helped him to his feet. "I'm a second rate hero compared to the real legends out there."

"Wow."

Far from being discouraged, Bell only grew more excited at the prospect of meeting more heroes. It was a pity he'd only be able to meet seven of them total though.

Suddenly, a loud and angry shout erupted from the entrance of the church as Hestia rushed out, stomping past an amused looking Caster.

"What are you doing bullying Bell so early in the morning!?" Hestia demanded as she walked up in front of Archer with her hands on her hips.

"That's not it, Goddess!" Bell said quickly, putting himself between Archer and Hestia. "This is training! Just training!"

Hestia didn't look convinced but said nothing as she just huffed.

"Well, we should probably get to the Guild then," Bell said as he brushed off his clothes. "Have a good day, Goddess!"

"Take care Lady Hestia," Archer said before chasing after Bell who ran off while Caster gave Hestia a simple nod, which Hestia supposed was as good as she was going to get from someone like him, before lazily following after the other two.

"Right then," Hestia said as she looked up at the sky. "I think I can make it to Hephaistos to pass along a message before work. All right! Let's work hard to day for my new boys!"

And the tiny goddess also decide to try her best for the day.

X-x-X-x-X

Bell led the way down the street toward the guild, pointing out landmarks to the two Servants while they walked almost side by side with each other. Almost in that they were walking on opposite ends of the street and Caster was walking a bit ahead of Archer. If one didn't know they were together, one would assume they were two separate parties just happening to be going in the same direction.

However, even at this distance, the two could still hear each other.

"Since you were the one knocking the fool to the ground, you should have noticed it more clearly correct?" Caster said quietly as to not let Bell hear him.

"Of course," Archer replied pretending to be looking at a food stand to avoid looking in Caster's direction. "It was only a bit, but he was getting a bit faster toward the end. Is this the Falna doing work or our little Master's own talent?"

"At this point, it is a fluke, nothing more," Caster decided. "Unless you mean to say you insulted him by lowering the difficulty after coming on too strongly?"

"Peh. Hmm?"

The two of them stopped as just a little bit ahead, Bell had been accosted by a girl in a green and white uniform with gray hair tied in a bun.

She was handing him a magic stone, one that she was thinking Bell had dropped…even though Bell had exchanged all of his stones yesterday when Archer went with him to the Guild.

"Hoh…" Caster let out an amused laugh. "It seems the boy has caught the eye of some server girl."

"Where did she get the stone though?" Archer muttered. "Stones are to be traded for Valis by Adventurers. They should be normally useless to civilians."

Bell then gestured to the two of them as he explained to the girl that he was showing his new Familia members to the guild and not to the dungeon as she had initially thought.

At that moment Bell's stomach started growling, much to his chagrin as his face started reddening. Caster let out a laugh at Bell's expense while Archer pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Did you not have breakfast yet?" the girl asked.

"Ah…no not yet," Bell admitted as he looked at the building that the girl was next to. "Do you work here? 'Hostess of Fertility?'"

"Yes, ah…but we're not open yet, my apologies," the girl answered before lowering her head in apology.

"It'd probably be a good idea for you to get something to eat before we meet with the advisor if you're hungry," Archer said. "You don't want your stomach growling in front of her too, do you?"

"Umm…I suppose so…"

"In that case, please wait a moment," the girl said before running back inside the building before coming back out with a small wrapped boxed. "It's not much but please accept this."

"Eh!?" Bell let out a surprised shout as the girl forced the box into his hands. "No way, I can't accept a free meal from someone I never met before. And this is your breakfast right?"

"Don't worry, once the pub opens I can just get something to eat then," she says, gesturing back inside the pub where a pair of waitresses with cat ears were running around cleaning and preparing for the day ahead. "But in exchange, you have to eat dinner tonight at the pub, okay?"

"So that's what she was after," Caster said with a smirk. "Accept it, Boy. We'll have a proper celebration of our addition to the Familia here alongside the goddess."

"Ahaha…that's true," Bell said with a smile. "Then, I'll take it. We'll be back tonight if all of our errands are finished. If not, can you accept us coming tomorrow night instead?"

"Mmm…that's fair," the girl nodded. "But still, I hope to see you tonight."

At these words, Bell's face flushed once more as Caster rolled his eyes.

"If you are going to woo a girl you only met five minutes ago, Boy," he began, causing both of them to go red, or even redder in Bell's case. "Then at least give her your name."

"Ah…right…" Bell nodded before clearing his throat. "I…I'm Bell Cranel. What's your name?"

"Syr. Syr Flover. It's nice to meet you Bell."

X-x-X-x-X

"It would seem as though you got your special meeting after all, Bell," Archer said as they continued to walk to the Guild while Bell was munching on the bread and cheese in Syr's lunchbox.

"Ugh…please don't bring it back up…" Bell said with a nervous laugh. "Ah, we're here."

"I see…so this is the most important place in the city besides the dungeon?" Caster asked.

"Yes. If you want to know more about Orario or the world, the Guild keeps a rather large library that's open to all registered Adventurers. Though most Adventurers don't go there."

"As is typical of those who simply wish to fight and do as little thinking as possible."

As they walked through the doors, Bell spotted Eina at her usual counter and ran up to her.

"Good morning Miss Eina!"

"Good morning Bell," Eina answered his energetic greeting with a smile. "Are you here to register Mister Archer?"

"Yes!" Bell nodded. "Also another person as well!"

"Two new Familia members?" Eina asked in surprise. "My…your Familia's is growing so suddenly good for you Bell."

Bell simply scratched his head with a smile as Archer and Caster walked up to the counter.

"Here you are Miss Tulle," Archer said handing his form over. "And we'll need another one for that guy."

Caster glared at Archer at his rather rude referral but didn't say anything.

"There's no problem," Eina said as she pulled out another folder and made her way around to the other side of the counter to the other three. "Do you mind following me? I can give the two of you the orientation while you fill out the registration form."

Eina led them to a private booth where she began to give the Guild approved orientation of the dungeon to Archer and Caster. She briefly went over the history of the dungeon, how it spewed monsters out constantly in the pass before the Gods descended and placed the Tower of Babel over it to seal the dungeon and keep its monsters at bay while also going over details of the monsters that appeared on the Upper Floors and recommending that they, as new Adventurers, shouldn't venture pass the Fifth Floor until they got a better handle on things.

"I see," Caster said, looking up from his paperwork. "So the Dungeon can be considered a living entity with an extreme hatred for mortals and the divine alike."

"Yes," Eina nodded. "That is why it is forbidden for the Gods and Goddesses to enter the dungeon. It is known to cause irregularities and spawn powerful monsters in an attempt to kill them and possibly make a break to the surface as well."

"And no one's ever been to the bottom?" Archer asked.

"No one," Eina confirmed. "The furthest anyone has ever gone down was the Zeus Familia before their defeat and loss of power fifteen years ago. I believe they made it to around the fifty-ninth floor during their thousand year tenure."

"I see…" Caster nodded. "And it was through their effort and sacrifices that the Guild has so much more information about the dungeon to pass on to the newer Familia that came after them?"

"Not many people see it that way anymore but I believe so."

Caster nodded before passing the form out to Eina who accepted it with a smile.

"Everything seems to be in order," she said as she looked through both his and Archer's forms. "Hmm? The two of you are going by different names than what's written here?"

"Is there a problem?" Caster asked.

"Not at all," Eina replied quickly. "I apologize if I offended. It was merely a comment. As long as a name is given then that is fine."

Eina then nodded as she collected the papers.

"Then is there anything else you would like to know?" Eina asked.

"Oh right," Bell spoke up. "Miss Eina, do you know of any homes for sale? We kind of need a new one since our old one…isn't quite up to snuff anymore."

Bell glanced over at Caster as he spoke but the Servant didn't say anything.

"A new home huh…" Eina repeated. "Well, I can't say I am opposed to you finally moving out of that rundown ruin…but what is your budget? A decent home around this part of the city can go up to eight hundred thousand Valis."

Bell made a small choking noise at the absurd amount and started shivering as if the thought of spending so much money at once would kill him.

"Three million," Caster said simply causing Bell to shout in surprise. "Five million if it is furnished. It needs to have at least ten rooms so that our Familia can grow and accept new members without any problems."

"I see…" Eina said, eyes blinking rather rapidly.

"Also…you said that the Guild can purchase not only Magic stones but also items dropped from Monsters, correct? Do you also purchase weapons and armor?"

"I'm afraid not," Eina answered. "For those, you should go to one of the blacksmith Familias like Goibniu or Hephaistos. Although we can get you a permit to sell weapons at a stand in the marketplace as well."

"That would take too much time," Caster sighed. "We'll go for the original plan then. In any case, if you do provide services in searching for houses or can direct the request to someone who can, here are the conditions."

"Is the budget a hard limit?" Eina asked as she scanned through Caster's list.

"If whatever you find impresses me enough, I can be a bit more flexible," Caster answered.

"I understand," Eina nodded as she put the list away. "I'll send it over as soon as possible."

"Good," Caster nodded as he stood up. "Then I shall take my leave."

Archer stood up as well followed by a stammering Bell.

"Then, see you later Miss Eina!" Bell said as he ran after Caster and Archer.

"Good luck with your new Familia members," Eina waved goodbye with a smile.

Once outside, Bell quickly ran up to Caster.

"Y-your Majesty, is it really okay to spend that much on a house?" Bell asked.

"I looked inside Babel Tower last night," Caster said. "I believe I saw part of Hephaistos Familia's shops. The so-called high end weapons on display went around thirty million Valis on the less expensive end."

"T-thirty million!?" Bell shouted.

"You are too loud, mongrel," Caster said with his annoyance rather obvious causing Bell to slap his hands over his mouth. "The point is, my treasures are much greater than the things they showed there. If the god were to purchase one, then the Familia's money problems will be a thing of the past…be grateful mongrel. For the king is willing to part with one of his treasures for you and your goddess."

"Yes! Thank you very much!" Bell said with complete honestly as he lowered his head to Caster without being prompted.

"There is no need to prostrate yourself in the middle of the street," Caster said with a smile on his face. "You're in the way."

Archer simply sighed as he looked up at the sky.

"What time does Lady Hestia get off work?" Archer asked. "Do we have time to go to the dungeon?"

"Huh? Oh…" Bell said looking around for a bit. "I think we got done rather early so we could try going down into the dungeon for a few hours before heading to Goddess's stand…but didn't you want to buy groceries, Archer?"

"Well, since we're going to probably be eating at Syr's place, I think we can put off groceries for another day."

"I see. Then follow me. Goddess's stand is this way."

Bell led them through the marketplace until they stopped at a small stand where their tiny Goddess was standing behind, wearing a frilling pink apron and a headband that had two little balls bouncing around on the end of wires.

Both Caster and Archer fell silent at the sight as they watch Hestia happily spread some cream onto a potato puff and hand it to a customer.

"…Bell…" Archer began. "When you said 'Hestia's Stand' I thought you meant that she was the owner…not…a salesclerk."

Caster, on the other hand, had one hand over his stomach and the other covering his face as his body was shaking from holding in his laughter.

"A goddess selling street food to make money…" Caster said as he regained his composure. "This would be infinitely more amusing if it were not the one whose Familia I have graced with my presence."

Bell could only respond with a small laugh as they walked up to the stand.

"Welcome!" Hestia greeted them with a bow before she realized who her customers were. "Oh, hey there boys! Done with orientation already? How was it?"

"It was sufficient for the time being," Caster admitted. "What about on your end."

"Ahh…I left a letter with one of her Familia members out front but…" Hestia began with a sigh as she wrapped up some of the product in front of her when Archer plucked Bell's wallet from his waist and pulled out some coins. "It seems like they received a huge order recently so she may not be able to get to it for a while."

Caster made an annoyed face but didn't say anything as it was simply bad timing and just quietly accepted the potato puff.

"Then the three of us will head out to the dungeon," Bell said as he also took one. "Goddess, we got a…reservation at a pub tonight so let's have dinner there. Or we can do it tomorrow if it's a better time."

"Reservation?" Hestia repeated. "Ah of course! Let's have a party to welcome Archer and Caster to the Familia! We got a lot of money from the minotaur crystal right? Let's celebrate properly!"

Bell let out a cheer alongside Hestia while the other two remained stoically silent.

"You two are no fun," Hestia said with a pout. "Oh and Caster. I should be able to see Hephaistos directly tomorrow or so. Ganesha is throwing a big party for all the gods and goddesses and I got an invite and I…think it said it will be tomorrow night. So if she attends I will be able to meet her there."

"Hoh…even a goddess of a small Familia of one would be able to get an invite?" Caster asked, honestly rather surprised. "Ganesha…the Advisor said that his Familia is the largest one in the city and handles various things from guarding the city walls to being private guards?"

"Well…Ganesha is a weirdo like that but people like him in spite of…or rather because of it," Hestia admitted.

"In that case things should go smoothly then," Caster nodded. "I shall hand you a smaller item from my treasury to take with you to the party to show Hephaistos that this transaction is real."

"Ah yeah…I hadn't thought of the fact that she might think I was pulling her leg or something…" Hestia nodded seriously. "I mean…I was poor and broke for weeks and now I'm coming up to her asking to sell a powerful magic weapon? Ahaha…even I would think that's a joke…or rather I still can't believe this is real."

"Believe it or else we will not get anywhere," Caster said irritably.

"So we'll meet back home then head off to the pub tonight then?" Bell suggested to Hestia.

"That's fine with me," Hestia nodded. "You're going to the dungeon then?"

"Yes. I wanted to show them and I want to see how Caster fights."

"Humph, do not expect anything if the enemies do not warrant my attention," Caster answered simply. "My treasures are not to be used for clearing out rats."

"Then, we'll get out of your way," Archer said, taking a bag from Hestia. "Good luck, Lady Hestia."

"Bye! Stay safe boys!"

X-x-X-x-X

The dungeon was the same as it ever was. Dreary, slightly chilly, with strange sources of light coming from the walls making it seem like one brightly lit tunnel instead of something deep underground. The trio had barely walked ten minutes into the first floor when cracks began to form in the walls.

"I see…" Caster muttered walking right up to one as a goblin's hand was forcing its way out of it. "Hearing it from the Advisor is one thing, but seeing it for one's self is another. What a strange-" As the Goblin's head appeared, Caster brought down his axe on its neck and the rest of the body fell out with a thud. "Phenomenon."

"Yes," Bell nodded as he dodged a swing from another goblin and slashed it across the chest. "Monsters are born in the dungeon full grown. Every monster on the surface came from this dungeon or are descended from the ones that reached the surface in the past."

"How are other places handling them?" Archer asked as a pair of black and white swords appeared in his hands and he charged forward and cleaved through several goblins in the same instant as Bell took a breath.

"Not all Gods live in Orario. They're spread out all over the world. This city just happens to have the most number of Gods since the dungeon is here."

Bell bent over one of the dead goblins and started carefully carving into its chest and pulled out a small crystal. Once he did, the monster's corpse began to dissipate into black mist and be absorbed back into the dungeon.

"So that's how it works," Archer noted.

"Yes," Bell nodded as he placed the crystal into his pouch. "Remember how I mentioned supporters before? This is one of their duties. Of course…we can't afford one right now so I'll do it. I can't ask you two to do so."

"No, it's fine," Archer said. "Right now it is imperative that you grow stronger so I'll support you for today."

"You want to summon more Servants, do you not?" Caster added. "If these creatures are what spawns this far up then there is no point in either of us fighting them. You need to grow in order to let your body support more Servants. Archer will handle cutting out the crystals while you focus on these beasts. I will make sure your fights are not interrupted. Be grateful."

"Yes!" Bell nodded as Archer walked from corpse to corpse easily fishing out the crystals before holding his hand out to Bell. "Huh? Oh right!"

Bell unhooked the bag he used to hold magic stones and tossed it at Archer who dumped the crystals inside.

"I see…" Archer noted as he looked inside the bag. "That minotaur crystal was indeed much bigger than these ones."

"Yeah…" Bell nodded with a frown. "I'll be lucky to get fifty for these compared to the fifty thousand from the minotaur's crystal."

"Such discrepancy!" Caster shouted, voice filled with irritation. "Why must we waste our time here? Let us move on to the lower floors at once! Your status will improve faster the stronger your opponent, correct? Then we will have you face those that can kill you!"

"B-but I haven't even reached Floor Six yet!"

"No excuses! As long as both of us are here you will not die! Now march!"

And march they did. Archer and Caster both stood back when monsters appeared to let Bell fight them alone. But for some reason even though Bell never particularly had trouble fighting them before despite being alone, just the fact that there were two people watching his back made him feel more confident. Eina had told him that if he was ever outnumbered he should run. However, even though he was fighting six kobolds at the same time, just being watched by Archer, the man who saved his life, made him want to prove himself.

He can't always be protected forever. He wanted to be someone worthy to stand beside him. Someone that was good enough to be called "Master" by the spirit of heroes.

But even so…compared to Archer, these monsters were so much slower.

"Do you see mongrel?" Caster said as Bell tried to catch his breath while being surrounded by monster corpses. "You can do it if you put your mind to it."

"Yes!" Bell answered with a nod of his head as Archer gathered the magic stones.

"However…" Caster began as he looked upward. "I suppose we should stop here for today."

"Huh? But I feel like I can keep going," Bell said.

"We will descend more seriously another day," Caster declared. "Tonight however, you are to dine with your goddess at that server girl's establishment, remember? It will not do to drag your ruined body there and spoil the meal for the other patrons."

"What he means is that you shouldn't push yourself too much just yet," Archer said with a sigh. "Prepare a bit more before diving any further than this today."

"Oh…all right," Bell said feeling just a bit disappointed. He felt like he was just reaching his stride too.

"Do not think I am going soft on you," Caster warned him. "Today we have reached the Fifth Floor, but we will force ourselves down to the Tenth Floor once your goddess makes contact with the Smith God and purchases a few of my treasures. Then we shall hire this Supporter you speak of to take care of trivialities such as harvesting these crystals as well as more supplies for you. As it is we are making sure you haven't taken any damage from these beasts but once we have enough supplies to heal you…"

Bell felt a slight chill at Caster's words. He now understood that while the golden hero did have high expectations for him, he was more or less letting Bell take an easy route by letting him fight by himself without much chance for a break. He had noticed a few monsters had been injured behind his back and knew they had stepped in once or twice to save him from being injured but once they had enough money to buy potions then that would mean they would stop protecting him.

Rather than be scared of the prospect, it instead filled him with anticipation.

"Yes! I won't fail you, Your Majesty!" Bell said with a bow.

"See that you do not," Caster said with a smirk.

"Come on then…" Archer said, smacking Bell on the back. "Let's head back so you can clean up before dinner. Unless you plan on meeting your date covered in monster blood."

"I-it's not a date!" Bell quickly shouted, face turning as red as Archer's clothes.

"So you plan on having a one night tryst with her then?" Caster asked, joining in on the fun. "I approve! A hero should not be tied down to a single woman!"

"No I'm not!" Bell's near crying shout echoed through the halls of the dungeon floor as the made their way back up to the surface.


	3. High Society

**Chapter 3: Banquet of the Gods**

They reached the church without any problems and Hestia told them all to sit down so she could update all their Status.

"Hmm…did you two do anything in the dungeon today?" Hestia asked as she looked at Caster and Archer's Status from behind the couch they were sitting on. "You both didn't even gain a single point. Wait…you just let Bell do everything himself?"

"It is for his own good," Caster explained. "The so-called excellia gain doesn't happen if the creatures we face are too weak, correct? If it were me, I can destroy every single monster on all five floors alone with my eyes closed in an instant and would gain nothing in the attempt."

"Mumumu…" Hestia puffed her cheeks out angrily as she glared at Archer.

"Apologies Lady Hestia," Archer said, having the decency to understand that she was upset. "But I do believe it will be for the best in the end. With both of us here Bell will not be in any danger. And…if he does die then the two of us will fade away as well after all. We both have a vested interest in keeping him safe."

"Fine!" Hestia said as she slapped Archer's back, causing the man to let out a wry smile. She then walked over to where Bell was sitting on the bed and sat down behind him. "All right. Let's see what their spartan training did for you."

"Spartan?" Bell repeated the unfamiliar word. "What does that mean."

"It means exactly what they put you through!" Hestia said as she dripped her blood on Bell's back. "Now let's see what we have…!?"

Hestia let out an incomprehensible noise as she grabbed Bell's back, causing the boy to yelp, and brought her face close to it as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"Is something the matter?" Archer asked while Caster raised an eyebrow.

Hestia let out a low growl as she smacked some parchment on Bell's back to pull out the status and ran her finger down it to check that it was done right while looking rather intently near the bottom before handing the parchment to Bell.

_**Bell Cranel**_

**Level 1**

**Strength**: I82 - G212

**Defense**: I13- I70

**Dexterity**: I-96 - H140

**Agility**: H172 - G225

**Magic**: I50 - E435

Bell could only stare with his mouth wide open at the massive increase as he held the status sheet in his shaking hands.

"Hoh…" Caster muttered as he looked at the sheet from the side. "I suspect that this is definitely not normal? Still…it would appear that we need you to learn to withstand some pain less your status remains stagnant."

"As expected, supporting two Servants at once is doing wonders for the Magic gain," Archer pointed out, looking at the sheet from the opposite side. "I wonder if we will he it hit some theoretical limit before we are done? And if we were to fight seriously, I suspect it will increase even further."

"He will have to wait a long time for that to happen," Caster huffed as he put his vest back on.

"You two are too relaxed about this!" Hestia said as she slapped Bell's back causing him to snap out of his stupor. "If every Level 1 grew this quickly this city wouldn't be filled with them."

Hestia mumbled something after that before glancing at Archer's direction although the Servant could only return the gaze in confusion.

"In any case…" Hestia sighed as she moved to the edge of the bed beside Bell. "Bell is growing abnormally fast for some reason. Probably some kind of abnormal growth phase or because of the connection he has with the two of you."

"Yes…" Bell nodded to show he was listening as both he and Archer also put their clothes back on.

"Bell, you have amazing talent," Hestia continued. "Especially for fighting alone despite having two allies with you." She threw a glare at the other two and Archer turned his head to the side while Caster returned the gaze with disinterest. She then turned back to Bell with tears forming in her eyes. "Your will to get stronger is amazing, and I respect you for it. I will encourage you, support you, help you in any way I can…so…even if some other gods might try and recruit you for your fast growth and connection with the Servants…please don't leave me alone."

"Don't worry," Bell replied to her earnest words with a smile. "I won't ever leave you Goddess. Not even if you try to kick me out."

"Thanks…" Hestia said as she stood up and hugged Bell. "That means a lot to me. Well then!"

She then spun on her feet and pointed to the stairs.

"Let's go celebrate our new Familia members and Bell's amazing growth!"

"Crying one moment then cheering the next," Archer muttered with a smile and a sigh. "What a whimsical goddess…"

"That is a tautology…" Caster said with a tired face.

X-x-X-x-X

Hestia Familia made their way to the Hostess of Fertility and entered to the sound of merriness and smell of various kinds of food. A tall stout woman that may have been the owner stood behind a bar serving the customers in front of it…a pair of cat people waitresses were also running around serving customers at tables alongside a stoic looking green-haired elf. Then, a person they recognized came running up to them.

"Bell, you came!" Syr said as she looked at them with a bright smile on her face.

"Y-yeah…here we are…" Bell replied with a nervous smile on his own, feeling Hestia's stare dig into his back.

"Bell…who is this?" Hestia asked.

"The reason for our 'reservation'" Archer explained as Hestia fumed while Syr thanked Bell for coming and turned to the crowd.

"Now seating four!" She called out before gesturing them to follow her. "We have an open table but would you like to sit at the bar?"

"Uh…sure?"

The four of them sat at the bar with Caster sitting at an end seat near the wall with Archer next to him, then Hestia and then Bell with Bell in a spot to face the owner.

"So you're Syr's guest, eh?" The woman asked with a laugh. "Ha-ha, you got a charming face for an adventurer. Just give us a holler if you need somethin'! I hear you're going all out tonight! I'll keep the food comin', all you got to do is keep on orderin'!"

"T-thank you…" Bell replied with a stiff smile.

"This place seems friendly," Archer noted as he turned around in his seat to take in the crowd. "A lot of Adventurer types too. All sorts of people eating in a place with all sorts of things on the menu."

"At the very least we should not be kept wanting," Caster noted as he glanced at a menu on the wall beside him. "Owner, an ale to start and some meat fritters if you have them."

"Got it!" Came to reply. "Any particular kind?"

"I shall leave it to you."

"No problem!"

Spurred on by Caster, the rest ordered their own food as well. All of them ordered an ale, except for the still underaged Bell who had some juice. For the food Archer ordered a large bowl of stew, Hestia some meat skewers and a heaping plate of pasta for Bell.

Hestia happily ate and drank her fill while Archer was mulling over his stew as though he was trying to see how they made it. Caster was also preoccupied with his meal although he was eating much more slower than Hestia, leaving Bell to quietly eat his pasta.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" Syr asked as she came back when Bell was halfway done with his pasta.

"… I'm a bit overwhelmed, actually…" Bell replied honestly. "This is my first time in a place like this but…" He glanced at the rest of his Familia who were eating with satisfaction with his goddess ordering another ale and more skewers. "Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves."

"I see, that's good to hear," Syr said as she untied her apron and hanged it up on a hook on the wall before sitting down beside Bell.

"What about your job?" Bell asked, eyeing Hestia with a bit of worry but his goddess was too preoccupied with the food in front of her and talking to Archer.

"Lady Hestia please do not hit me while I am tasting…" Archer muttered.

"Come on Archer, you gotta eat faster than that!" Hestia cheered as she pounded his back. "It won't be every day we get to eat like this!"

"If you give me a bit, we might."

"Think you can take our recipe just from a taste?" The owner asked with a large smile.

"Is that a challenge?" Archer asked with a smile of his own as the woman laughed.

"I like ya, young'un!" She said as she reached over and thumped Archer on the shoulder. "Tell ya what, if you figure it out, I'll give ya a discount! Heck, maybe I'll invite ya to come help out in the kitchen! Poor May could use a helping hand."

She indicated a third Cat eared person in the kitchen who waved at being mentioned before she quickly turned around to attend to a pot behind her.

Bell then turned back to Syr who smiled back.

"The kitchen is a little busy," Syr admitted. "But the others have everything else covered. Things are slowing down a bit, too."

She then shot a pleading look toward the owner, asking for permission. The woman raised her chin in a jerking nod, giving her the okay.

"Well, first let me say thank you for this morning. The bread was delicious."

"No, no. You coming here tonight made my empty stomach worth it."

"Don't you mean it was worth it to have us spend a lot on dinner?" Bell asked with a smile just as Caster received a large fried fish dish that seemed to be the special of the day.

"Sorry," Syr answered with a giggle. "So what Familia are you all from?"

"The Hestia Familia," Bell said with pride before wilting slightly as said goddess clung onto him from the side. "…And this is our goddess."

"Bell~" Hestia said in drunken stupor. "Quit flirting with other girls and flirt with me instead~"

Bell gave Syr an apologetic look as she giggled into her hand before he turned toward Archer for help only to see that the man was refusing to look at him now that he was no longer the target of their goddess's moans.

"Well, you certainly are a mixed group like most Familias are," she admitted. "Are you the newest of your Familia?"

"Actually, I'm the most senior member," Bell said to Syr surprise. "Though since I'm the youngest and completely inexperienced, our captain is Caster over there."

"Caster?" Syr repeated, glancing at the golden haired hero who was taking a sip of his drink in between bites of fish. "As in 'Mage?'"

"Yes…" Bell nodded. "It's uh…kind of like a second name he uses."

"Hmm…" Syr nodded thoughtfully. "Well, there are all types of Adventurers after all. To be honest, he looks like a member of royalty."

"Aha…ahahaha…is…that so…?" Bell laughed nervously causing Syr to stare suspiciously at him.

"Bell~" Hestia called out his name again. "Feed me~"

"Goddess are you drunk already?" Bell asked, turning away from Syr just as the front doors opened again.

In walked a rather large group of people. A small Pallum, a dwarf, a werewolf, a pair of elves and amazons and a sole human being led by a lanky red haired goddess.

Even if Bell was a newbie in the city, he recognized the emblem on their clothes at a glance.

"Loki Familia…" Bell said with awe, noting his Goddess had stiffened up slightly.

"Yes," Syr nodded. "Lady Loki enjoys eating here."

Bell looked down at his goddess and noted that she looked a lot more lucid than before and seemed to have sobered up. Caster and Archer also had stopped eating and were looking over at the newcomers.

"So that's what a top Familia looks like?" Archer asked, wiping his mouth.

"Apart from the elf, the dwarf, the blonde girl and the pallum, they don't seem to amount to much," Caster muttered returning to his drink.

Syr looked rather surprised at Caster's comment before looking thoughtful again.

"Hey Miss Waitress," Hestia said, peering around Bell to Syr. "Can we have the bill and some carryout? I suddenly lost my appetite."

Syr looked confused for a moment before nodding her hand and standing up to go fetch it.

"What's wrong?" Archer asked, looking up from writing something down on some parchment as Caster stopped eating to listen as well. "Feeling sick?"

"I can't deal with Loki," Hestia admitted as she tried to hide behind Bell. "Sorry, I know this is suppose to be your celebration but…"

Archer glanced at Caster who shrugged.

"Nothing good can come out of two hostile goddesses meeting," Caster said wisely. "I suppose it will be in everyone's best interest if they do not meet."

Bell and Archer nodded their heads as they all stood up with Archer walking around them so that he was between Hestia and Loki's line of sight.

"Leavin' already?" The owner asked as she held out a bill and a basket of food to Archer.

"Apologies but…" Archer began as he gestured toward Hestia and then toward Loki and the owner nodded in understanding.

"Right right, sorry to see ya have to leave like this," she said as Archer filled a bag with the required amount and handed it back to her along with the parchment he was writing on. "The name's Mia Grand. Ya'll come back when ya have the chance to spend more money ya here?"

"Of course Miss Grand," Archer nodded as Caster led the way out the door.

"Take care!"

Once they were out the door Hestia let out a huge sigh of relief.

"I'm sorry…" she apologized again.

"Better to leave early then deal with a commotion and get removed," Caster said, waving her apology off. "The Trickster Goddess would be nothing more than an annoying interruption to our meal in any case."

"He's right," Bell nodded. "We can continue our celebration at home and then you can go to the party tomorrow night!"

"And probably meet Loki there as well…" Hestia grumbled before letting out a loud scream in annoyance. "DAH! Nothing ever goes right when she shows up! Forget it! Let's go home, eat, then go to bed and forget all about that flat-chested idiot!"

And with that said, Hestia stomped down the road into the night. Her three Familia members shared a glance before following after her.

X-x-X-x-X

The next morning, Bell woke up feeling very refreshed and well fed thanks to the meal they had last night. Hestia was still sleeping on the bed and the two Servants were nowhere to be seen even though they were still here when Bell fell sleep on the couch last night.

"Maybe they went exploring in the city?" Bell wondered as he sat up and stretched his arms over his head before starting his new day.

As he walked upstairs and outside though, he saw Archer coming back with several bags in his arms.

"Morning Bell," the taller man said with a smile. "Picked up some early groceries to make some breakfast if you want it."

"Breakfast?" Bell repeated and no sooner than he did did his stomach start growling. "Ahaha…I guess I do."

"Good. It won't be anything special but it's important to have breakfast in the morning."

Bell followed Archer back down to the kitchen just in time to see Hestia getting up.

"Mo…morning…" came the sleepy greeting of their goddess. "You boys are always up so early…"

"It's still later than usual," Bell pointed out. "It's almost eight."

"It's still way too early!" Hestia shouted before looking around. "Where's Caster?"

"Haven't seen him," Archer admitted before walking over to the kitchen and laying things out on the counter before turning on the stove to start cooking. "He left after the two of you fell asleep."

"Hmm…he should at least leave a note," Hestia mumbled as she glanced over at the dresser at the foot of the bed where the Grail was sitting peacefully.

Caster didn't return until Hestia and Bell were halfway done with their breakfast of Archer's scrambled eggs, sausages, fresh bread and a small salad.

"I have returned mongrels!" Caster said, triumphantly throwing the door open.

"Caster!" Hestia shouted as she stood up, a slice of bread still in her mouth. "At least leave a note when you leave in the middle of the night!"

"A king need not explain his motivations to anyone, not even a goddess," Caster said with a smile as he tossed something toward Archer who caught it.

"This is…" Archer muttered as Bell realized that it was a rather large bag. Archer then placed it on the table where several gold coins spilled out.

"W-w-w-where did you get this?" Bell asked, staring at the bag of valis. "Isn't Archer holding onto our funds?"

Said servant held up a much smaller bag in response.

"I simply spent my time at the Business District and pursued their Casinos," Caster said as he walked over to the couch and sat himself down on it. "Several are open all night and so I partook in their services."

"Gambling!?" Hestia shouted. "You went gambling last night? With what money?"

"I simply offered one of my treasures as collateral," Caster replied. "Those are but a portion of my winnings that I shall graciously offer to you, Goddess Hestia."

"Eh? Me? Why?" Hestia asked.

"You are attending a banquet tonight, are you not?" Caster asked. "Therefore you must be presentable. A goddess is a representative of their Familia and I will not tolerate being known as the destitute Familia living in a rundown church!"

"But…we are a destitute familia living in a rundown church," Bell pointed out before glancing back at the bag of money. "Well…not the first part anymore I suppose."

"The last thing you need is for Hephaistos to not believe you when you say you wish to sell my treasures," Caster continued. "Along with a smaller piece of my treasury we will prepare you a dress befitting of a goddess that claims to have the treasures she wishes to sell."

Hestia stared at Caster for a long while, frozen in shock and seemingly at a loss for words, causing the man to laugh.

"You may sing praises in my name whenever you wish," he said with a smirk, only for it to disappear when tears started falling out of Hestia's eyes.

"YOU ALL ARE SO GOOD TO ME!" She shouted as she dived over the table into Caster's chest. "I DON'T DESERVE ANY OF YOU!"

The sudden act of intimacy threw off Caster's rhythm and all he could do was hold his hands up above the tiny goddess as she sobbed into his chest.

"Get. Her. Off. Of. Me." He ordered Bell who quickly pulled the clingy goddess off of Caster.

"Come now Goddess, you'll make Caster angry," Bell said as he sat her back down on her bed only for her to cling onto him instead. "Dowah!?"

"You are being rather generous lately," Archer noted.

"Everything I do, I do to secure my own standing and future in this world," Caster said, brushing himself off. "Nothing more."

"If you say so," Archer shrugged before walking over to rescue Bell, pulling Hestia off of Bell by lifting her up from underneath her arms like a child. "Come now, Lady Hestia. Once you and Bell finish breakfast, let's go pick out a dress…or at least some cloth. I don't have much experience sewing but I think I can do something if you wish to save money."

At this, Hestia sobbed even louder.

"Archer!" Hestia cried as she sniffed up the snot running down her nose. "Put me down so I can hug you too!"

"That would be slightly troublesome…"

X-x-X-x-X

Once the dishes were cleaned and put away, the four of them headed out to a fabric store to pick out some fabric for Hestia's new dress.

Hestia, not really sure of what to do, decided to let Bell pick the colors for her to which he picked white and blue and bits of gold cloth.

Once they were paid for by Caster, the group returned to the church where Archer began his work with the needle and thread after taking Hestia's measurements.

The end result was a long flowing white gown that carefully covered Hestia's body, exposing only her arms and a bit of her shoulders with two long sashes that draped over her ams. A long blue fabric also draped in front of her waist where several pieces of gold cloth wrapped around her like a belt. She also had a long blue headdress over her head with a gold lining as well.

"H-how is it?" She asked, spinning around once. "Does it suit me?"

"Wow…" Bell said once he got to see Hestia the finish product. "You really look amazing Goddess!"

"T-thank you…" she said shyly as she fidgeted in her gown. "Like I thought, I really am not used to wearing such things."

"No, it's not quite finished," Caster said as he walked up to Hestia with a hand on his chin. He held his hand out to the side and the air above his hand shimmered gold for a moment before a pair of golden bracelets and armbands fell out of them. He then carefully snapped them on Hestia's arms and took a step back to examine her again before jeweled broach fell into his other hand which he pinned just above Hestia's breast and just underneath her neck. "Now you are worthy of being called a Goddess."

"I must say white and blue do work well on you," Archer commented. "You got a good eye Bell."

"No, I think your handiwork is amazing for such short notice, Archer," Bell turned the compliment back to Archer.

Hestia's hands clung to the front of her gown as tears welled up in her eyes.

"Do not hug me again," Caster said quickly. "You will wrinkle your gown."

"But I'm so happy!" Hestia cried, luging toward Caster who held her back with a single hand, keeping his legs at arms length from her. "Caster…!"

"Come on," Archer said, placing a hand on the Goddess's shoulder. "The sewing took a lot of time. It's almost time for the party. You don't want to be late, right?"

"Yeah, we'll escort you there," Bell said as Archer took Hestia by the hand and Caster led the way to the stairs with Bell taking up the rear.

When they arrived at the Ganesha Familia Home, they all stood and gaped at the sight of the building in front of them. Standing out amongst the lights of Orario was was a massive, thirty-meter, human-shaped statue with an elephant's head sitting cross-legged in the middle of the city block…with the entrance to it being a pair of double doors located directly at the statue's crotch.

"I…am at a lost for words…" Caster admitted as he pinched the bridge of his nose while the other three nodded their heads.

He wasn't the only one either. All around them several people that could only be gods were muttering similar things with a few wondering if this was even the right place.

"W-well…I suppose I should be going," Hestia said, lifting her bag over her shoulders. "I'll see if I can't sneak some food out as well for you Bell."

"No, you don't have to do that!" Bell said quickly. "Just enjoy yourself Goddess. You really deserve it."

"Do not forget this," Caster said as he held out a small dagger with a golden sheath encrusted with several jewels. "It is a trivial thing in the grand scheme of things so I do not care if you lose it, but do not do so before showing it to Hephaistos."

"I won't lose it!" Hestia said defensively. "I won't!"

"Then, good luck," Archer said as Hestia nodded and made her way to the Ganesha Familia home.

"So…what should we do now?" Bell asked as they saw her disappear into the crotch doors.

"Probably dinner?" Archer suggested.

"That is agreeable," Caster nodded.

"Yeah, I'm feeling kinda hungry myself," Bell admitted. "But…you know…"

As the three of them spoke, their gazes were still locked on the massive statue in front of them.

"That thing is really weird huh?" Bell said and his Servants nodded their heads in unison.

A few feet away from them, a passing guard wearing the Ganesha Familia emblem across his chest let out a tired and depressed sigh.

X-x-X-x-X

Hestia wandered around the banquet hall, not paying attention to Ganesha's welcoming speech while also making sure she didn't trip over the front of her dress.

"Good thing Archer decided to not let it drag on the ground," she muttered as she looked around trying to spot her friend amongst the countless gods and goddesses in attendance.

However, her objective was slightly forgotten when she came across one of the massive buffet tables. Her body froze on the spot as the smell wafted over her and, as if hypnotized, she floated on over to it.

"Kuh…when our Familia gets bigger I want Caster to host a party and Archer to make a spread like this too!" She said as she quickly filled up her plate with as much food as she could fit on it.

"My…Hestia is that you?"

Hearing a familiar voice, Hestia turned around and saw a goddess with flaming red hair wearing a dark crimson dress standing behind her. On her thin face was a black eye patch covering her right eye, one of the marks that made her recognizable on sight.

"Hephaistos!" Hestia said happily as she carefully balanced her plate in front of her. "I've been hoping to meet with you here!"

"So I've heard," her friend replied with a smile. "I'm sorry that I've been a bit busy fulfilling an order but…" Hephaistos looked Hestia up and down. "You seem to be doing rather well."

"Yep!" Hestia nodded placing her plate on the table and threw her chest out with pride. "This dress was handmade by all three members of my Familia! Bell chose the fabric, Caster paid for it, and Archer sewed it together!"

"I see," Hephaistos replied. "It looks very well done. I wouldn't have expected that you didn't get it done at a shop. And three Familia members in a little over two weeks…you're doing rather well indeed."

"Honestly…I think they are too good for me…" Hestia admitted. "Caster stayed up all night to get the money for it and Archer spent all day making it with Bell's help. They're all such good boys…"

"You are very lucky to have such upstanding Familia members then," Hephaistos said, letting Hestia brag about her children as not so long ago Hestia was crying to Hephaistos that she couldn't get anyone into her familia and couldn't even find a job or a home for herself. "Oh, and I think you left a message with one of my children asking about a sale?"

"Yeah," Hestia nodded. "Actually, Caster seemed to have been a treasure collector before he arrived in Orario and he came across several weapons and armor in his travels and brought them along with him. He wanted to know if he could sell a few of them to you to help raise money for the Familia. He said this is an example of the things he has…"

Hestia reached into her bag and pulled out the small dagger and Hephaistos froze on the spot.

"Hephaistos?"

"Let me see that," Hephaistos said as she set her drink down and took the dagger into her own hands. "This craftsmanship…this design…it's even enchanted…"

"Uh…Hephaistos? Are you okay?" Hestia asked, looking rather concerned…even as she snuck a bite from her plate.

"Hestia…" Hephaistos began rather seriously as she crouched down in front of her. "Where exactly did your child get this?"

"I don't know," Hestia replied honestly. "He just said he was a collector of rare and valuable items. Is it really that notable? I mean, it's very pretty like all of his things but…"

"I would be willing to pay one million Valis for this alone," Hephaistos said, causing Hestia to freeze. "On the low end. If I'm being honest, I can probably resell it even higher than that. It has a few things that could give some of my children ideas for their own projects and its quality is on par with a few of my higher ranked children."

"I…I…" Hestia began, mind still reeling from the thought of having so much money. "I feel like I shouldn't accept so much money from you after you took care of me for so long. Even if you did just boot me out like that. But if you hadn't then I wouldn't have met Bell and the others…"

"Well, I'll make some time tomorrow," Hephaistos said as she handed Hestia back the dagger. "I'd like to meet your child to discuss a proper business transaction."

"Really? That's great!" Hestia cheered. "We're looking for a new place so the money would help out a lot. I mean, I'm glad you found me that Church in the first place and all but…it's a bit too small for us now."

"My, are you finished talking business?"

Another voice cut in and the two friends turned to see another goddess walk out from the crowd toward them. Her silver hair matched her gold-trimmed dress that was open in the front which drew the gaze of all the men in the area.

"Oh its Freya…" Hestia said with a sigh.

"Oh dear, am I bothering you, Hestia?" Freya asked, looking slightly troubled and disappointed.

"Not really," Hestia admitted. "I just don't know how to deal with you."

"My…that's what I love about you though," Freya said with a giggle. "You are perhaps the only one who would speak to me so honestly."

"Well, if you want me to continue being honest," Hestia continued, eyes narrowing as she peered around Freya. "I do prefer you over some other people…"

"FREYA! HEY FREI-FREI!"

A loud cry came from up a white staircase located in the middle of the room as a familiar red haired goddess came running down.

"Freya!" Loki called out, wearing a long low-cut black dress that exposed her shoulders. She stopped right behind Freya before saying "Yo chibi!" to Hestia.

"What do you want, Loki?" Hestia asked.

"Wassamatta? Can't I just drop by to say hi?"

"You never just drop by to just say hi," Hestia pointed out. "Besides, I don't want to talk to you when your Familia scared up a bunch of Minotaurs to the Upper Floors and nearly got my first child killed."

"Hey, them's the breaks when going into the dungeon," Loki shrugged. "Shit happens."

Loki then moved her head up and down to take in Hestia's dress.

"Well, I suppose I did come to here after hearing from a little birdie that a certain bum goddess was coming and get a laugh at that but…"

Hestia turned toward Hephaistos and Freya with raised brows as if to say "See?" to which the Smith Goddess shrugged and the Goddess of Beauty giggled again.

"So how big of a loan did'ja have to take out for that?" Loki asked.

"For your information this was a gift from my children!" Hestia huffed. "From picking out the material, to sewing it and even the accessories! Everything was handpicked and given to me by my precious children!"

Hestia then looked at Loki's dress.

"Besides, the only thing that's going to be laughed at is your dress," she said with a smirk as she threw out her own ample chest. "That poor tailor of yours must have been so confused about that order!"

Loki's face lit up as brightly as her hair before lunging at Hestia with tears in her eyes, grabbing Hestia by her soft and squishy cheeks while Hestia flailed around uselessly, her short arms unable to reach Loki at all.

"Here we go again…" Hephaistos sighed while Freya simply stepped back and watched the proceedings with a smile.

After shaking Hestia (and her chest) up, down, left, right, back and forth…Loki skulked off with tears streaming from her eyes, having done more damage to herself than to Hestia, even if the latter's cheeks were rather swollen from the attack.

"I'll get you next time!" Loki shouted over her shoulder. "Remember this!"

"Don't show me those pathetic little things next time!" Hestia shot back while rubbing her stinging cheeks.

"You okay?" Hephaistos asked. "Do you need some ice?"

"No thanks, I'm fine."

"I must say Loki's really calmed down since coming here," Freya pointed out. "Before it was always one death challenge after the other but now…it's really cute."

"Maybe if you're on the sidelines…" Hestia muttered.

"It's probably because she's taken a liking to the children," Hephaistos pointed out. "In fact, I think she's similar to you in that regard, Hestia."

"Grr…I don't want to admit that though…"

"You were going on about how your Bell and the other two were wasted on you right?"

"Hee hee…"

Freya's ears twitched for a moment before she looked to the side with a smile.

"I'm sorry Hephaistos," Freya said suddenly. "But I just remembered something that needs my direct attention so I will be leaving first."

"But weren't you going to ask around for information about something?" Hephaistos asked.

"I already got it," Freya replied with another smile before nodding her head in farewell before disappearing into the crowd.

"Well she certainly hasn't changed…" Hestia huffed. "She probably has her eyes on someone again. Even though she has all those other children in her Familia…"

"I suppose so," Hephaistos sighed before turning back to Hestia. "So, did you come here in hopes of setting up the meeting with me? If that's all why not stay a bit longer and have drink or two?"

"Actually…I did have another favor to ask of you…" Hestia began.

"Really? What is it?"

"Yes…I wanted you to make a weapon for Bell," Hestia said as Hephaistos's eye widened.

"Really?" Hephaistos asked. "Even though you have another child with weapons like the one you have in your bag right now?"

"He uh…Caster isn't the type to share…" Hestia admitted. "And he'll probably say something like Bell hasn't earned it or that Bell won't grow if he used one of Caster's weapons."

"I see…" Hephaistos nodded. "If a Level 1 just used a powerful weapon then his Status wouldn't really change at all. And you think one from my Familia would better fit him?"

"Yes…" Hestia nodded. "I don't plan on asking for it for free though! I'll pay you back every Valis. I'll…I'll even try to convince Caster to part with another of his treasures to trade for it."

"Will he really go for that though?" Hephaistos asked.

"I'll tell him that it's an investment! An investment for his Familia's future. Maybe…"

Hephaistos scratched her eyepatch in thought. She wasn't particularly keen on doing so but an idea for a weapon that would be helpful to a newbie Adventurer popped into her mind.

"Well, there is no point talking about it without the man in question around," Hephaistos said. "Bring him to my office at around three in the afternoon and we'll talk shop. I'll get most of my work out of the way in the meantime."

"All right!" Hestia cheered as she hugged Hephaistos. "Hephaistos, I love you!"

"Yes, yes…" Hephaistos sighed as she patted Hestia on the back. "Then let's have a drink and catch up."

"Okay!"


	4. Caster and Supporter

**Chapter 4: Lililuca Arde**

Hestia didn't return to the church until early the next morning as she spent the time sharing a drink with Hephaistos where she told the others about the result of the meeting and the plan to meet with Hephaistos later that day before flopping down on the bed, still in her dress, and quickly falling asleep.

"So…what do we do now?" Bell asked as they tucked Hestia under the covers.

"I will wait here to wake her up in time for the meeting," Caster said. "You…head to the dungeon to gain more experience in the meantime. If possible, hire a Supporter as well." He looked toward Archer. "Unless you want to continue carving monsters yourself?"

"What do you think Bell?" Archer asked, not answering Caster.

"I…think having a Supporter wouldn't be bad at all," Bell nodded. "It might cut into the profits a bit but I think if we spend more time moving forward we can get more money that way."

"If your objective is clear then begone," Caster said irritably. "The funds leftover after purchasing the fabric should be enough to hire the services of one."

After being chased out, Bell and Archer made their way to Babel tower and stopped by a fountain.

"Well, we're here…" Bell muttered as they looked around. "How do you think we'll find a Supporter?"

"Perhaps we should have gone to the Guild and asked Eina instead?" Archer suggested. "I mean…do Supporters just walk around and advertise their services to people outside their Familia?"

"Yes they do, Mister Adventurer!"

Bell and Archer exchanged looks before Archer turned around and the two of them saw a tiny girl, barely a meter tall, holding a massive backpack almost three times her size. She was wearing a white cloak that covered her entire body but Bell could spot two bumps poking up from her hood, telling him that she was an animal person. Most likely a Chienthrope.

"Good morning Mr Adventurers," the girl greeted them. "Lily overheard that you two were looking for a Supporter. If Mr Adventurers want, Lily can be your Supporter."

"Oh…" Bell replied as he looked at Archer who just shrugged his shoulders. "Are you part of a Familia, Miss Lily?"

"Yes…Lily is part of the Soma Familia but Lily can Support other Familias if need be," Lily replied with a nod.

"All right then, you're hired," Archer said as he looked at her pack. "I take it you have some sort of skill to let you carry that?"

"Yes!" Lily nodded. "It lets Lily carry big things like this without any problem."

To make her point she hopped up and down a few times to show that she could properly maintain her balance and the massive weight had no effect on her.

"All right then," Archer nodded as he took out a bag of coins and held it out to Lily who stared at it.

"Uh…what is this?" Lily asked.

"What is this?" Archer repeated looking as confused as she did. "Signing on bonus…or do you not do these kinds of things around here?"

"But Lily hasn't even done anything yet?"

"Well you explained some things about yourself and Supporters so that's a good start right?" Bell said as Archer grabbed Lily's arm causing her to flinch and stuffed the bag into her hand. "We're planning to hit the Sixth Floor and eventually the Tenth so anything you know about it will be helpful."

"Uhh…Lily will do her best!" Lily said, regaining her composure. "Will we be going down now?"

"Yeah, let's go," Bell nodded before heading toward the tower. Archer gestured for Lily to follow him before he took up the rear behind her.

Once they were inside, Archer stayed beside Lily as she carved out the magic stones from the monster corpses while Bell handled the monsters on his own.

"Umm…Master Archer, are you not going to help Master Bell?" Lily asked, looking up at him.

"Captain's orders," Archer replied. "Bell is still a novice while fighting so we're letting him raise his stats a bit. Duck."

Lily quickly hit the dirt as Archer swung a blade above her, severing the head of a Kobold that had spawned behind them.

"Don't worry," Archer said as he gestured to the monster's corpse. "I'm here to keep them off of you so Bell doesn't have to worry."

He then tossed his blade in Bell's direction, striking a Kobold that was trying to jump Bell from behind.

"Too slow!" Archer shouted as Bell pushed off the Kobold in front of him and jabbed his dagger into its heart, destroying the Magic Stone inside and causing the monster to turn to ash right away. "Keep a sense of everything around you, not just the one in front of you. Back up and reset."

"Yes!" Bell called back as he backed up away from the remaining two kobolds.

"Umm…Master Archer?" Lily began as Bell charged the left kobold before kicking the other kobold in the side. "Where was Master Archer keeping that weapon?"

Archer wasn't wearing a bag aside from a small pouch tied to his waist where he kept some emergency money so it was only natural Lily would be confused.

"That's a secret," Archer replied, holding up a finger to his lips to which Lily nodded in understanding. It wasn't her place to pry either way.

Once the last of the Kobolds were defeated and the entrance to the Sixth Floor was in sight, Archer turned to Bell.

"What do you think?" He asked Bell. "You think you can keep going or should we stop here?"

"Hmm…let's take a look at least," Bell said. "Hey Miss Arde…"

"Lily prefers to be called Lily if Master Bell doesn't mind," Lily, full name Liliruca Arde, said quickly.

"Then Lily, do you know anything about the monsters on the Sixth Floor?"

"Yes!" Lily nodded. "War Shadows and Frog Shooters appear there. The War Shadows are living shadows that are extremely resistant to regular weapons but weak to magic. They have an eye that looks like a giant crystal which is their weak point. Frog Shooters are giant frogs that try to grab people with their tongues and swing them around or eat them."

"Sounds…disgusting…" Bell said as he looked at his hand. "Too bad I don't know any attack magic yet."

"Just focus on their weak spots," Archer said as he tapped Bell's back. "I'll keep any others off of you until you get used to fighting them."

"Okay!" Bell nodded before turning to Lily. "Make sure to stick close to Archer so you won't get targeted, okay?"

"Are you saying that I can't protect both of you at once?" Archer asked as Lily laughed. "Whatever. Let's head down."

And so Bell began his first journey into the Sixth Floor.

X-x-X-x-X

As they made their way further down the dungeon, Hestia and Caster were walking down Main Street, heading toward the large Weapons Shop known as Hφαιστος.

Hestia was stealing glances at Caster who was looking rather irritated.

"I am not angry," Caster said, causing Hestia to jump. "I am merely annoyed that you decided to barter with my treasures for something other than what we decided on."

"I'm sorry…" Hestia said lowering her head.

"But your reasoning is sound," Caster continued. "A weapon to help pave the road into that boy's future would be an investment worthy of one of my treasures. I will not listen to someone who cannot properly stand beside the Heroes he wishes to command. However…does a weapon that allows him strength to fight but neither restricts his growth or quickly becomes obsolete exist?"

"Uuu…Hephaistos was wondering the same ting," Hestia admitted. "But! If it's her, I know she'll come up with something!"

Caster gave Hestia a sideways glance before letting out a long sigh.

"It is my policy to never apologize to someone on another's behalf, especially not to a god, but I feel like it will be required here due to this burden…" he muttered.

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Hestia asked as they came up to a large three story building that was twice the size of it neighbors. She opened the door and made her way through the shop with the clerks letting them through, having no doubt been told ahead of time about the appointment. Hestia then led the way up the staircase toward Hephaistos's office.

"Hephaistos! I brought him!" Hestia said as she opened the door and the two of them walked inside.

There, Caster saw the Smith Goddess sitting behind a well kept and used desk with stacks of forms sitting off to the side no doubt awaiting her authorization and signatures. On the wall to his right were several weapons of different makes and qualities. They certainly seemed special to the goddess but nothing good enough to belong within his treasury. Perhaps they were merely there for sentimental reasons. Products or gifts from her Familia no doubt.

"Thank you for coming," Hephaistos said as she stood up from her desk. "You must be the one Hestia was talking about?"

"Greetings Goddess Hephaistos," Caster greeted the goddess respectfully. "I am currently going under the name 'Caster' during my time in this city. I come to you today to offer some of my treasures in order to secure funds for my Familia's future."

"So I've heard," Hephaistos nodded as she gestured to the seats in front of her. "But you don't seem to have anything on you right now?"

"A king's treasury goes wherever the king goes," Caster said as he sat down on the chair with Hestia plopping down on the one beside his. "Allow me to demonstrate."

He held his hand to the side, parallel to the ground and the air behind him started shimmering gold. Then a golden handle pushed itself out of it which Caster grasped firmly in his hand and pulled it out. It was a sword so long that it could easily be mistaken for a spear.

"Unfortunately its name escapes me at the moment and I do not care to spend the effort to remember it," Caster admitted with a shrug. "I am told that it was used to slay a drake from the eastern lands but I do not know if it holds true."

"My…" Hephaistos gasped as she accepted the blade from Caster. "From what I can tell it certainly has the quality to do so."

"I am willing to part with it if you wish to add it to your own collection or to sell it off to someone who would require such a blade," Caster said as he glanced back at the wall of weapons. "I trust you will provide an honest quote for it. If it is not to your liking I suppose I can search for something that may interest you at your request."

"Really? I think this one will be sufficient for a start," Hephaistos nodded. "It's weight and balance are fine and its edge is indeed sharp enough to pierce through a drake's hide…perhaps even larger dragons. It feels like it was created specifically to hunt a dragon as well. Would a hundred million Valis be sufficient?"

"Puwha!?" Hestia let out a noise like a choking cat at the absurd amount for a single weapon. "One…one hundred million!? How many Jagamaru-kuns can you buy with that?"

Caster and Hephaistos glanced over at Hestia as she tried counting them on her fingers before Hephaistos gave Caster an apologetic look to which Caster let out a small sigh in response.

"I considered this before but…" Caster began. "Weapons and armor go for rather exuberant prices in this city do they not? Far more than the daily necessities of the common people."

"Yes," Hephaistos nodded. "Not only are they the product of the work and skill my children put years…decades into obtaining, they are also the product of the brave Adventurers that go into the dungeon's lower floors and bring back the drop items of monsters that go into their creation. The fact that you managed to come across a weapon of this quality outside the city is truly surprising."

"Hmm…I suppose there is a point to the absurd prices then. Let me change the topic then. How much would it take to create the weapon that this foolish goddess asked you about?"

"Hey!" Hestia shouted indignantly as Hephaistos chuckled.

"A weapon that won't stunt his growth and won't fall into mediocracy that would shame the name Hephaistos," Hephaistos said with a sigh. "To be quite honest, it is quite a troublesome request."

Caster nodded his head in understanding if not in apology as Hestia deflated.

"Although…with Hestia's assistance, I do believe I can come up with something," Hephaistos said causing a look of shock to spark in both Caster and Hestia's eyes.

"You're going to make it!?" Hestia asked.

"Of course," Hephaistos nodded. "This is an exchange between two goddesses after all. There is no need to trouble my children over it. Of course, that also means the price will match its quality."

As Hestia's eyes shined toward her friend, Caster merely laughed.

"A blade forged by the hands of a goddess…that boy is truly blessed with a loving goddess," Caster said with a smile. "Very well, I shall take this investment and see this boy's path to the end. If nothing else, it will prove to be worthy entertainment."

"When you talk like that, you sound like one of the other gods, you know?" Hephaistos pointed out.

"As a king, only the highest grade of entertainment is suitable for my palate," Caster replied. "If it is comparable to that of the gods then the gods simply have tastes similar to the king, do they not?"

"My you are a unique one," Hephaistos laughed. "How on earth did Hestia find you?"

"A little rabbit led me to her," Caster replied with a smirk. "My talents are simply limited to judging mortals and gods. And alcohol. According to the one I once called my only friend."

"Your friend must have been one-of-a-kind as well…but back to the topic at hand."

"Indeed. The cost of that little fool's new weapon, crafted by the hands of the Goddess of the Forge herself."

Goddess and King looked eye to eye at each other, ready to wage war over the price of Bell Cranel's, the one who summons heroes, new weapon. The battle within this office, fought with words and coin combined together with the technique known as "Haggling" shall now begin.

"Umm…should I still be here for this?" A crying and fearful goddess spoke up to the deaf ears of the other two.

X-x-X-x-X

"Amazing, Lily can hardly believe that Master Bell is a novice!" Lily said as the three of them returned from the dungeon just as the sun was beginning to set. "Lily understands why Master Archer wants Master Bell to grow quickly."

"No no, I think Miss Lily is amazing for being able to cut out the stones so quickly," Bell replied. "We managed to progress so much further because of it. We actually managed to make it to the Seventh Floor! Caster is going to be so surprised."

"About what, mongrel?"

The three fo them turned around to see Caster coming up to the tower with a hand on his hip but without Hestia in sight.

"Oh Your Majesty!" Bell said, running up to Caster like a child wanting to surprise his parent with news of his success. "We made it all the way to the entrance of the Eighth Floor today! Miss Lily's help in carving out the crystals and her knowledge of each floor is amazing."

"Hoh?" Caster began with a slight widening of the eyes and the ghost of a pleased smile on his face. "You've done well Bell Cranel. As always your growth is worthy of some praise."

If Bell had a tail like Lily did it would no doubt be wagging right now.

"So, how was his progress?" Caster asked Archer.

"Like he said, we made rather fast progress," Archer replied. "He had a bit of trouble with the War Shadows on the Sixth Floor due to their inherent resistant to physical attacks but we managed. The Seventh Floor was more manageable but the Killer Ants there would call for back up if their heads weren't destroyed…something we experienced the hard way…There were also monsters that spread a poisonous powder from their wings so I suggest we pack some Antidotes if we are to go there again."

"I see…" Caster nodded. "Fortunately our business with Hephaistos went perfectly and I have secured enough funds to purchase them. Now where is the Supporter?"

Archer gestured toward Lily who was trying to avoid notice despite her large bag.

"Why do you hide your face?" Caster demanded as he stood in front of her. "You are in audience with a king. Remove your hood."

"Lily's fur is dirty so she doesn't want to pollute Sir's eyes with it…" Lily said quietly.

"Irrelevant. Remove your hood and show me your face."

Shaking slightly, Lily did so, revealing a messy mop of chestnut hair with pointed ears on the top of her head. Gingerly she peeked up at Caster's face only to turn pale and step back at the glare he was throwing her way.

"Y-your Majesty, is something the matter?" Bell asked nervously as he stepped between Lily and Caster.

"Move," Caster demanded, grabbing Bell by the shoulder and pushing him aside. "I will, in my boundless patience, say it one last time. Show. Me. Your. Face."

Bell moved to try and cover Lily again but Archer grabbed his arm and shook his head.

Still shaking and looking like a cornered animal, Lily slowly raised up her hood over her head and lowered it once more. The furry pointed ears on her head were gone and were replaced by ones similar to that of a human on the side of her head.

"Magic? A disguise?" Bell asked. "So she was a Pallum after all and not a Chienthrope."

"When I ask you to show your face the next time, I expect you to comply immediately," Caster said as he held out his hand to the side and a bag fell out of a golden hole in space into it. "Here."

The bag fell into Lily's hands and she looked up at Caster before opening it, revealing a large amount of coins.

"Seventy thousand Valis," Caster said, causing Lily to stare at Caster in shock. "Ten thousand for each floor they cleared. That will be your payment for taking care of those that fool today. I trust that will be sufficient?"

"Y-yes…" Lily nodded her head as if she couldn't believe she was getting so much money for the work she did. "Y-your are too kind Your Majesty…Lily apologizes for insulting you…"

"I need no false gratitudes from a fearful child," Caster said as he turned away from her. "If you wish to please me with words then say them honestly. Anything else will ring as hollow as your spirit."

"T-that's too much, Caster!" Bell said, unable to accept the abuse Caster was hurling at Lily even though she helped them so much.

"Besides, I think she's gotten your point," Archer said, still holding onto Bell's shoulder to keep him from running forward.

"Humph," Caster scoffed as he shook his head. "Goddess Hestia is currently assisting Hephaistos in private matters. She will not return until the morning of Monsterphilia. However, at her request, for now the dungeon is off limits until those matters are complete."

"Huh? Monsterphilia?" Bell repeated.

"It's…it's a festival hosted by the Ganesha Familia…" Lily squeaked out, pulling her hood back on now that Caster wasn't glaring down at her. "It's a festival where they showcase monsters and tame them."

"As she says," Caster nodded. "As such, we shall respect her wishes and prepare for a longer expedition after she returns. You are dismissed."

With that said, Caster left and Archer finally released Bell who ran to Lily's side.

"Are you all right, Lily?" Bell asked. "I'm sorry about Caster. He's really tense sometimes but he's not…that bad of a person."

"No…it's Lily's fault…" Lily mumbled, shaking her head. "Lily shouldn't have tried to trick him…or Master Bell and Master Archer…"

"Still…" Bell muttered as he looked to Archer for help.

The bowman sighed as he walked up to the two of them and placed a hand on their shoulders.

"Come now it's late," he said. "Lily, why don't you join us for dinner as an apology? Our treat. And don't worry, we won't invite his royal pain in the behind."

"You're not mad?" Lily asked. "Mad that Lily lied to you?"

"Everyone has their secrets," Archer shrugged. "Come on. Let's eat some good food and forget about that golden oaf."

"Then…Lily will take you up on that offer…" Lily nodded.

"Good girl," Archer nodded as he placed a hand on her head. "Then let's exchange today's loot and then find a place nearby."

X-x-X-x-X

After exchanging the day's earnings which amounted to about thirty thousand Valis total they headed over to the closest eatery as planned.

"As expected, it really is too much," Lily muttered, looking at her bag sitting in the corner of the pub where the money she was given by Caster was kept tucked away. "It was even way more than what Master Bell and Master Archer earned in the dungeon today…"

"If you try to give it back to him he'll only be even more angry," Archer said as he set down his knife and fork and put on a rather familia looking sneer. "'You dare reject the king's generosity, mongrel girl?!' Or something like that."

"Ahh…I can definitely hear it," Bell said with a laugh. "Archer, you don't like him very much either but you understand him pretty well, don't you?"

"Not at all," Archer said with a smirk as he picked his utensils back up. "I just know the type."

"Ahaha…"

"By the way, Lily," Archer said. "What does your Soma Familia do? Are they an exploration type?"

"Yes…but only on paper," Lily mumbled. "The Familia only exists for Lord Soma's hobby. Lord Soma only really cares about making his wine. And since Lord Soma needs money to make it, he gives a little bit of it as a prize to the Adventurers who bring in the most amount of money. Everyone in the Familia becomes obsessed with it after one drink so they're always after money and do whatever they can to get more of it."

"Have you tried it before?" Bell asked.

"No…and Lily has no intention of doing so."

Bell and Archer shared a glance and Archer shook his head, telling Bell that he shouldn't push any deeper.

"Then…do you think you'll be busy during Monsterphilia?" Bell asked as Lily looked up in surprise. "If not, why not join Archer and me? It's our first Monsterphilia so we'd be happy if you could show us around."

"Oh, that's not a bad idea," Archer agreed. "How about it, Lily? We don't have to invite Goldy if you don't want him to come along."

"But…won't he be angry then?" Lily asked worriedly.

"He disappears from the house to do whatever he wants every night," Archer answered. "If he doesn't even tell our goddess where he's going, then we don't have to tell him where we're going."

"Is that so…" Lily said. "Then…Lily will be happy to show you two around."

"All right!" Bell cheered, throwing his arms up in the air. "Then we'll be counting on you two days from now!"

Once they finished their meal they decided to part ways at the exit.

"Are you sure you don't need us to walk you home?" Bell asked.

"Don't worry Master Bell," Lily nodded. "Lily will be fine. Then, goodnight, Master Bell and Master Archer."

The two of them watched Lily leave and disappear into the night before Bell turned to Archer.

"Hey Archer, even if she says that, I can't help but be worried," Bell admitted. "Do you think you can keep an eye on her?"

Archer didn't say anything as he glanced upward to the roof of the building for a moment before turning back to Bell.

"I'm sure she'll be fine," Archer said as he placed a hand on Bell's head. "Don't worry too much. Girl's don't like nosy men after all."

"T-that doesn't have anything to do with this!" Bell said as Archer took him by the shoulder and steered him back home. "Archer? Hey Archer, listen to me!"

X-x-X-x-X

Lily felt exhausted as she made her way back to one of her hideaways.

As she traversed the quiet and empty alleyways of the city, she thought back to her experience with the so-called Hestia Familia.

There were only three members but they were all completely different.

Bell Cranel…he seemed to be the youngest of the familia members and was held with high expectations of the other two and at the same time he seemed to seek their praise like a dog and seemed to look up to them. He was also kind…almost infuriatingly so. He was skilled despite being a self-described novice, capable of earning thirty thousand valis in one day more or less alone when a party of five Level 1 Adventurers would struggle get that much in a week.

Archer…the tallest of the three and acted as both a mentor and an older sibling to Bell. Their relationship felt both warm and strict but he did not hesitate to help her out and invite her along for fun out of genuine motives. He was like the adult of the three, making sure to keep the peace and keep both of them from causing too much trouble.

Caster…the Captain of the Familia and a so-called king. Lily had to admit that he had the air, arrogance and wealth of one. It wasn't as though royalty never became Adventurers…she heard rumors that Loki Familia's Nine Hells was some elven princess before becoming one. All the elves in the city seemed to treat her like one anyway. Lily felt like she couldn't like the man, but he had paid her an absurd amount of money for almost no work at the drop of the hat and according to Archer, would be flat out insulted if she even thought about giving it back. He was the one Lily understood the least. He had all the spite and arrogance of those Adventurers in Lily's Familia but would pay her far beyond her "fair share" without hesitation when those other Adventurers would try their damndest to cheat her out of every last Valis.

"That golden person…who exactly is he?"

"Yo, fancy meeting you here."

Lily's breath was caught her in throat as she turned around to see a trio of Adventurers standing behind her. Members of her own Familia.

"Heard you got paid rather handsomely today," the leader of the trio, a male Raccoon People. "How about sharing t with your fellow Familia Members?"

Share? Yeah right. They were planning on taking all of it. All sixty thousand Valis that that Caster person gave her. No, there was a chance that they didn't know the entire amount. If she could find a way to keep fifty thousand…that's right…they would never believe that she had earned so much money for a few days of work helping a pair of Adventurers on the Upper Floors.

"Fine…" she said, taking out a small bag from her pack. She had thought ahead and separated the sixty thousand into several smaller amounts just in case after all.

The thug walked over and snatched it out of her hands only to then kick her, sending her falling back down the staircase she had just climbed up.

"See, that wasn't so hard," the thug asked as Lily coughed and clutched her stomach. "It's only right that you pay tribute to those Adventurers that let you freeloading Supporters into the Familia."

"Be that as it may be, that coin was not meant for you, mongrel."

A loud explosion rang out from the top of the staircase, prompting Lily to quickly slip out of her pack and huddle close to the bottom of the stairs as the three men were sent flying down as well.

She chanced a look up and saw Caster standing there, with the money bag in his hands.

"You bastard!" The thugs shouted as they got to their feet. "Who do you think you are?"

"You are not worthy of knowing my name," Caster said as he held up what looked like a stone tablet which started shining.

There was a scream of pain and Lily turned to see two of the thugs were wrapped in golden runes that were slowly squeezing them before a loud and sickening crack echoed in the night and the runes disappeared, dropping the two men like puppets who had their strings severed.

"Take your fellow mongrels and leave," Caster said as he slowly walked down the stairs with the tablet still in his hand. "The king is not without mercy and he will let you flee with your lives."

"You making fun of me?!" the Raccoon shouted hysterically making Lily think he had lost his mind. He then pulled out a small blade that was glowing red.

A magic sword.

"Let's see how you like this!"

"Don't!" Lily screamed as a blade released several balls of fire out at Caster.

Almost lazily, Caster tucked his tablet under his shoulder and raised the hand that was covered in a golden gauntlet. The flames impacted the gauntlet and fizzled out like matchsticks in the rain.

"I-impossible…"

"To raise your hand against the king…it would appear some more discipline is required," Caster said as he opened up the tome again. A shimmer of gold appeared behind him and Caster reached into it with his free hand, pulling out a magic stave made of gold and topped with a bright crystal. With a lazy movement, he jabbed the bottom of the stave onto the ground and a bolt of lightning shot out of it, striking the thug before he could even do so much as scream.

Lily stared at the smoldering crisp that was once a normal person and realized, with a mixture of amazement and horror, that he was still alive.

"As expected of a god's blessing," Caster muttered, causing Lily to shriek as she realized he was standing right next to her now. "It can make even the lowest of wretches survive anything thrown at them."

"U-umm…Lord Caster?" Lily began. "Lily is…"

"Silence mongrel girl," he said simply, making Lily clam up immediately. "You dare try to hand over the king's gift to someone else without my permission. Your punishment is next."

Archer was right. His arrogance was on another level.

"Pick up your belongings girl," he ordered. "And follow me."

Lily didn't dare flee or disobey his order. She picked up her pack and followed Caster back out onto the main streets without any word of protest. She waited behind him as he flagged down a passing Ganesha Familia member working as a city guard and told them about the location of her injured Familia members before he gestured to her to continue following.

He led her all the way to one of the poorer districts and she found herself standing in front of a ruined church of some goddess.

"What are you doing?" Caster demanded as he opened the crumbing door. "Inside."

"Y-yes…" Lily nodded as she quickly fell in step. Caster led her to the back of the altar and pushed open a hidden door before descending the staircase.

Once he opened the door at the bottom, Lily heard a familiar voice.

"Oh, welcome home, Your Majesty! Sorry we ate dinner without you."

"You are forgiven. I had other matters to attend to in any case. What are you waiting for? Inside."

Lily realized that he was referring to her and she slowly walked into the room…which she realized was even smaller than her own hideaway.

Bell was staring at her in surprise from a rather old and worn couch while Archer was busy stocking pouring a drink into four glasses.

"Miss Lily? What are you doing here?" Bell asked. "Ah, you're hurt! Archer, get the first aid kit!"

"N-no…Lily is fine, Master Bell…" Lily said quickly as she felt Caster push her forward from behind so he could shut the door.

"She has done something unforgivable in my presence," Caster explained. "As such, her punishment will be to sleep in this dreary place where we can keep an eye on her."

"It really would kill you to be honest, wouldn't it?" Archer asked as he helped Lily out of her bag and sat her down on the bed before pulling out a small case from underneath the bed. "Where does it hurt?"

"No…really…Lily is-" she began but Archer placed a finger on her lips and gestured with his head toward Caster who was sitting on the couch across the room from the bed, looking in their direction with his stark red eyes. Lily then recalled what Archer said in the pub. "Then…Lily was kicked here…"

She held a hand on her stomach and Archer nodded.

Lily gingerly removed her robe, causing Bell to blush, babble a bit and run out the door, causing both Caster and Archer to sigh before Archer started treating the rather large bruise on Lily's stomach.

"I will be asking questions and you will answer them properly, understand?" Caster suddenly spoke up and Lily nodded obediently. "Your name?"

"Lily…Liliruca Arde…" Lily replied.

"Your Familia?"

"Soma Familia."

"Those three from earlier?"

"Soma Familia…"

Archer's hands stopped moving as he looked up at Lily before turning toward Caster who simply frowned.

"What about your God?"

"Lord Soma doesn't care about Lily and the rest," Lily mumbled bitterly as Bell pushed the door opened slightly and poked his head in to listen better. "Lord Soma spends all day making wine and only updates the status of those who make enough money for him to make the wine."

"I see…" Caster nodded. "Wine made from the hands of a god, even without their divinity, will still be a potent thing. Those fools are probably desperate addicts climbing over each others' corpses for another taste. Is that correct?"

"Yes…" Lily nodded. "Lily hasn't ever drunk the wine though. Lily just wants enough money to meet Lord Soma to leave the Familia."

"I can't believe it…" Bell muttered as he walked back in the room properly. "A Familia is supposed to be one big family…how can anyone, god or Adventurers do something like this?"

"It's not surprising at all, boy," Caster countered. "From the start, the gods only ever pay attention to things that interest them. Your goddess is the same. She goes out of her way to take care of you because you belong to her like a little pet rabbit."

"That's not true!" Bell shouted. "The goddess…admittedly is a bit clingy but she honestly truly cares about all of us, not just me. She works hard because she wants to provide for us because we're family and that's what family does for each other!"

"Are you raising your voice at me?" Caster asked but to his surprise, Bell didn't back down and was weakly glaring at him, causing the king to chuckle. "Fuh…very well, I will allow it as a sign of your growth. But now we reach the crux of the problem."

Caster stood up just as Archer finished his treatment of Lily and stepped back.

"I have no use for someone who follows two kings," he said looking down at Lily with his red eyes that seemed to shine in the dimly lit room. "As punishment for your grievance from earlier, you are to remain in our custody until the end of Monsterphilia and face the judgement of the Goddess Hestia. She will decide what to do with you."

"Caster…" Bell spoke up again. "We can't just…_not_…help her!"

"The internal workings of another Familia are not our place to interfere," Caster said, glaring at Bell. "Doing so without reason will incur a penalty from the Guild. Are you willing to subject your Goddess to that for your own selfishness?"

At the mention of Hestia, Bell turned his head away from Caster, hands clenched into fist and biting his lip hard enough to draw blood.

"Unless Arde herself gives us a reason to interfere, we cannot do anything," Caster said, turning his eye toward Lily while facing Bell. "Understand?"

Lily blinked in surprise, turning to look at Archer who met her gaze with a smile.

"Lily…" she began. "Lily doesn't deserve everyone's help…Lily doesn't deserve anyone's help. Lily is a bad person! Lily planned on taking more money for herself at the Exchange! That's why…that's why…Lily doesn't deserve everyone's kindness!"

"…Whether you deserve it or not, it is my decision to give it," Caster said as Bell walked around the couch and crouched down in front of Lily who had stood up in the middle of her self-depreciating rant.

"Please Lily…" he said, taking her hands into his. "I know we only just met today and you have absolutely no reason to trust us but…I don't want to see you…or anyone for that matter, suffer like this.. I want to help you. So…"

"…Please…stop…please…" Lily choked out as tears formed in her eyes. "Don't make Lily hope…"

"Too bad," Bell said with a smile. "Heroes exist to give girls hope after all."

"What is that nonsense!?" Lily half screamed half sobbed at Bell. "Master Bell is horrible! Pervert! Playboy! Enemy of all women!"

As she hurled such abuse at the flabbergasted Bell, Lily buried her face in his chest as Archer just threw his arms out in a shrug and Caster let his head fall to the side in exasperation.

* * *

Author's Note:

Do not expect this speed of updates to continue for long. I am on a writing high right now but it will not last.


	5. Nectar of the Gods

**Chapter 5: Soma Wine**

"Are you quite finished?" Caster asked once Lily stopped crying.

"Yes…" Lily nodded before bowing. "Please…help Lily leave her Familia."

"Very well," Caster nodded. "I accept your request."

"But…how do we help?" Bell asked as he sat down on the bed beside Lily. "I mean…would just giving her money be enough to get her out?"

Caster tapped the side of his forehead for a moment before glancing at Lily again.

"What exactly is the process in meeting the God Soma?" He asked.

"Yes…the Familia members give money to Captain Zanis Lustra and he allows them to meet with Lord Soma."

"I see…that makes the money path useless," Caster said. "It would simply 'disappear' while in that mongrel's possession or at the very least, the amount would change no matter how much you give him or how many times you do so."

"Should we just assault them then?" Archer asked with no hint of seriousness in his voice. "Lily, what's the highest level in your Familia?"

"Level 2…" Lily replied, suddenly feeling very worried.

"Between you and me, we can just walk up and 'request' an audience."

"It is an idea but one low on the list," Caster nodded. "We should not bother Goddess Hestia with such trivialities such as dealing with the Guild."

Caster then stood up.

"I shall dwell on this further," he declared. "In the meantime, Arde is not to leave the home. If you have anything important in your previous dwelling, tell them to Archer to retrieve it. Cranel, you are to keep guard tonight and come morning are to go out and gather supplies for the next journey into the dungeon."

"What are you planning to do?" Bell asked as Archer took Lily to the side with a large map of the city.

"Arde, what is the name of the wine that intoxicates your Familia?" Caster asked.

"Soma Wine," Lily replied. "The same name as our God." Her eyes then widened. "But…the wine isn't sold outside the Familia. Only the failures are…and they cost up to sixty thousand Valis. They are marked with the emblem of the Familia. A wineglass and a crescent moon."

Bell let out a chocking noise at that amount while Caster raised an eyebrow at him.

"It is nectar created by the hands of a god," Caster reminded him. "If it did not go for that much it would fall into the hands of every mongrel that wished for it. The Soma Familia would not be a collection of such rabble if it were not so expensive."

"Ahh…you have a point…" Bell admitted.

"I shall go and acquire a sample of this wine to understand the weakness of the Soma Familia. In the meantime, you have your orders. Carry them out."

And with that Caster turned and left the room.

Once Lily was sure he was far enough away, she turned to Archer.

"Lily now fully understands what Master Archer was talking about earlier…" she said as Archer let out a wry chuckle.

"Well…he's surprising even me right now," Archer admitted. "Now where do you live? And do you have stash houses or something?"

X-x-X-x-X

Archer left once Lily had pointed out her old apartment as well as all her hidden stashes spread throughout the city, leaving her alone with Bell.

"Hey Master Bell?"

Bell had been laying on he couch, trying to fall asleep when Lily's voice from Hestia's empty bed.

"What is it Lily?"

"Lily is sorry for lying and getting everyone involved."

"Don't worry about it. I told you right? That's what heroes do."

"Master Bell keeps saying that," Lily noted. "Does Master Bell want to become a hero?"

"…Yes," Bell nodded. "Before that though, I want to be able to stand beside those two heroes."

"Those two? Master Archer and Lord Caster are heroes?"

"Ah…" Bell realized what he had done but for some reason he didn't feel worried. "Hey Lily. What level do you think those two are?"

"Lily hasn't ever heard of them before so Lily didn't think they could be that high level…" she admitted. "But, Lily thinks that Master Archer is at least Level 3 and Lord Caster Level 5."

"Nope," Bell smiled under the darkness. "Both of them are Level 1."

"Hah!? Master Bell are you making fun of Lily!?"

"I'm not, I'm not," Bell said with a chuckle as he flipped his body on the side to see Lily was sitting up in the bed and looking at him. "They joined the Familia only a few days ago. They're both still Level 1…and barely have any points in any of their Status."

"How is that possible?" Lily asked. "Master Archer moved as fast as a high Level 3 or maybe a low Level 4! There's no way that is possible!"

"Hey Lily. What race do you think those two are?"

"Race? Are they not human?"

"Nope. They're Spirits."

"Spirits!?" Lily shouted again. "There are Spirits that actually want to join a Familia?"

"Huh? Did you know a Spirit, Lily?"

"Yes. One takes good care of Lily but they own a little shop out of the way and don't really do anything with adventurers aside from Lily…but…so that's…Lily understands now."

"I was really surprised myself," Bell admitted. "I was about to be killed in the Dungeon but then Archer showed up and saved me. He and Caster say that they are Spirits formed from the Legends of Heroes."

"Lily both sees and doesn't see…" Lily mumbled as she fell back down on the bed. "Lily doesn't know much about Spirits in the first place but she never heard of one taking form of a legend."

"People want to believe in heroes after all," Bell said with another chuckle. "Especially Adventurers."

"Lily thinks so too."

"Right? They're spirits with a contract with me so they're doing their best to help me too. I want to become someone like them too."

"Lily thinks that Master Bell will be able to do so."

X-x-X-x-X

The next morning, they were woken up by Archer returning with several items, mostly money from Lily's stashes but also her clothes and various other tools for diving into the dungeon.

"Lily always wants to be prepared," she explained as they placed the boxes in a corner of the already crowded room. "The Dungeon is dangerous after all."

"Can't fault you there…" Archer nodded as he went to the kitchen area. "I'll whip up some breakfast then you can do your work while I keep an eye on Lily."

"All right," Bell nodded as a look of confusion appeared on Lily's face.

"A hero who does housework?" She muttered quietly as she watched Archer throw on a rather tiny apron and turn on the stove.

X-x-X-x-X

Caster made his way down the stone road of the city. As expected, the wine was a elusive mark. Only so-called failures were put out into the market to be sold after all and as the maker was a God, lack of divinity or not, their number would still be far and few in between, meaning that whenever one was out on the market, it would be bought out instantly.

But the king was patient. He treaded the path before him and came across a store with a serpent coiling around a bottle on its sign and a sneer broke on his face.

Entering the shop, he accepted the greeting from the clerk and made his way through the aisle until he found his prize.

With prize in hand, he made to go pay for it properly when a loud scream reached his ears. Turning his head the bare minimum amount, he spotted a rather familiar face, although one he'd only seen once before in passing.

"Noooo!" The Goddess Loki cried out. "That was the last one!"

"Give it up, Loki," the green haired elf beside the crying goddess said. "We aren't here for that any way."

However, the goddess refused to be denied and immediately walked up to Caster.

"Hey, hey, please let me buy it instead?" Loki begged Caster, causing the king to raise an eyebrow in surprise. "I'll get Riveria to pay you double…no triple its price for it!"

"Denied!" The elf shut down her goddess with impunity and grabbed her by the back of the shirt. "My apologies. Please go about the rest of your day."

"Nooooo! Mama! I want it! Mama!"

"Who are you calling 'Mama!?'"

As the elf dragged her crying and whining child (goddess) away, Caster weighed his options.

Certainly, there could be a benefit in being owed a favor from a Goddess of a more powerful Familia and it wasn't as though he was going to do more than sample this failure anyway. Just the fact that it was a failure meant that it didn't deserve a place in his treasury, however it tasted. And if not a favor then perhaps more concrete information or a different perspective than what that Supporter provided…

Yes…that would do…

"I do not mind," Caster spoke aloud for the first time since entering the store, causing Riveria to pause and Loki to look helpful. "I was not planning to drink more than to sample this failure anyway…"

"Oh really?" Loki asked as she squirmed out of Riveria's grip. "So what's the catch?"

"You purchase it and I will take a portion of it," Caster said. "The rest will be yours."

Caster held up a bottle that was much smaller than the jar of Soma he was holding. It would probably only fill five glasses at best.

"However, I would also want the opportunity to chat with such a powerful goddess such as yourself. Over a drink perhaps?"

"Hahaha, I like ya," Loki said wrapping her arm around Caster as if he was an old friend. "Still, ya hafta be some big shot if you were ready to shill out sixty grand just for a few sips of Soma Wine, even if it's just a failure. Where'd ya come from? I'd say you'd be some merchant or something but ya got the grace on ya back. Which Familia do you belong to?"

"One you know rather well," Caster said with a smirk as Loki opened her eyes and blinked.

She then let out another loud scream at Caster's answer.

X-x-X-x-X

At a private location a few blocks away, a goddess and a king were sharing a drink while an exasperated elf princess watched.

"I can't believe you're part of that chibi's Familia…" Loki muttered as Caster poured out enough Soma to fill his bottle before Loki filled up a small glass for herself. "Certainly explains how she could afford that dress the other day. So why'd you join her anyway?"

"There was no particularly deep motive," Caster admitted as he poured himself some Soma from his bottle. "A Familia is required to take in everything this city had to offer. She was merely the first Goddess I came across."

"Tch…that's chibi's getting lucky lately," Loki growled as she downed the glass of Soma and her face brightened instantly. "Puhaaa! That's the stuff! Oh right…completely forgot."

She then refilled her glass and held it up to Caster who let out an amused huff from his nose and clinked his glass against hers.

He then swirled the glass of amber liquid in front of him, taking in its scent before taking a sip.

"I see…" he said before setting it down with a frown. "So that's how it is."

"Hohoh," Loki noted as she too a good gulp before setting her glass down. "Not even a bead of sweat. In fact, I'd say you're thinking it's not good enough for ya."

"It is, after all, a failure," Caster admitted. "By that label alone it is unworthy to be enjoyed by one such as myself. However…" he then brought the glass to his lips again and finished every last drop of wine. "It would be rude to the lady who purchased it if I did drink it."

"It is no problem," Riveria said with a sigh. "I apologize for you to have to see our goddess act in such a way."

"You need not worry yourself. Unfortunately, the goddess of the Familia is the same."

"So? Whatcha wanna talk about Goldy?" Loki asked, ignoring their jibes at her. "Thinking of asking Aiz out? Cuz that's a no."

"The Sword Princess?" Caster asked with a raised eyebrow. "Certainly her beauty shines above the masses but I have little interest in single-minded children."

"Hah? Ya saying my Aiz ain't good enough for ya?"

"Loki…are you trying to turn him away from Aiz or push her onto him?" Riveria asked with a sigh.

"Moving on…" Caster said as he closed his eyes, slightly regretting his decision to talk to the Trickster Goddess. "Trouble has ran into my path and limped away with broken bones and broken spirits and I am in need of some information of how to deal with it."

"Oh? What kind of trouble?" Loki asked, curiosity peaked.

Caster answered by flicking his finger against the jar, causing its contents to wobble a bit.

"Ahh…" Loki nodded in understanding. "Got shaken down by a bunch of idiots looking for a rich wallet?"

"Not me, but a retainer that I had paid for their good work," Caster replied. "She was caught on the way home and was nearly robbed of her reward when I happened upon them."

"Hoh? A few days old Baby Level 1 took on some drunkards from Soma Familia?" Loki asked, sounding more interested. "And you don't even have a scratch on ya from the sounds of it. What's your secret?"

"The secret is as obvious as the difference between a masterly crafted castle and a peasant's hovel," Caster said, waving off the question. "My retainer was able to explain what she knew and I have a good understanding of the internal politics of the Soma Familia. Thus, to understand the desperation of those mongrels, I attempted to secure a taste of the Soma for myself. However…" He pushed against the empty wine glass with his finger and it feel over onto the table and rolled around for a moment. "This failure does nothing to further my understanding of it."

"It can't be helped after all," Loki shrugged. "It's not nearly as potent as the real stuff and you got a good proper head on your shoulders. You ain't even seein' the tiniest fraction of what those drunken bums are seein'."

"This is true…" Caster admitted with a frown. "Is this line of investigation a dead end then?"

"Well, tell me what ya know and I'll see if I can't fill in any blanks for ya," Loki offered. "I kinda like ya so I'll even do it for free!"

Caster shook his head for a moment before repeating what he had learned from Lily to Loki.

"Hmm…I see I see…" Loki nodded. "Ya got most of the details I know down already except anything concrete about ol' Soma himself sounds like."

"So it seems," Caster nodded.

"What your little worker said is pretty much right. Soma don't care nothing about anything that doesn't involve making his wine. I wandered into the middle of his Familia to get my hands on the real stuff and it was the darnedest thing."

Caster shot a glance at Riveria who had buried her head into her hands at the thought of her goddess wandering into the middle of another god's territory and even barging into the Familia home without invitation.

"There wasn't anyone there ta stop me," Loki said. "Like no one. Everyone was gone and the only one inside was ol Soma himself. Thanks to that prize of his, giving a taste of the real Soma to people who bring in enough cash. It ain't like this thing," Loki poked the jar like Caster had done. "It takes ya. Like it grabs ya by the very soul. None of the Familia members help with the makin' of the wine. It's all Soma himself. Nothing bad goes in it like drugs or the like. Ya mind's still your own but everything else? Right out ta door. Not even any withdrawal symptoms once the stuff wears off. The addiction ain't strong and doesn't last very long either. The bigshots in the Familia drink even better stuff then the rest and they're completely functional. The problem is that-"

"Is that there are too many fools that lose themselves to it," Caster finished for her and Loki nodded. "Before the addiction wears off completely."

"Righto," Loki nodded. "It's all that Soma idiot's fault for not bothering to control his Familia properly after all. He's too obsessed with his hobby."

"There is no problem with that," Caster shrugged as Loki raised an eyebrow. "It is in his nature, and by extension, the nature of all gods to devote themselves to what they are known for. It would be far more worrisome if he did not, just like it would be worrisome if Goddess Hestia did nothing to care for her home or if you did not play the fool to the expense of those around you. Even if the Gods have sealed away most of their power to live and walk amongst the mortal races, such things are an integral part of your existence. That is what it means to rule over an aspect as a god."

"Hahaha! I knew I like'd ya!" Loki said, reaching over the table and thumping Caster on the shoulder. "You really get us dontcha?"

"I have been told that my only talents are appraising humans, gods…and alchohol."

"Smart one whoever told ya that," Loki said before sitting back down. "Let me ask ya something. You now what happens when a buncha donkeys have a carrot hung in front of them just always outta reach?"

"They will trample over each other to reach it," Caster answered. "And once they are done, they will take the carrots of the weaker ones."

"Ya got it," Loki nodded, clapping her hands once. "There are only carrots hanging around that familia of jackasses. Nothing's gonna stop them so long as that keeps going. But say…what happens when there's one donkey that keeps on gettin' up no matter how many times it's kicked down? A smarter one than the rest of the jackasses? One that's smart enough to draw sympathy from a different master? Ya think he'll realize how many carrots are left in his garden before its too late?"

Caster said nothing as a golden portal shimmered beside him and he tossed the bottle of Soma wine in it before reaching in and pulling out another bottle.

"As I suspected, it is worrisome when you no decide to no longer play the fool," Caster said as he placed the golden bottle filled with colorless liquid in front of Loki. "A god's warning is to be taken seriously. This is my gratitude for that and your time. Accept it."

"Hey, no need ta tell me twice!" Loki cheered, throwing her arms up in the air. She then quickly poured herself a glass of the new wine. "And no worries, I gotta chat with a golden hunk like you so it's all good. Though I still like my girls more."

She brought the cup to her lips and froze, eyes wide open. Her cheeks suddenly expanded as she clasped both hands over her mouth in shock.

"Loki!?" Riveria asked in concern and was about to wheel on Caster before Loki held up a hand to stop her before she managed to swallow the wine.

"Hey…" Loki said, eyes slightly open as she turned her head to Caster who had stood up and was heading toward the exit. "Where'd you get this stuff?"

"All the treasures of this world belong to the king," Caster said as he walked past Riveria without concern. "Be they wines or swords, only the absolute best belong in my treasury. You need not return the bottle when you are finished."

And with that, Caster left the room, his footsteps echoing as he descended the staircase.

"Loki…are you sure you are all right?" Riveria asked.

"Yeah," Loki nodded as she poured herself another glass of Caster's wine but didn't down it like the previous glass but instead swirled it in front of her taking in its odor. "I was just surprised at the quality is all. Almost spat it out but I sure as heck couldn't waste something like that. If I did, I would have probably tried to lick it off ta ground if you don't stop me."

"What do you mean?" Riveria asked as Loki slowly drained the glass, emptying every last drop.

"I ain't tasted wine like that in a long time," Loki said with an uncharacteristic smile. "Not for a very, very long time."

Riveria remained confused as Loki leaned back in her chair and looked out the widow just in time to see Caster walking down the street.

"Ya picked up a fun one didn't ya, Hestia?" She asked with a laugh.

X-x-X-x-X

"Drink."

The moment Caster returned to the Church, Bell saw him place a bottle in front of Lily as well as a glass to pour it in.

"W-what is it?" Lily asked.

"Soma wine."

At that, Lily stiffened and backed away from the bottle as if it was some venomous snake.

"Well, it's a failure though," Caster shrugged as he gestured toward the wine and looked at Bell. Understanding his Captain's order, Bell picked up the bottle and uncorked it.

"Wow…that smells really nice…" Bell commentated as he poured some into the glass on the table. "Though I don't know much about wine and the like in the first place since I'm underage."

Once he finished pouring, he stepped back, bottle still in hand so that only the glass was on the table for Lily to see.

"That's an order," Caster said again. "Drink. It is but a failure so if you lose your soul to it like the rest of the rabble in your Familia, we will end our association here."

"Eh!?" Bell shouted. "But that isn't what you said last night! I thought we were helping Lily!"

"This is helping her," Caster said. "However, she must overcome this trial regardless. Soma cares nothing for his Familia except as pursestrings for his hobby due to the fact that all who drink it become enslaved to the taste. In order for her words to be heard, Arde must overcome it through her own will. If you cannot even overcome this failure then your fate is sealed."

Lily's face switched from fear to determination as she crawled forward off the bed and sat down at the small table, staring a the innocent looking glass as if it was the highest mountain in the world she had to climb over.

"Lily will do it!" She said as she grasped the glass with shaking hands. "Lily will not waste this chance Lord Caster has given her!"

"Good," Caster nodded as the glass moved closer to Lily's lips before its contents fell down her throat.

Near silence reigned in the room as Bell and Archer moved closer in worry while Caster remained on the couch as Lily's tiny gulps seemed to sound like cannons.

Finally she placed the glass down on the table and shivered, holding onto the edge of the table for support.

"Lily understands now…" she muttered as she stared at the glass. "The wine is amazing…and all of them in Lily's Familia drank the real one…"

Archer raised a brow as he took the bottle from Bell. He looked toward Caster who inclined his head a bit before Archer poured himself a glass.

"I see…" the bowman nodded. "It's so sweet it numbs the tongue a bit…and the aftertaste is…invigorating. I'm both surprised and impressed that you haven't fallen unconscious Lily."

"Lily can't," she said, breath filled with determination. "Lily will not lose to some drink!"

"Good," Caster said again as he nodded with approval before bringing out a golden bottle and filling her empty glass with a clear liquid. "Wash out that failure wine from your mouth with this."

Lily nodded as she accepted the drink without second thought.

When she took a sip, her eyes shot wide open as she looked at the glass with amazement.

"What is this?" She asked happily. "It's amazing!"

She then carefully drank the rest of it without spilling a single drop.

"It is the finest of the wine in my treasury," Caster said, causing Lily to freeze in place. "Drink it with pride and care."

"T-t-t-t-t-this is wasted on Lily…" Lily said, shaking even more than when she was drinking the Soma wine as tears filled her eyes like she felt she had just accepted a luxury far beyond anything her life was worth.

"Are you questioning the King's judgement?"

"N-never!" She said quickly.

"Good," Caster nodded as he pulled out another item from the space behind him and placed it on the table between them. "Tell me. Are there any mages in your Familia?"

"Mages?" Lily repeated. "No. Lily has never heard of one. They do carry magic swords like the one that Raccoon used against you the other night, Lord Caster."

"As expected, they're all mongrels," Caster sighed in disgust. "But that works in your favor. Accept that ring."

Lily nodded as she picked up the ring. It looked like a simple band but considering who it belonged to, there was no way it was just a mere piece of jewelry.

"Do not be so worried," Caster said. "That thing is merely a parlor trick, not unlike your little disguise magic. Put it on and you shall become invisible to anyone without magic power. A perfect tool for a thief such as yourself, is it not?"

"Why would Lord Caster give a thief like Lily such a thing?" Lily asked, not bothering to deny it.

"Because everyone in this room can see through it," Caster said simply. "It is highly unlikely that the Gods will be fooled either. As I said, it is a mere parlor trick after all. One that I found amusing at one point in my youth. I have more powerful treasures in my treasury than that so it is no loss to me and more fit in the hands of a confused child such as yourself. Accept it."

"Y-yes! Lily will treasure it!" Lily nodded.

"If you're giving her that then…" Archer began as Caster nodded.

"It will not do for a promise to go unkept," Caster said. "The two of you said you would take her to Monsterphilia and have her show you around. Take the time to yourself until Goddess Hestia returns. Once she returns, she will decide if we are to continue helping her."

"I see…" Bell said as Lily put the ring on her finger and covered it with a glove. "This way she can hide from her Familia even if we can't keep helping her. You're amazing, Your Majesty."

"Telling me what I already know is not praise, boy," Caster said with a laugh. "But I will accept it nonetheless."

"You coming along?" Archer asked.

"As riveting as it would be to herd you around, I have business in the morning to attend to and then I will enjoy the festivities my own way," Caster shrugged before a sneer appeared on his face. "Unless you are all helpless without your king to guide you?"

"As if," Archer scoffed. "I'll get dinner started then. Anything you want to eat, Lily?"

"Lily would not say no to those stuffed cabbages again," Lily said happily.

"Oh by the way Lily," Bell began as Archer nodded and started rummaging through the pantry. "If…no…when you get released from your Familia, what are you going to do? Are you going to find a different Familia or are you going to live as a regular citizen?"

"Eh? Ahh…Lily…hasn't thought that far," Lily admitted.

"Well, if you aren't sure I'd love it if you joined our Familia," Bell said with a smile. "I mean, we only have this tiny basement room now but we have enough money for a bigger home once we find a place…though if you don't want anything to do with Adventurers and the dungeon after this i'd totally understand but…if we can still keep in contact after it'd make me happy."

Lily stared at Bell while Caster chuckled quietly as the boy ran his mouth.

"Lily…Lily will think about it carefully," she replied.

"Oh…okay, take your time," Bell said, looking slightly disappointed that she didn't say yes immediately but remained hopeful all the same. "We'll be waiting with open arms all the same."

"Thank you, Master Bell," Lily said with a toothy smile.


	6. New Legend

**Chapter 6: Path of a Hero**

Come morning, Caster was gone as usual.

"He's probably meeting with a real estate agent or something," Archer pointed out. "Or gone to pick up Lady Hestia. She said she would be back by today, right?"

"Oh that's right," Bell said with a nod. "Should we go wait for them at Babel first?"

"She might not even be there," Archer said. "Besides…" he placed a hand on the tiny Lily's head who wriggled a bit under it. "Today is Lily's day after all."

"M-Master Archer, that tickles…" Lily said, having used her magic to turn back into a Chienthrope to add another layer of disguise.

"I guess you're right," Bell said with a laugh. "Come on, let's go!"

"Yes!" Lily nodded. "Lily will be happy to see the afternoon sun again after two days."

"Sorry about that," Archer said with a wry smile as they climbed the staircase.

"Lily understands. It is to keep Lily safe after all. But it smelled of men the entire time Lily was in there."

"I'm sorry…" Bell apologized with a small laugh.

They exited the church and Lily stretched her arms out, taking in the open morning air after a long while.

"Monsterphilia is a big festival," Lily explained as they walked down the street. "The entire city gets into it and lots of stands pop up to sell food and souvenirs. But the main attraction is in the stadium. There, Ganesha Familia puts on a show to tame monsters."

"Taming monsters?" Bell asked. "Is that even possible?"

"Yes," Lily nodded. "But Lily heard that it is very difficult and you need the Tamer skill to do so. Ganesha family have a lot of Tamers and monsters that they use to help fight in the dungeon and other places too."

"Heh…that's sounds amazing."

"And the stadium is where they do it in front of an audience?" Archer asked.

"Yes," Lily nodded. "Lily never had the chance to see it herself, but she has heard that it is very popular even though monsters are dangerous and scary."

"I see," Archer nodded. "It's like a circus attraction."

"Yes."

"I kinda wanna see it," Bell said with a smile. "How about we make our way there?"

Since neither of the other two had any concrete plans either way, they agreed.

Even though it was still early, the streets were already crowded and filled with both tourists and locals with everyone scrambling to buy things from the various stands around them. Archer, being the tallest and strongest of the three, kept his hands on both of them as they pushed their way through the crowd. He kept Lily as close to him as possible as she was invisible to practically everyone around them.

"The ring really works…" Lily said after she had jumped around and made faces in front of the owner of a potato puff stand while Archer was buying from him. "Lily admits she was skeptical but…"

"Don't let Caster hear you say that or he'd be really mad…" Bell said seriously as Lily nodded her head quickly.

"Still…it's going to take some time making our way through this crowd…" Archer noted, a bag of potato puffs in his arm while using a free hand to snack on one himself. "Did people stay up all night to get seats I wonder?"

"Do not worry, Master Archer," Lily said as she reached into the bag for a potato puff when he offered it to her. "The taming events go on all day and well into the night. We will have plenty of opportunity to watch it."

"That's good," Bell said with a smile. "I would really hate to miss it. Hmm?"

Bell suddenly turned his head to the side just as Archer did when-

"Beeelllllll!" A tiny white clothed goddess jumped out from an alleyway and into Bell's arms.

"Dowah!? Goddess!?"

"Ahh Bell, it's been so long since I've seen you," Hestia said as she hugged him tightly, pressing her body against him. "It makes all that work worth it in the end!"

"This is…Goddess Hestia?" Lily asked, looking up at Archer who had a rather complicated smile on his face. "Ahh…"

"Hmm? Who is this?" Hestia asked, noticing Lily after peeking around Bell and looking directly at Lily, confirming Caster's prediction that the ring's effect was useless in front of a God.

"Ah, pleased to meet you Lady Hestia," Lily greeted with a bow. "L-…I am Liliruca Arde."

"Lily joined us as a supporter in the Dungeon," Bell explained. "But she got caught up in some trouble so Caster is helping her out by hiding her with us for the time being."

"Caster?" Hestia repeated. "Caster. Our Caster? Mister High-and-Mighty-and-Arrogant-With-a-Stick-Up-His-Butt King Caster?"

"Yes…" Bell nodded with a wry smile, unsure whether he should laugh or not.

"Hmm…does that mean you're someone special to him or does it mean that you got big problems tagging along?" Hestia said as she released Bell and examined Lily.

"Definitely the second Lady Hestia…" Lily replied seriously.

"Hmm…" Hestia let out another hum as she looked around. "Then, let's stop by over at that park so you can tell me the details."

Though it was called a park, there wasn't much greenery around it. Just a large fountain and a few trees and benches. It was the perfect place for people to relax or meet up with each other.

Hestia, Lily and Bell sat on one of the benches while Archer stood behind them with his back resting against the back of the bench as Bell and Lily explained what was going on.

"Soma huh…" Hestia sighed. "I never really talked to him much but when I was living with Hephaistos I overheard her children complain about his Familia a lot."

"Yes, they are most likely all true," Lily nodded. "That's why Lily wants to leave. Lily can't take it there anymore."

"Hmm…well it sounds like Caster put a lot of effort into this already," Hestia said. "So you boys keep at it. I don't want all of your work to be for nothing."

"Thank you very much, Goddess!" Bell said, bowing to her in gratitude to which Lily followed up.

"No worries. But Miss Supporter?"

"Yes, Goddess Hestia?" Lily asked.

"I really would like it if you joined our Familia after you leave Soma's," Hestia said with a smile. "After all. Only an idiot would go after you again with Caster looking over your shoulder, right?"

"Yes, Lily thinks so too," Lily said with a smile.

Behind them, Archer had a smile on his face, glad that things were going well before he suddenly pushed himself off the bench, his body completely tensed.

"Archer?" Hestia asked as Bell also looked around. "Bell? What's wrong?"

"…I thought I heard a scream?" Bell replied.

No sooner did he say that did someone shout out "MONSTER!"

At that moment, there was a crash as several stands and crates were smashed, revealing a four legged monster with massive antlers that were sharp as blades.

"A sword stag!?" Lily gasped just as Archer launched himself forward without a second though.

"Archer!?" Bell shouted after him as a pair of blades appeared in Archer's hands. The blades shot forward like arrows and planted themselves in the ground where the chains that were probably keeping the monster secure was lying.

The blades locked the chains into place just as it tried to jump, causing it to fall back onto the ground with a loud crash. Taking the opportunity, Archer landed by the beast's side and a large two handed sword appeared in his hands which he brought down on the beast's neck, severing it clean from the rest of its body.

"Wow…" Lily said as the crowd began cheering. "Lily knew Master Archer was strong but…"

Bell nodded, his eyes shining in awe at Archer as he dismissed his blades and looked at the city. A fire inside Bell renewed its heat. He wanted to be of use to this person. He wanted to be someone that can stand beside this person. He wanted to be a hero like this person.

"Master," Archer said, catching Bell's attention. "It sounds like there are more that have escaped into the city. I want to go help but…"

"Don't worry," Bell nodded. There was no way he was going to keep a Hero from saving people. "Go after them. I'll get Lily and Goddess to safety."

"Sorry and thanks," Archer nodded before he leaped up from the street onto a nearby building and started making his way to the source of the commotion.

"We should get out of here," Bell said as he took Lily and Hestia by their hands.

"Yes!" Lily nodded. "Lily isn't sure if the ring protects Lily form Monsters but Lily has no desire to check right now!"

"Ahh~ Bell is holding my hand~" Hestia said happily as he pulled the two of them down the street.

"Now is not the time for that!" Lily retorted.

No sooner did she say that then another monster crash down just in front of them.

This one was much larger and bulkier than the sword stag from before. It stood on two legs but used its massive arms to support its equally massive body.

"S-silverback!?" Lily breathed, tears forming in her eyes.

People around them were screaming and running away as the silverback roared.

"Master Bell, that monster is from the Eleventh Floor! We have to run!"

"R-right!" Bell nodded before leading the other two the opposite way. There was another crash and Bell took the chance to look behind him only to pale. "It's chasing us!"

Lily and Hestia turned around to look as well, only to scream as the monster was slowly gaining on them. Bell looked back and forth between the two of them before making a decision.

"Sorry you two!" He shouted as he scooped Hestia with his left arm and Lily in his right, causing both of them to squeal in shock and ran as fast as he could down the street, holding Hestia over his shoulder like a sack while keeping grip on Lily under his arm like a stack of books.

"This isn't romantic at all!" Hestia shouted only to scream when she saw the silver back leap over them and cut them off.

"Master Bell, turn left!" Lily shouted, pointing at an alley. Bell did and they slipped into the alley just as the silverback crashed into the walls behind them, its body being too big to fit into it.

"Waaahhhahaha!" Hestia cried as they ran through the alley. "Where is Caster when you need him?"

"Master Bell, watch out!" Lily's call came a bit too late.

Just as they were about to reach an exit, a large chain slammed the area in front of Bell. Thankfully it didn't hit any of them but the force sent Bell flying…and made him lose his grip on Lily.

"Lily!" Bell screamed as she landed right in front of the silverback.

Lily looked up at the monster in fear before curling up and praying that it wouldn't be too painful only for the blow to never come. Instead, the monster sniffed at her once before ignoring her completely and leaped after Hestia and Bell.

"Lily…is not dead?" Lily asked herself, completely amazed. "…Lily didn't want to die?"

She then looked down at her hands. Did the ring work and save her? Or did it just not care about her?

There was a scream and Lily looked up.

"Master Bell, run!" Lily called out as the monster landed in front of them but Bell managed to run around it before it could swipe at him.

"I can't just leave you!" He shouted back.

"Lily will be fine!" She said. "It's ignorning Lily! Just run!"

Bell shot her a pained look before taking off, with the Silverback hot on his tail.

Lily tried to stand up but a sharp pain in her leg forced her back down onto the ground. Looking down, she saw that her ankle was a bit swollen.

Lily reached inside her cloak and pulled out a small potion from her pocket. Draining it quickly, she felt the pain in her leg vanish as she stood back up, using the wall for support.

"What should Lily do? What should Lily do?"

Should she try to find Caster? But she had no idea where he was. Should she try to chase after Bell and Hestia? But then what could she do to help when she didn't have any weapons?

"Useless!" She screamed as she pounded her hand against the wall. "Lily is always useless!"

The Hestia Familia was doing their best to keep her safe and help her and she couldn't do anything. Bell had said that Caster and Archer were spirits that had contracted with him. If Bell were to get killed…what would happen to them? Would they disappear?

Lily couldn't let that happen. Not just for her own sake, but the Goddess's sake too.

"Lily…Lily needs to do something!"

"Good words."

"Huh?"

Lily turned around and felt a hand on her head. Standing behind her was Caster, wearing an approving smile as he picked her up in one arm.

"Lord Caster!" Lily said, relief and happiness filling her body. "Hurry! Master Bell and Lady Hestia are in danger!"

"Do not worry about them, Arde," Caster said as he picked her up in one arm and leaped up onto the rooftops. "They will be fine. Or the name of Hephaistos will no longer be worth anything."

"What do you mean?" Lily asked as Caster hopped from roof to roof with surprising grace.

"Do you want to see it, Arde?" Caster asked, a rather feral smile appearing on his face. "The first steps of a new hero?"

X-x-X-x-X

Standing on one of the tall columns that lined the city as lookout points, Archer held a black bow in his hands alongside an equally pitch black coiled sword. In his eyes, he saw several monsters wandering around near the stadium, although he had no idea what they were. Nonetheless, he nocked the sword in his bow and the blade coiled up even more.

Before he could shoot it though, a gold and green blur swept across the monsters and blood spilled out of them.

"That's…the Sword Princess…" he muttered as he relaxed his stance. "Pretty fast. So that's a level 5 then?"

Seeing as that area was taken care of, he looked around for other targets.

"Was that all of them?" He wondered only to spin around as a cloud of smoke and rubble erupted in the distance. "Damn."

Leaping off his perch, he hopped from rooftop to rooftop until he could get a look at what was going on. There, he saw a pair of dark skinned women…Amazons…punching down a strange green monster that was sprouting from the ground only to jump back and shake their hands in pain. It seemed as though its hide was rather strong. There was a third girl standing a bit further away, her arms held out toward the monster as the Amazons were distracting it. A mage of some sorts…?

Suddenly, the monster turned its head toward the mage and the next instant, another green monster sprouted up and stabbed her in the side, sending he flying in the air.

Archer clicked his tongue as he bursted forward, catching the girl as she fell out of the air and landing hard on some crates.

"Oi, are you all right?" He asked but the girl looked like she was just barely keeping conscious.

"Hey! Who are you!?" One of the Amazons shouted at him only for the ground to rumble as the head of the monster opened up, revealing a large flower with many many teeth.

"Did it bloom?" The Amazon dressed in red gasped.

"It was a flower, not a snake!?" The yellow dressed Amazon shouted. "Hey you! Get Lefiya out of there!"

Archer nodded as he jumped away from the plant monster to land on a roof, only for the roof to explode open and reveal another plant monster.

"Damn!" Archer grunted as two more monsters sprouted beside it.

Then, he felt himself be blasted out of the air away from the flower heads. Bringing the girl closer to his chest, he managed to land on a different roof just as the Sword Princess landed in front of him.

"Sorry," Archer said. "Thanks for the save."

"It's fine," she replied. "Thank you for protecting Lefiya."

"A-Ais…" the girl, who Archer realized was an Elf, managed to croak out.

"Please look after her," Ais said as she jumped back into the fray.

"Wait!" Archer called out. "That sword is-"

But before he could finish, Ais struck one of the plant monsters and severed its head…only for the sword to shatter as well…

"Damn…" Archer cursed again as several vines like the one that struck Lefiya started sprouting all around the street.

It was clear to Archer that that wasn't a sword the Sword Princess was used to using. Or rather, it was the first time she really seriously used it if it shattered so easily.

He carefully set Lefiya down on the roof and stood in front of her as he watched the three women struggle against the plants without any weapons.

"Blunt attacks aren't working…" he muttered as he noted as the Amazons' attacks were not doing anything. Even a magic powered strike with the pommel of the blade didn't do anything more than knock it down for a moment before it went right back to chasing her, completely ignoring Archer, Lefiya and the two Amazons.

"I get it!" The red Amazon shouted. "Ais! It's attracted to your magic!"

Once the Amazon said that, Ais started pulling away from the roof Archer and Lefiya were on…only to end up in the same area as-

Archer noticed just a bit before Ais did and he reinforced his body and launched himself off the roof. He reached his target just before Ais did and held his hand out in the direction of the incoming woman and monster plant. The moment Ais slipped past his hand, he poured his magic out.

"_The Seven Rings that Cover the Fiery Heavens_: RHO AIAS!"

A large shield made from magic energy formed in front of his hand, taking the shape of a pink flower that shout out six rings of pure light in front of it. The plant monsters crashed into the ring and were sent flying back as Archer felt a sharp pain run through his arm. Behind him he saw Ais grab a Chienthrope child that had been cowering behind a crate and leap to safety, prompting him to do the same.

"Sword Princess!" Archer shouted as he channeled his energy in his hand and formed an exact copy of the sword she had been using. "Trade!"

He threw the blade at her as she released her grip on the girl, allowing Archer to grab her before she started falling. Archer landed with the girl in his arms and looked down at her with a smile while she glanced at him with tears in her eyes.

"Are you okay?" He asked and she timidly nodded her head. "That's good."

There was a flash of light shining from the monster and when it died down, it was suddenly encased in ice.

"Ahh…and I ran all the way here for nothing," came a voice beside him.

Archer turned around and found the Goddess Loki standing there, leaning on a wall for support with one hand and a blade in the other.

"Goddess Loki," Archer said as Loki smiled at him.

"Sup Hero?" Loki greeted with a cheerful smile as the amazons shattered half the monster with a powerful combined kick while Ais destroyed the rest with the sword Archer gave her.

"I see…so that's your Familia," Archer said as he set the girl down and placed a hand on her head.

"Yeppers, wanna meet them properly?" Loki asked.

"Mister Archer!"

Archer turned around and saw Eina running up to them.

"Eina Tulle…"

"What are you doing here?" She asked before looking down and seeing the girl. "Oh dear, are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine," she said, clinging onto Archer's leg.

"Looks like you got a fan, Red Man," Loki said, elbowing Archer in the side. "Hey Miss Guildy, think you can look after the kid? I wanna talk to this guy for a bit."

"Of course, Lady Loki," Eina nodded as she crouched down to the girl. "Come on, I'll help you find your parents."

With the child taken care off, Archer was dragged by Loki to the other girls.

Once they were there, Archer noticed that the elf girl from earlier, Lefiya, was up on her feet despite her wound. It seems like she was the one who casted the spell from earlier.

Before anyone could say anything, Archer quickly lowered his head in a bow to Lefiya.

"My apologies," he said to everyone's surprise. "I heard from one of my seniors that Elves did not like being touched by strangers."

"An no, it's okay," Lefiya said quickly. "You helped me after all."

"Yeah no need to worry about things like that when people are in danger," the Amazon in yellow said patting Archer on the back. "You're pretty quick on your feet aren't you? What's your name and what Familia are you from?"

"I go by Archer…" Archer replied before glancing at Loki who cocked a brow in confusion. "And I'm not sure if I should say the name of my Familia in front of your goddess."

"Hmm? Why not?" Loki asked before blinking a bit. "Wait…don't tell me…you're from that chibi Hestia's Familia too?"

"Yes."

"Gahh! First Goldy then this one too!?" Loki shouted as the other stared at her in confusion before Ais walked over and held out the sword to Archer.

"Thank you," she said. "It was helpful."

"No problem," he said as he reached out for it and took it from her before it dissolved in his hands.

Loki and her Familia members froze as the the particles of magic slowly drifted to the ground before Ais started shaking and her eyes turned rather dull in fear and worry.

"I'm sorry…" she said quietly. "I'll pay you back for it…"

"Pay?" Archer repeated before he held a hand to his mouth in a laugh. "No, don't worry about it."

"But that looked just like Ais other sword," The yellow Amazon said. "Wasn't it worth Forty Mil-"

But she was quickly quieted by the other Amazon who slapped her hand over her mouth.

"No, really, it's fine," Archer said as he held his hands out again and projected two more identical copies of the same sword. "They're actually just cheap throwaway copies that I can create in an instant."

"Wait…so you can just make swords whenever you want?" The yellow Amazon asked, pulling the hand off her mouth.

"Yes," Archer nodded as the blades vanished as well.

She stared at him for another second before jumping away from the other Amazon and planting herself right in front of Archer before grabbing his hands and shaking them.

"Hi, I'm Tiona, let's be friends," she said, introducing herself to him.

"Huh?" Archer looked at the Amazon in confusion. "Uh…okay?"

"Great! And since we're now friends let me show you my Urga and see if you can't make me copies of that too! Bufwa!"

She was stopped as the other Amazon chopped her on the head.

"Don't bother him like that," she said with a sigh. "I'm Tione Hiryute. This idiot's sister."

"Ais Wallenstein," Ais said, looking slightly relieved she didn't have to pay forty million valis and putting herself further into debt. She then leaned in a bit closer to him. "Hmm?"

"Yes?"

"No…never mind. It's nothing."

"Umm…and I'm Lefiya Viridis, thank you again for helping me!" The elf girl said with a bow.

"No…I'm sorry I couldn't do anything before you got hurt," Archer said as he scratched his head.

"No worries, she'll be fine after a little rest," Loki said as she slapped his back. "No need to be so hard on yerself. Not like we've ever seen these things up here before. By the way, did you girls get them all?"

"No," Ais said, shaking her head. "I didn't see a Silverback."

"Hmm…that's no good," Loki said as she tossed Ais the blade she was holding. "Go find it before something else happens."

"Yes."

And with that, she took off.

"Now then tall, dark and swordy," Loki began, leaning on his arm. "First it was Caster and now Archer but those aren't yer real names right? This some sort of play that Hestia's got you doing?"

"It is not," Archer replied.

"Heh, so you're just following a theme yourself then? Well, I wanna thank ya for helping my girls out. Wanna come visit us for a bit? You can bring Goldy along with you."

"…I do not think Lady Hestia will let us," Archer said honestly.

"Oh come on, it's not like I'm after your inbuilt sword printing press or Goldy's wine."

Archer and the girls stared at Loki with suspicious eyes.

"What? I'm not. Honest! Scouts Honor!"

"I'm afraid I will have to decline," Archer said. "I need to make sure my Familia members are safe." He then turned to the others. "Stay safe ladies."

Then, reinforcing his legs once more, Archer leaped up to the rooftops and made his way back toward the area where he left the others.

X-x-X-x-X

"And there he goes…" Loki said with a sigh. "Come on guys, why didn't ya back me up?"

"Well…I kinda wanted to but…" Tiona admitted before flinching from her sister as she raised her hand up again.

"I don't think it would be right to try and take him from his Familia right after he helped us," Lefiya said just as Eina came running back.

"Huh? Mister Archer already left?" Eina asked.

"Yeah, said he was looking for his other Familia members," Loki said.

"I see…" Eina said. "Thank you for looking after him. He must have been in over his head."

"Not really," Tiona said. "He was really calm and knew what he was doing except for that one part where more flower heads popped up. He even backed up Ais."

"Huh?" Eina was confused. "Aren't you giving him a bit too much credit? He's only a Level 1 that hasn't even been an Adventurer for a week yet."

"""Eh?"""

"Eh?"

The sisters and Lefiya gaped at Eina in surprise only for the Guild Worker to gape back at them.

"No see, they were just surprised to see him save that girl so easily," Loki said, slipping in between them. "They thought he had a little more experience under his belt than that. Guess he's just a natural born hero or something."

"I see…" Eina said with a nod. "He certainly is as reliable as he looks isn't he? Then I'll be taking my leave now, Lady Loki."

"Sure thing! Don't overwork yourself."

"Hey…Loki?" Tiona began as Eina ran off. "Was she telling the truth? That Archer guy really is only a Level 1?"

"At the very least she believes it," Loki said with a smile. "That Chibi ain't the type to lie about something like Levels either…at least not without getting busted right away."

"But that movement and his creating swords and that wall of light he put up in front of Ais," Lefiya said. "There's no way he can just be a Level 1."

"Girls, what did you see when you saw him?" Loki asked.

The three of them looked at each other before answering.

"A human male?" Lefiya asked. "One who tries to help people?"

"Someone that laughs things off easily?" Tiona added.

"And is harsh on himself?" Tione finished.

"Probably," Loki shrugged "But are you absolutely sure about that first part, Lefiya?"

"Eh?" Lefiya blinked. "But…what else could he be?"

"What indeed?" Loki asked with a smile.

X-x-X-x-X

Back over on the other side of the city, Caster and Lily were perched on a rooftop as Lily was looking down at the ground with awe, having watched Hestia quickly update Bell's status and then have him charge the Silverback with a new knife in hand.

"A-amazing…" she said as the people hiding in the houses started to cheer. "Master Bell just…defeated that Silverback in one hit."

"Of course he did," Caster said with a smile as Hestia ran toward Bell. "Monsters die in one blow if you destroy the crystal, do they not?"

"S-still, Master Bell is just a newbie right?!" Lily insisted. "That's not something anyone can just pull off."

"Exactly," Caster said, leaning in closer to Lily before backing off. "Come."

Lily grabbed onto Caster and the two hopped down just as Archer landed down beside Bell as well.

"You're late, mongrel," Caster said.

"Considering I just came from the opposite end of town, I'd say I made great time," Archer insisted.

"Ahh jeez, stop fighting you two!" Hestia shouted as she helped Bell sit up. "Grab Bell and lets go home."

"Sorry…" Bell said as Archer picked him up on his back. "I'm feeling really tired right now…and I left all my potions at home."

"Master Bell, please remember to always carry at least two potions with you even when doing things like shopping," Lily said as she walked beside them while Hestia walked in front and Caster took the rear.

"Yeah…I'll remember that…" he muttered.

"Rest now, Bell Cranel," Caster said. "You have the king's blessing. Leave the rest to your Familia."

"Yes…thank you very much."

And with that, Bell fell asleep, letting out light snores on Archer's back.

Hurrying through the city, the five of them made their way back to the church where Archer placed Bell on the bed on Hestia's orders.

"Now then…" Hestia said as she sat down on the bed next to Bell and Caster on the couch as usual with Archer against the wall and Lily on the floor next to Caster. "What did you two learn?"

"On the far side of town a strange species of monster appeared," Archer reported. "It wasn't one anything Eina mentioned in her lessons. Some kind of plant monster…it was resistant to physical attacks but magic and cutting attacks were effective. It also…dropped this."

Archer pushed himself off the wall and placed a magic stone on the table. Instead of the usual purple color that all the other stones they had collected so far had, it was a strange yellow color that was almost like a rainbow.

"Arde?" Caster asked but Lily shook her head.

"Lily has never seen a stone like this before," she replied.

"Hmm…we should probably ask the Guild about it but…" Hestia began before looking away. "I feel like we'll be getting involved in something too dangerous if we do. On the other hand…ahhh…"

Hestia scratched her head violently and shook her upper body around for a moment before stopping.

"Let's put it off!" She declared causing Lily to thump her head on the table, for Archer's knees to buckle slightly and for Caster to sink a bit deeper in the couch. "So, what about you Caster?"

"I went and investigated the cages where the monsters were let loose," Caster said, placing his gauntlet hand in front of his face. "From what the Ganesha guards believe, it seems as though the guards on standby were drugged with something before the culprit released the monsters to cause a ruckus. However…"

His hand then fell onto his face and Lily suddenly felt all the hair on her body stand on end.

"There was no drug used on those guards," Caster spoke in a low voice to the point of a growl. "There was a sickeningly sweet stench that lingered all over those cages. The stench of a Goddess of Love."

"Wait…you're saying that a goddess released those monsters?" Hestia asked.

"The monsters, while a menace, completely ignored the unconscious Ganesha Familia members that were lying around defenseless due to being 'Charmed' by the Goddess. The goddess then used that same Charm to bewitch the monsters into 'looking for something.'"

Caster then lowered his hand and turned his eyes toward Hestia who shook in surprise.

"Come to think of it, both the Sword Stag and the Silverback only attacked when you were near it," Lily pointed out. "But why would someone want to attack Lady Hestia?"

"Are there any gods or goddesses that you aren't on good terms with?" Archer asked. "Aside from Loki I mean?"

"Hmm…" Hestia folded her arms and tried to think. "I don't know. I really only ever talked with my friends up in 'Tenkai' and I don't really mingle with any other gods down here. I don't think I ever did anything for anyone to hate me that they would send a Silverback after me."

"Perhaps it wasn't Lady Hestia specifically but rather any goddess in the area?" Archer suggested. "Lady Hestia just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time?"

"Hmm…that is a possibility," Caster admitted as his frown deepened.

"Did you have another idea, Lord Caster?" Lily asked.

"…No…" Caster said after a long pause. "I do not."

"Well, let's send a complaint to the Guild about that anyway," Hestia said. "See if I can't get any compensation for being chased all across Daedalus Street by a monster from them or Ganesha. Anyway, is there anything else?"

"Well…" Archer spoke up. "There is one little thing. In my fight against the plant monsters, I cooperated with Loki Familia. The goddess herself invited me and Caster over to give her thanks."

"Me?" Caster asked as Hestia started shaking. "Ah…she's after that I see…"

"NO WAY IN HELL!" Hestia shouted, causing Bell to jerk awake.

"Who…wha?" Bell groaned as he looked around. "Oh, I'm back home."

"Moving on…" Caster sighed as he sat up. "I also have news. I received a notice from the Guild. A site for our new Familia home has been picked. We can finally leave this wretched place."

"Yes!" Hestia cheered as she jumped up. "Finally a real house to live in! Ah…but it's still kind of sad…thinking of leaving this place."

"I can see why," Archer said. "This was Bell's and your first home together after all."

"Yeah…it was only three weeks but I think I'll miss this place," Bell admitted.

"We will examine the place tomorrow," Caster said as he turned to Lily. "Afterward we will settle Arde's debt with Soma. In the meantime, you shall move in with us as well."

"Eh?" Lily gasped. "Is it really okay?"

"I am not one to do things half-heartedly," Caster said. "At this close to the end, the amount of things that can go wrong increases exponentially. Having you within sight of Archer or myself decreases the chance of failure. And I refuse to fail when I have sunk so many resources into this."

"L-Lily apologies…" Lily said, her dog ears drooping slightly.

"If you wish to show your gratitude then you must live out the life you choose afterward to the fullest. You are still a child. A child should face everything around them with their eyes full of wonder. Like that fool over there."

"T-that's mean, Your Majesty!" Bell protested. "I'm not that much of a country bumpkin!"

"…I never called you that…" Caster muttered before turning back to Lily. "You are to decide your own path. This is the King's gift to you. Until you can firmly place both feet on the ground and move forward, you may live alongside us. Once you can take the first step with confidence, then you can move forward wherever you wish with my blessing. Onward, to a new Adventure."

""Yes!""

Answering the wise king's words, were two different voices, brimming with life, youth, and determination.


	7. Strength Within

**Chapter 7: Burning Courage**

"This…this will be our home from now on?" Bell asked.

It was the morning after the disastrous Monsterphilia. Waking up early, Hestia and her Familia plus Lily arrived at the building designated by the Guild. It was a large cottage with four floors and a steel fence surrounding it. It wasn't designed with defending against a siege in mind but more for a middle rank Familia to live comfortably. It contained ten bedrooms and two large office areas spread across the second, third and fourth floors and one large communal bath on the first floor and a large kitchen connected to a dining area. There was also a small yard between the fence and the building proper. As a special feature several of the rooms were connected by a series of speaking tubes in order to quickly communicate and send announcements throughout the house.

"So they say," Caster said, looking away from the description on the side of the building. "Goddess Hestia and I will claim the rooms closest to the offices. The three of you can take decide on the rest."

"I get my own office…" Hestia said happily with stars in her eyes.

"So you're the ones who made the order?" A elderly voice called out.

An old man with a thin yet muscular body came out from inside the house.

"Oh, Goibniu!" Hestia called out. "Thanks for the hard work."

"It really is Hestia…" the old God said with disbelief. "Last I heard you were living in an abandoned basement. To think you'd be moving up in the world so quickly."

"Huhu! It's because my boys are amazing!" Hestia bragged, throwing her chest out as Bell bowed toward the Smith God.

"Well, they're rich at least," Goibniu muttered. "Everything should be as you requested. If you need something tweaked or changed, let me know and we'll redo it."

"Your fast work is appreciated, God Goibniu," Caster said. "Has the guild finalized the payment?"

"Indeed. Every last Valis was transferred last night, just as we finished. Between you and me, you're much better customers than a certain stupid Amazon."

"…Would you happen to be talking about Tiona Hiryute?" Archer asked.

"That's right," Goibniu sighed. "She's always making my smiths cry from breaking that weapon of hers and always tries to put it on her tab. All one hundred twenty million Valis. Then again, an Adventurer isn't doing their job properly if they don't make their smiths cry."

Bell and Lily let out a strangled cough at the absurd amount as the old god left, having confirmed that the job was done.

"So I'm worth that much to her, huh?" Archer mumbled wryly before leading the two kids inside.

Once inside, the five of them spent time exploring the new home, checking things like whether or not the lights would turn on or if any of the wooden boards would break without warning.

"It looks like all the rooms aside from the rooms with a connected office are the same size with the same furnishings," Archer noted when they reconvened in the dining area with him behind the kitchen counter preparing a meal. "So who is getting which office?"

"Caster, you take the bigger office," Hestia said immediately to Caster's slight surprise. "I don't really have anything to work on since I'll probably end up leaving most things to you anyway. I'll take the smaller one and turn it into a library or something."

"…Very well," Caster nodded. "I shall put it to good use."

"Thank you, my obstinate child~"

"…Do not call me that again."

Hestia simply giggled as Caster turned his head away.

"By the way, Caster," Bell spoke up. "Since we got a new place, do you think I can try calling another one? Another Servant?"

Caster raised a brow at Bell speaking about it so openly as he turned toward Lily who met his eyes once before glancing to the side.

"I see, so you told her, huh?" Caster said with a sigh. "Well no matter. However my answer shall be 'no.'"

"No good, huh?" Bell asked with a sigh.

"Naive," he said. "Even though your Magic Status is growing far faster than your other Status, it is still too early to consider it. Not only do you use your magic to anchor us to this world, you use it to fuel our prowess in battle. It is the second reason why I have had you fight alone most of the time with little assistance. If an enemy that was strong enough to force Archer into a serious fight, your body will become a corpse in a second if you had to sustain three Servants at once. Do not ask me again until you Level Up, mongrel."

"Yes!" Bell nodded, looking determined rather than let down at the refusal.

"Another Spirit huh…" Lily said. "Lily wonders what they will be like."

"I just hope they agree to join the Familia…" Hestia muttered. "I don't know what I'd do if another one like Caster shows up."

"I'm sitting right here you Goddess-in-debt," Caster growled causing Hestia to freeze up a bit.

"Goddess-in-debt?" Bell repeated.

"Just how many of my treasures do you think I had to trade in for that knife of yours mongrel?" Caster said irritably as Hestia crawled on her hands and knees toward Caster begging for his forgiveness. "As such this useless goddess will be working until she pays it back."

"…How much was it?" Archer asked, slightly fearing the answer.

"…valis…." Hestia spoke in a voice that couldn't even be called a whisper.

Although Bell couldn't hear it, Lily, with her heightened hearing thanks to her magical disguise, and Archer, who was a Servant, froze.

Bell, feeling extremely worried since the number was enough to make even Archer freeze, decided to ask again.

"Goddess?" He began, face turning blue as sweat started pouring out from his hands and the knife he was carrying suddenly felt immensely heavy. "How much was it?"

"…Two hundred Million…"

"Ah…aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh…." Bell let out a pathetic sounding scream like a dying dog before collapsing backward in his seat, falling to the floor.

"As always…just an immature brat," Caster huffed. "Well, it's not a loan I expect to see repaid for a few generations anyway. My investment has already begun to show its return anyway."

"I'll pay you back…" Hestia cried as she clung to Caster's leg. "I promise. Just don't bully Bell too much."

Caster simply shook the goddess off as she fell pathetically to the floor.

"Arde," he said and Lily snapped back to attention. "I will now tell you the plan to release you from Soma Familia."

"Y-yes…" Lily nodded with a gulp.

Then, without warning, several large bags of Valis landed in front of her.

"Lord Caster…this is…" Lily said, her body shaking at the sight in front of her.

"Ten million Valis," Caster said leaning back slightly and yet it made his voice sound so far away from Lily. "This is my investment in you. You will take it and deliver it to your god directly and ask to leave the Familia. If he refuses, ask for a drink of Soma. The true Soma. Not one of those failures. Once you drink it, steel your mind, keep your soul and ask…nay…demand once again to leave the Familia. If you fail this, it is likely we will never meet again."

Caster stood up from the table and walked around to where Lily was sitting, still petrified, and leaned in close to whisper into her ear.

"Do not disappoint me, Liliruca Arde."

"One moment he's giving you an inspirational talk and the next day he's throwing you to your doom," Archer said with a wry smile as he continued cooking. "Such is the fate of one who is an interest to the Wise King of Heroes."

"Master Archer…please save Lily…" she begged but Archer could only give her a sad face.

"Sorry, but it is out of my hands."

"Archer," Caster said, looking rather annoyed at being talked about as if he wasn't there again. "You are to go with her. Make sure she and the money reach the God properly. If something goes wrong…"

Archer and Lily stared as Caster gave the order and Lily couldn't help but feel the dread creep up on her back.

X-x-X-x-X

After lunch, Bell still hadn't woken up from his fainting spell so Archer and Lily left first. As Lily was still wearing Caster's ring, they had to move carefully as to not bump into anyone and leave them confused.

"Will Lily be okay, she wonders…" Lily mumbled as Archer placed a hand on her head.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine," Archer said. "You drank both the King's wine and that failed Soma wine with no problems. There's no way you'll lose to the real thing."

"Lily feels that if she fails she will not live to regret it after drinking Lord Caster's wine as well…" she admitted.

"If you think you'll fail then you've already lost," Archer said thumping her on the head. "Is this the place?"

"Yes…" Lily nodded as her face changed from one of fear and dread to pure loathing and disgust. "Lily feels like she would rather spit on Lord Caster's shoes then step in here again."

"Death would be better huh?" Archer sighed. "I'll be keeping watch from outside. If anything happens, I'll know right away and enact Plan B."

"Yes."

"Be careful, okay?"

"Yes…" Lily nodded again before grabbing Archer's hand before he could leave. "Master Archer…Lily…Lily has a request."

Archer listened to Lily's words before staring at the girl in shock.

"You…"

"Lily apologizes to have asked this from Master Archer…" Lily said, lowering her head. "But Lily doesn't want to show Lily's disgrace to Master Bell or Lord Caster…so please…don't let Lily be seen by them…"

And with that, Archer leaped up to the rooftops, leaving Lily alone on the street before she walked in through the doors.

Archer then moved from his position, jumping from roof to roof and getting a good idea of all the windows and entrances to the Familia Home as well as the line of sight of the watch towers…not that he had needed to. When he checked the closest one, he found a Soma Familia member who had passed out drunk lying on the ground. Nonetheless, he was able to watch Lily make it up to Soma's room unchallenged where she took off the ring and opened the door inside.

Turning his head, Archer looked at a mirror he had set up on a rooftop that gave him a clear view of the room through the open window and spotted Soma, a rather tired looking god with long and unkempt hair. Lily knelt down behind the god that was more focused on the wine in front of him than he was of her.

He watched her lower her head to offer the money and beg to be released from the Familia. But Soma didn't seem to care. From what Archer could tell from his lip movement, he had no ears for those that succumbed to his wine.

"I see…" Archer thought as he glanced back at the unconscious guard behind him.. "He's not apathetic, not really. He's just full of disappointment. Disappointment at his children for failing to rise up and surpass. Then before Lily could say anything else, Soma took a bottle off a shelf and poured it into a glass and held it out to Lily.

Whether Caster predicted it or not, Soma took the initiative himself.

His face broke into a bitter expression as Lily's request echoed in his mind.

"_If…If Lily loses herself to the Soma Wine…please…please…_"

"_Please save Lily…_"

…

"_Please kill Lily._"

"…Stay strong…Liliruca Arde…" Archer said as he nocked the sword into his bow and pulled back on the string.

X-x-X-x-X

Lily felt the same fear that crept up on her when Caster showed her the failed Soma Wine return as she picked up the glass with shaking hands.

This was it…she had to win. She had to beat the wine.

If she didn't…one way or the other…her life was over.

It was strange. She couldn't believe how her view of everything changed over the last few days. There were so many moments where she just wanted everything to end…just so she could be released from the hell she lived in. Now…she wanted to live. She wanted to walk alongside that smile gave her hope in heroes. She wanted to receive praise from the hand that stood by her side. She wanted to prove that she was worthy to follow that golden light into the future. No…not to the light, not to the smile, not to the hand…but to herself. She wanted to prove to herself that she wanted to live on.

And so…she drank the accursed wine.

X-x-X-x-X

Archer's breath hitched as he saw Lily writhe as if lightning was coursing through her body before a strange smile appeared on her face…and her tiny body fell over.

"I'm sorry…" Archer said as he pulled back the string of his bow.

But before he released the arrow, his eyes spotted the tiny body shake a bit before it slowly pushed itself upright, tears streaming from her eyes as her lips moved.

"_Please…let Lily leave the Familia…_"

The god was frozen in place. He had turned away from Lily's body in apparent resignation and disappointment before turning halfway back around when Lily pushed herself back up. At Lily's request, the god moved toward her and helped her sit up right before pulling her shirt up to reveal her back. Then….with slow movements that spoke volumes of hesitation and lack of practice, the god traced his blood on Lily's back for a few minutes before pulling her shirt down and staring out the window…right into the mirror Archer had set up and into Archer's eyes themselves.

Now exposed, Archer dismissed his weapons and hopped down from the watch tower and made his way to the window of Soma's room and slipped inside in a low crouch.

"My apologies for the rudeness…" he said to the god.

"No need," Soma said as he gestured to Lily who still seemed a bit out of it. "I leave her to you."

"…Thank you, Lord Soma," Archer said as he walked over and picked Lily up in his arms.

"Master Archer?" Lily croaked out. "Is that you?"

"Yeah," Archer answered her softly.

"Lily…Lily did it…"

"Yeah…you did. Good job."

As he headed to the door Lily suddenly stopped him as she turned her head to her former God.

"Lord Soma…?" She spoke up. "Thank you…for everything."

There was no irony or resentment in her voice. She probably just wanted to end things on a peaceful note. As it was, her Status had no symbol now meaning she was just an normal person without a god to follow.

"…I have done you wrong, Liliruca Arde," Soma said. "Take care of your health."

Lily's sleepy looking eyes opened wide as if those words had caused her to sober up immediately. In her current state, she was unable to do anything more than nod her head before Archer opened the door and left the room.

"Master Archer?" Lily began, tugging a bit on his mantle.

"Yeah?"

"Lily…Lily wants to go home now."

"Yeah…let's go home."

X-x-X-x-X

Bell had woken up long after Archer and Lily had gone to the Soma Familia and Caster had told him to get out of the house to get his head on straight.

"You need to get a solid hold on your emotions!" Caster had yelled at him. "What kind of Hero faints at the cost of his own weapon? Go cool your head!"

"Aha…I made him mad again…" Bell said with a sigh. "I suppose me passing out over that must seem pathetic when he has weapons that probably cost just as much if not more in his vault."

Bell knew he was rather immature. He could barely touch his Goddess or Lily without feeling extremely embarrassed. In the eyes of Caster, it must have been infuriating.

It couldn't be helped though. He was raised only by his grandfather and before coming to Orario, he wasn't really close to any girls in his life.

"And to think I wanted to have a harem like Grandpa said…ahaha…" he let out a laugh as he remembered his childish goal. Well, it's not like wanting to become a hero isn't also childish. "Caster is right. I need to hurry up and grow up if I want to be a proper hero. Though…I don't think any girls are going to be asking me to save them any time soon."

No sooner did he say that did someone come running up to him.

"Bell!" Syr, the waitress from the Hostess of Fertility came running up to him. "Please, help me!"

"Yes?"

The next thing Bell knew, he was in the back of the pub washing dishes.

"Umm…is this what you meant?" Bell asked Syr beside him.

"I'm sorry," the waitress said with a smile. "But we're really busy today so any extra hands would help a lot."

Bell nodded as he turned to look at the front where people had taken up all the seats and the other waitresses were running around ragged. Back in the kitchen, both the owner, Mia Grand and the cook were running dishes back and forth from the stove to the counter.

"Well, I suppose I am happy to help," Bell said. "Too bad Archer had something else to do. He cooks our Familia's meals and they're always pretty good. He might have been able to help."

"Speaking of that," Syr began. "Mama Mia's been wanting to talk to him. Can you pass on the message for her?"

"Did…did he do something wrong?" Bell asked, feeling worried as he glanced over at the woman who was most likely a former Adventurer.

"Oh no, not at all," Syr quickly assured him. "She wanted to offer him a temp job helping out whenever he's available."

"Like what I'm doing now?"

"Hee hee…kinda."

Time passed as Bell continued being a chore boy for the pub and the lunch rush finally ended with only a few customers trickling in.

"It's over!" Bell said as he thumped his head against the counter.

"Thanks fer ya help," Mia Grand said as she placed a large plate of pasta in front of him. "On the house."

"Thanks!" Bell accepted the meal gratefully, having helped them through lunch. "So…you wanted to talk to my Familia member?"

"That young man figured out the recipe from just a single bowl…" Mia said, looking both impressed and frustrated. "Got a good tongue in that head of his. You let him know if he ever gets tired of Dungeon diving, he's welcome to work here."

"Knowing him, he might try to come help out after coming back from a dungeon," Bell said and Mia let out a laugh before returning to the kitchen.

"Thank you for your help again, Bell," Syr said as she came up to him. "You really saved us."

"Well, getting a free lunch is enough of a thanks," Bell replied.

"Come to think of it…were you not going to the dungeon today?" Syr asked. "I thought Adventurers spent all day every day in the dungeon."

"Well, like I said, Archer and our Supporter all had some personal things to take care of and we just moved into a bigger house. Though I got kicked out for a bit since I made our captain mad."

"Oh dear, what happened?"

"…I learned how much money my Goddess spent on a single purchase…" Bell replied, shaking from the mere memory of the price of his precious new dagger. "…so expensive…so many zeroes…"

Syr must have gotten a good idea of how absurd the price was since she placed a hand on her mouth and nodded.

"Well…if you don't have anything to do for the day, how about try reading?"

Bell slurped up the noodles that were trailing from his mouth before replying.

"Reading?" Bell repeated. "Well…my Goddess has some books but they're a bit high level for me. I think the Captain does too but…they're all about magic and stuff in a language I don't know."

And that they were all engraved on stone tablets but Syr didn't need to know that.

"Then, how about this one?" Syr said, picking up a large antique looking book on display. "A customer seemed to have left it behind the other day and hasn't come back to pick it up yet."

"Eh? Is it all right for me to read it if it belongs to someone else?"

"As long as you bring it back, there shouldn't be a problem. Books don't disappear after someone reads them. Plus, I think it belongs to an adventurer, so there might be something useful for you in here. Many adventurers come to this bar; more than likely the owner of this book is one, too."

She then turned back toward the kitchen where Mia was tossing something in a pan.

"And Mama Mia doesn't really want it in the store so you'd be doing us a favor too."

"I see…" Bell muttered. "Then I'll try reading it when I get home."

Syr gave him a smile before returning to work.

"Syr's got ya wrapped around her finger doesn't she, meow?" The black haired cat person waitress said as she slipped up behind Bell and started massaging his shoulders, causing him to choke a bit in surprise. "If you want to be spoiled so badly then let Chloe spoil you a bit too~"

"I…uh..huh?" Bell stammered only to be rescued by the elf waitress who came by and smacked the cat person on the head.

"I'm sorry about that Mr Cranel," the elf, Ryuu Lion, said as she pulled Chloe away. "Please enjoy your the rest of your meal."

"Noooo! I need a better look of that immature and shapely treasure hidden underneath the back of those trousers-GUFA!"

"Oh uh…thanks…" Bell said as he watched them leave before finishing his meal.

Once he was back home, he headed up to the top floor where Caster had set up his office to apologize.

"Irrelevant," the man said as he was sorting through some papers. "I suppose there is no point in trying to rush your maturation than it is trying to get the dungeon to stop spouting monsters. You shall be pleased to know that Arde has been freed from the Soma Familia."

"Really!?" Bell asked, happiness pouring out of his body. "All right! I'm so happy for her!"

"Indeed," Caster nodded and, although it was slight, Bell could see the ghost of a smile on his face as well. "She is currently resting until the effects of the Soma leave her body with Goddess Hestia watching over her and Archer is out procuring supplies for a celebration. As such, you have the rest of the day to do as you wish. Although the goddess would rather you not, I give you leave to enter the Dungeon as well, but for no further than the fifth floor. You are to be back home before the seventh bell."

"Oh no it's fine," Bell said. "I don't plan on going to the Dungeon today. A friend lent me a book and I wanna try reading it."

Caster looked rather surprise at Bell's words but nevertheless nodded his head.

"I see, to train your mind over your body today," he said with approval. "Very well. Enjoy yourself until the feast."

"Yes!"

With a nod and a bow, Bell bade goodbye to Caster and headed to one of the rooms on the second floor where he had dumped his meager belongings in to claim for his own.

"My own room…" He said as he looked around and sat at the desk provided by the Goibniu Familia as part of the renovation. He never had his own room before, always sleeping in one big one when he was still living with his grandfather and then the basement room he shared with Hestia and the Servants.

He looked around the rather spartan walls and wondered how he should start decorating. Having a small personal library sounded great. He'd fill it with books about legends and myths of heroes of the past. He wouldn't ask Caster for money to buy those books though. This was a personal thing so he'd work for it in the dungeon then buy a bookshelf and books to fill it in.

Feet pounding against the floorboards rapidly in excitement, he quickly opened the book and looked over the first page.

_Mirror, Mirror: The Fairest Witch in the Land Is ME: An Autobiography (With Appendix: Awaken Your Magic!)_

Right off the bat, it sounded childish…

_Chapter 1: Modern Magic Even Goblins Can Understand!_

Teaching magic to goblins. No one should do that…

Bell was starting to feel rather worried at the author's choice in titles but other than that the contents were more serious. The book began by explaining the two types of magic. Innate and Acquired. Innate magic was magic inherent to various races, ones that can be learned without a God's Grace and are trained from early age to master them while Acquired magic can awaken through the Falna and its effect depends on the excelia of the person holding it.

"Archer and Caster's magic must be innate then…" Bell reasoned. "And the Servant Summoning spell I have must be considered Acquired since I got it from taking the Holy Grail."

The Holy Grail. Currently it was kept in Hestia's care as being so close to a Goddess seemed to help ease the burden on Bell for keeping two Servants at once.

"I wanna hurry up and Level Up so I can meet more of them," Bell thought to himself as he turned the page and continued reading.

"_Magic is interest. This is a vital factor for all acquired magic. What holds your interest—what do you accept, hate, want, grieve for, worship, swear to, long for? The trigger is already within you. Your Falna will carve your soul into a blazing sun."_

A picture appeared in Bell's vision.

It's a head. It has eyes. It has a nose. It has a mouth. It has ears. It's a person's face. A human face with closed eyes is drawn out in black. A picture made from the words of the passage.

"_If you desire it, answer. If you desire it, break. If you desire it, focus! A terrible mirror of truth lies before you."_

It was Bell's face he realized…limited from his chin to his forehead and nothing else. Rather than a face, it was more of a mask. It's another face of Bell. A part of him that he didn't know.

_Now, let's begin._

The eyes open. It speaks with the same voice as Bell.

The ruby-red letters that spell out the eyes shoot through Bell. Short passages that make up the small lips spin words.

_What is magic to me?_

Bell don't know but he did feel that it was something great and mysterious. Something like a finishing move to slay monsters and turn the tide around back to a hero's favor. A power that Bell wanted for himself, not to summon others to fight for him.

_What is magic to me?_

Magic was power. A power to defeat enemies. Not a shield for allies like Archer, but one to strike down the foe and remove it from Bell's way like Caster.

_What kind of a thing is magic to me?_

Thing? It was a vague question but to Bell magic was fire. It was something strong, ferocious and hot. Something that could torch the plains, scatter ash, ravage the air and drown everything in flame. An immortal flame that burns forever.

_What do you seek in magic?_

To become stronger, like him. To become faster, like him. Like light breaking through the clouds. Like lightning racing across the sky. More than anyone, more than anyone, more than anyone. Faster than anyone.

Like him.

He wanted to become a hero. Like a fool pursuing an impossible ideal. To be someone who reacts at the first sign of trouble and ends in decisively. To stand like a mountain before the enemy and the one that needed to be save. Even if it were to be a never ending dream he'd sped his whole life chasing…he felt that it would put him one step closer to his ideal. To be a hero that can stand beside the others…and to be a Master that wouldn't embarrass them.

_You're such a child._

…Sorry.

_But that's me, too._

The Bell inside the book smiles.

Then everything goes black.

X-x-X-x-X

Bell jerked awake when he felt someone shake his shoulder.

"Fall asleep while reading?" Archer asked as Bell looked up.

"Oh…uh…looks like it…" Bell yawned as he closed the book while rubbing his eyes.

"Didn't think I'd see you reading. What was it about?"

"I…think it was about the basics of magic but I don't really remember after falling asleep…haha…"

"Is that right?" Archer asked, looking interested. "Mind if I take a look later?"

"Go ahead…oh right! What about Lily?"

"She's fine. Lady Hestia has gone to wake her up for the celebration."

"I heard she drank the actual Soma…is she going to be okay?" Bell asked as the two of them headed downstairs.

"For the most part, yes," Archer nodded. "Though she might not be able to drink any wine anymore."

"Ah…I think I understand," Bell said. "It's because she drank something so good that everything else will be disappointing afterwards?"

"That's right. How would you feel if I stopped cooking and you had to go back to eating Lady Hestia's Jagamaru-kuns for every meal again."

"Aha…I wouldn't complain since they're really good even when cold but I might feel a bit sad."

"Well, lucky for you, Lady Hestia brought some back from her part-time job since she still has to work off the debt for your dagger."

"Ah…ahahaha…haha…please don't remind me."

The two of them entered the kitchen to see Caster already there, sitting at the head of the table with his arms crossed in a chair with golden decorations on it. The chair across from him on the other end of the table was draped with white and blue cloth with a flame emblazoned on it, marking it as Hestia's seat.

Compared to that, all the other chairs were uniform and relatively simple. The table has also already been set with a large pot of soup, a sandwich platter, a roasted bird…and of course, the aforementioned Jagamaru-kun potato puffs.

As Bell sat down on the side closest to the door, Archer moved around the table to stand next to the soup pot as the door opened up and Hestia came in, holding the shoulders of a rather nervous looking Lily.

"G-good evening…" she says, fidgeting a bit.

"Good evening, Arde," Caster said with a smirk. "How does it feel to be a free woman?"

"Lily feels like everything is one hazy dream…Lily isn't sure what she is supposed to do now…"

"Well, for starters," Bell said as he stood up and walked over to Lily. "How about something to eat? You hadn't had anything to eat since this morning right?"

Lily's response was for her stomach to growl as the girl blushed and clutched her stomach.

"Lily would like that."

With Lily sitting next to Bell, the party got under way. Archer dutifully served everyone a bowl of soup before sitting down himself as everyone enjoyed the small party for Lily.

"Umm…Lord Caster?" Lily spoke up as Archer was filling her third bowl of soup.

"What is it?" Caster asked, not opening his eyes as he swirled a glass of wine in front of him.

"Lily…would like to thank Lord Caster for everything he's done for Lily," Lily said as she lowered her head. "Lily thinks that because she drank some of Lord Caster's wine that Lily wasn't lost to the Soma."

"Huh?" Caster suddenly made a rather annoyed and incredulous face as he shouted, "Fool! Did you really think I'd let someone drink my wine so easily?"

"Eh?"

"What you drank was not my finest wine but just some juice found in a marketplace! Do not be so ready to believe every little thing!"

Lily blushed as she her body sank down a bit under the table.

"You triumphed over the Soma wine with nothing more than your own will!" Caster said before sitting back in his chair as Lily looked up at him in surprise. "Do not confuse humility with self-depreciation. Do not attribute your success to your tools. Claim your own achievements as what they are."

"Y-yes!" Lily nodded as she straightened up in her chair. "Thank you very much!"

"Humph…then continue enjoying the celebration. You are the guest of honor after all."

"Yes!"

"'Juice' from a marketplace that was good enough for you to place into your treasury," Archer muttered as Caster smirked in his direction.

"So Lily," Hestia began as she wolfed down her fifth Jagamaru-kun. "Have you thought about what you wanted to do after this? As Caster said you're welcome to stay here as long as you need to figure things out."

"Yes, Lily has a plan…umm…" she began, fidgeting with her hands for a bit. "Lily…if possible…would like to join the Hestia Familia…maybe?"

"Of course you can!" Hestia and Bell shouted at the same time.

"Why are you acting all shy?" Archer asked as he walked around the table and placed a hand on Lily's head. "You're practically one of us already."

"Come come, I'll give you my grace right away!" Hestia said as she jumped out of her seat. "Boys turn around!"

Archer turned on the spot without missing a beat while Bell stammered, red in the face for a moment before quickly turning around and covering both eyes with his hands for good measure. Caster simply rolled his eyes before obeying.

"Although it'll mostly just you and Bell down there, I can rest easy knowing someone else is with him," Hestia said as she pricked her finger and started drawing on Lily's back.

"Yes! Lily will do her best!"

"Now let's see…" Hestia began. "This is the first time I'm doing this for someone who had the grace before hand so it might be a bit slow. Aha! There we go!"

Hestia nodded as she examined Lily's back.

"Uh…hey…wait a minute…when did you get your status last updated?" Hestia asked.

"Umm…half a year ago?" Lily admitted.

"Jeez, what is that Soma doing?" The goddess sighed as she traced Lily's back a bit more. "Okay…Status updated now the rest…oh, so this is your magic is it? Cinder Ella?"

"Yes. It has saved Lily's life a lot of times."

"So I gathered. Then there's the skill Alter Assist…is this how you carry that massive bag of yours? I did hear Hephaistos say that Supporters tend to get this skill and…huh?"

"S-something the matter, Goddess?" Bell asked, not turning around.

"A second skill…what is this thing?"

"Huh?" Lily turned her head around in surprise. "What is it? Let Lily see!"

"All right, all right, give me a second," Hestia said as she placed some parchment on Lily's back and peeled it off.

_**Liliruca Arde**_

**Level 1**

**Strength**: I42 - I70

**Defense**: I42 - H101

**Dexterity**: H143 - H192

**Agility**: G285 - F321

**Magic**: F317 - E427

**Magic**:

**Cinder Ella:** Shape-shifting magic. Target will take the envisioned shape at the time of the spell magic will Fail without a clear image. Imitation is recommended.

_Trigger: Your scars are mine. My scars are mine_

_Release: Stroke of Midnight's Bell_

**Skills**

**Artel Assist:** Activates when carried weight exceeds a certain level. Amount of assistance is proportional to weight carried.

**King's Follower: Crownsguard**: Parameters increase when acting on orders from a leader. Strength and Dexterity increases when defending a leader.

"Hah hah hah hah hah hah!" Caster let out a laugh as Lily stared at the skill sheet in her shaking hands. "You really are a shrewd one, Arde."

"L-Lily is sorry for being so presumptuous…" Lily said, still staring at the page with rather empty eyes.

"Not at all. Your devotion is splendid, Arde. But it is an arduous and thorny path for the King is a fickle one. But do not abandon it and I shall not abandon you."

Lily glanced up from her sheet and looked Caster in the eye with a smile.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" She said with a bow.

"While we're at it, let's update everyone else's stats," Hestia said, walking over to Caster. "Caster, you first."

"It is unlikely anything has changed," Caster said but he turned around nonetheless. "It is difficult to build upon perfection."

"Yeah yeah," Hestia said dismissively as she traced his back. "Well, you're right. Nothing."

Caster simply scoffed as he put his vest back on while Hestia trotted over to Archer.

"Whoa! You gained a whole five points Archer!" Hestia said, staring at the man's chiseled back. "Two in magic, two in agility and one in dexterity… those plant monsters you were talking about must have been really scary."

"They were giving three Level 5s trouble," Archer said as he threw his armored undershirt back on. "I'm rather surprise I didn't get more though. Then again, I only supported them from behind."

"Well, at least we know that you can still get points," Hestia said, patting Archer's arm. "You probably have to reach the Middle or Lower floors first though. But that won't happen for a long while…"

Archer shrugged as Hestia finally reached Bell.

"I know I just updated you yesterday but since your magic status is always growing let's just do it anyway so you aren't left out," she said.

"Understood Goddess," Bell nodded as he removed his shirt.

"Hmm…like I thought," Hestia hummed. "You're still growing at a stupidly fast pace but since you didn't do much since the last update since defeating that Silverback, it isn't as insane as before. Well…aside from the Magic status as usual but-"

Hestia suddenly froze before gripping Bell's sides and thrust her face at his Status as if she couldn't believe her eyes.

"M-magic?" Hestia gasped.

"Heh? Well…I mean, the Summon Servant spell is still there, right?" Bell asked.

"No! I mean…another magic spell appeared!" Hestia shouted, causing them all to stare at Bell.

"Eh!?"

Hestia quickly slapped another parchment onto Bell's back and pulled it off. After checking to make sure there were no problems, Hestia placed the sheet on the table next to Bell's plate. There, underneath Bell's status was indeed a new magic spell.

"Firebolt?" Archer read. "But there's no incantation? It just says Swift-Strike Magic…"

"I'm telling you right now, I didn't forget to write it down okay!" Hestia said, looking at Archer who quickly held his hands up in surrender. "It's just a guess right now but I think it's a spell without an incantation. It might activate when Bell says 'Firebolt' though. But since it has no incantation I have no idea how powerful it can be."

As a general rule, the longer an incantation was for magic, the more powerful it was. Of course, it was not a hard rule as there were those with Skills and the skill to channel their magic and recite their incantations faster than others.

"Powerful spells do not need a long incantation to be powerful," Caster commented. "I have heard of a few Heroes that can compress the incantation of powerful spells into a single word…though I suppose that the circumstances are different compared to this one."

"Really now…" Hestia sighed as Bell was jumping around with joy. "Lily and Bell are growing rather well but you two are stuck where you are. Is this what they mean by peak of the mountain?"

"I don't think that's the right phrase," Archer muttered.

"A plateau then?"

"That sounds more accurate but…"

"In any case, you should try it out in the dungeon tomorrow," Hestia said to Bell before turning to Lily. "And you should try to see how that Crownsguard skill works."

"Indeed," Caster nodded. "We must find out what orders affect your skill and if there is a range to it. The second part is self-explanatory but the first part is still vague."

"Yes!" Lily nodded.

"For the time being, let's at least finish dinner before lest it goes to waste," Archer said as everyone sat back down. "I guess we should plan how far we're going down then?"

"Attack Magic of this era…" Caster said as he supported his chin with his arm. "I suppose I shall come along to witness this as well. Before heading to the Dungeon, be sure to stock up on Mind Potions."

"Yes!" Bell nodded. "I'll visit the Blue Pharmacy first thing tomorrow morning."

"The main objective will be to test Arde's new skill and Cranel's new magic," Caster said. "Therefore we shall only move to the Fifth Floor first. Depending on the situation then, we will either return for the day or advance to the tenth floor."

"Ohh…Your Majesty is being ambitious!" Lily said with a smile before looking unsure. "But…Your Majesty and Archer are going to leave it up to Master Bell and Lily, right? Lily is unsure that she is up to it. Lily has gone down to the Tenth Floor and beyond before as a Supporter for the Soma Familia but she was completely useless in fighting."

"That was then, this is now," Caster said, dismissing her concerns. "With your new skill, you will prove more efficient in doing so. But have no fear. I do not expect you to fight with a blade. Your crossbow will be more than enough to provide the boy with some more support outside of simply providing a first hand account of the monsters."

Lily looked a little relieved before nodding dutifully.

"Hee hee…" Hestia started laughing to herself at her end of the table. "Like this, it feels like I've finally started watching my Familia grow."

"A shame that your all-men harem has come to an end with the addition of Lily, Lady Hestia," Archer said causing Hestia to gape at him in horror.

"Bwah!? I never considered it like that!"

"Really? A goddess living on her own for a while before a young boy comes to live with her followed by two…young men. Is that not the beginnings of popular stories aimed toward women?"

Hestia blinked and stared at Archer before clutching the side of her head in realization.

"You're right…that was a close one…" Hestia said before turning to Bell. "Bell! If you do summon another Servant anytime soon, make sure there's at least another woman! I can't be living surrounded by men all the time! It would be a blemish on my name as a Virgin Goddess! I am not supposed to have a harem like those Goddesses of Love!"

"I have no control over that though!" Bell protested as Archer and Lily chuckled while Caster simply shook his head with a sigh.


	8. New Beginnings

**Chapter 8: Skills and Spells**

Later that night after Lily's celebration for leaving the Soma Familia, Bell was lying awake in his bed staring at the ceiling like a child too excited to sleep due to going on vacation with his family in the morning.

Not only were all four of them going into the dungeon for the first time together, he was going to be using magic. Sure the Servant Summoning ritual was amazing but it wasn't something he could use every day or it would probably kill him. But with something like "Firebolt" he would be able to expand his skillset even more.

He had a practical magic spell now.

He was also feeling completely wide awake.

Jumping out of bed, Bell put on his breastplate and coat as quietly as possible and made for the door.

Only for a pair of strong hands to grasp his shoulders the second he stepped outside.

"Where do you think you're going, mongrel?"

Fear. Pure unadulterated fear seeped into his body. His legs started to shake as he felt his breath slow to a crawl while his heart began to race uncontrollably. Turning his head, he saw Caster to his left and Archer to his right, both of them having placed a hand on his shoulders to stop him.

"Really now…" Archer sighed. "You're like a little kid who wants to open his new toy and play with it right away. At least you lasted for a while."

"Speak for yourself," Caster growled. "If you were gong to try and sneak out then do so straight away! Do not force me to wait this long! I have other things I have to be doing!"

"I'm…I'm sorry…" Bell said, looking down like a child with his hand caught in a snack jar.

"Well, it's not like I don't sympathize," Archer said as he spun Bell around and walked him back inside his room. "I did something similar before."

He then looked at Bell's desk where the book was still sitting.

"Oh right, mind if I have a look at the book?" Archer asked.

"Sure…" Bell nodded as he started taking off his armor.

"That armor is unsuited for you now," Caster said as Archer walked over to the book. "Take some time in the morning to go with Arde to Babel Tower and shop for a new one."

"Babel Tower? You mean Hephaistos Familia shops?" Bell asked. "I don't want to ask you for any more money though…"

"That would be unnecessary," Caster said. "You still have your personal savings, do you not? Not all the stores sell equipment worth millions. Goddess Hephaistos has stores on the lower levels that are geared toward new Adventurers. You do not think that every blacksmith Hephaistos claims produces first rate armors and weapons right away do you?"

"Ah…that makes sense," Bell nodded. Certainly there would be Level 1 Blacksmiths starting out as well that need to earn money.

"New Blacksmiths show off their wares in hopes of repeat customers to make exclusive contracts with. In short, they contract with an Adventurer to make equipment for them and that person only buys from them. Thus both sides profit."

Bell nodded his head in understanding as Archer flipped through the pages.

"Oi Bell…" Archer said. "This book is blank."

"Huh?"

Bell and Caster turned toward Archer who held the book out toward them sideways and let pages fall. Each and every single page was devoid of ink.

"Did you pick up a blank book and dream about reading it?" Archer asked.

"No way…I'm sure I read it…" Bell said as Caster walked up toward him. "Huh?"

Bell was suddenly closely acquainted with Caster's hand as it clamped down on his face and started squeezing.

"Ow ow ow ow!? Caster!?"

"You idiot…do you realize what that is?" Caster said as he lifted Bell off the floor while still grasping his head like that. "Archer. Bring that book and follow me. We're showing that to Hestia."

"What!? What's gong on!? Caster! This really hurts! Ow!"

They made their way to Hestia's room.

Hestia was still awake, reading a book on her beg under the light of a magic lamp when the three of them entered.

"W-what is it?" Hestia asked as she looked at Caster, who was standing in the front with his arms crossed, Bell who was rubbing the side of his head with tears on his face, and Archer who was holding onto the blank book. "Shouldn't you be resting for the Dungeon tomorrow?"

"This idiot got ahold of this and read it," Caster said, jerking his head toward Bell and the book. "You should understand."

Hestia took the book from Archer and looked at it before opening it and flipping through a few pages before turning pale.

"G-grimoire?" She asked, her eyes spinning as if she was faced with a debt collector collecting on something she had no information about despite having the paperwork in her hands.

"…What's that?" Bell asked, looking slightly worried.

"Basically…it's a book that gifts its reader magic when read," Hestia sad as she sat back down and Bell started to look like someone just dumped him in a bath tub full of sweat. "It can only be made by someone who has two Development Ability that lets them create magic items with special properties. Basically someone with at least Level 3. It's a magic item that rarely has a set price and is usually sold to the highest bidder…it wouldn't be strange if it costs just as much if not more than Hephaistos's top quality items."

The same pitiful dog squeal Bell made when he learned the price of his knife made an expectant return.

"…And it loses its power after the first time someone reads it. It's nothing more than garbage now."

Bells knees went weak and he slipped and fell into Archer's arms before being deposited into a chair.

"W-what do I do?" Bell asked. "It was a lost item at the pub…"

"Listen Bell!" Hestia said as she stands up and pointed to him. "You ran across the original owner on the way home and gave it back to him _before reading it_. So you never brought it here. You never read it. And even if there was some mistake, it was _already_ a blank book by the time you brought it home. Got it?"

"That's wrong!" Bell argued. "I can't just do that!"

"Bell! The lower world is not all sunshine and flowers; there are many dark, dark things. I've seen them with my own eyes. Being thrown out of home, being so poor that even buying potato puffs was impossible and starving, being forced to live under ruins…carrying an enormous debt. The world is full of injustices."

"Was that not all your own doing?" Archer asked and Hestia beautifully ignored him.

"In any case!" Hestia shouted. "That's the story so stick with it, Bell!"

Hestia crossed her arms and nodded her head as if the case was closed.

X-x-X-x-X

"Master Bell is too honest…"

The next morning, Lily and Bell left the house together to head buy some Mind Potions as well as some new armor for Bell. However, despite Hestia's insistence, Bell couldn't just lie about it. Even if he did, it would fall apart the moment the original owner tried to find it again at the pub. So they went and returned it with a proper explanation to which the pub owner, Mia Grand, said not to worry about it since the original owner would have no doubt written it off once they realized they lost it.

"If ya lost a wallet full of cash, do ya really expect the cash to still be there when you find it again?" Was how she put it.

"Well, Lily thinks that is both one of your good points and bad points," she admitted as she followed a distressed looking Bell, holding a lunch given by Syr at the waitresses' insistence, toward Blue Pharmacy. "This place is run by the Miach Familia right?"

"Yes…do you know them Lily?" Bell asked.

"Lily knows that they were a very famous Familia before, rivaling the Dian Chet Familia," Lily said. "But then something happened and the Familia dissolved or something. Lily heard that Lord Miach fell into debt saving one of his Familia members and then let those in his Familia that didn't want to be in debt leave."

"Is that so?" Bell asked, thinking about the kind god who sometimes gave him potions for free and the perpetually tired looking Chienthrope who always manned the counter alone. "I never knew that."

"It's not something they would talk about," Lily said. "Does Master Bell think Lady Hestia would talk about how much it costs for Master Bell's dagger?"

"Erk…please don't remind me about that…"

They entered a rather rundown store off West Main street tat had the Miach Familia's emblem over it and headed to the front counter pass the shelves.

"Good morning, Miss Naza!"

"Morning Bell. Long time no see."

Naza Ersuisu. Miach Familia's only member. Bell wondered if she was the one who Lily was referring to as she was always wearing a glove over her right hand which now made Bell wonder if she was hiding an injury or something.

"Oh? Who is this?" Naza said, spotting the rather tiny Lily who pulled her hood off to be polite and to show her false dog ears. "A new member?"

"Nice to meet you Miss Naza," Lily said with a bow as he false tail was wagging back and forth from underneath her coat. "Lily is a new member of the Hestia Familia."

"I see. I hope for your patronage. Please buy a lot."

"Yes. Lily would like to purchase ten normal potions and four mind recovery potions."

"Planning on going down far?" Naza asked as she placed a case on the counter and started to pull out some rather expensive bottles along with the regular potion bottles Bell was used to seeing.

"Yes," Bell nodded. "Our captain hopes to hit the Tenth Floor today."

"Captain? Weren't you the captain, Bell?"

"Well, I gave the title to someone with more experience than me," Bell admitted and Naza nodded in understanding. "I wouldn't want to lead everyone into an accident because of a dumb mistake after all."

"I see," Naza said, placing the case away. "It is good not to be prideful about that."

"Here's the payment," Lily said placing a bag on the counter. "Please check it."

"Everything seems fine," Naza said as she carefully passed the bag of potions to Bell. "Here…with a little present."

"Eh?" Bell gasped as he counted twelve regular potions. "No…we can't take this…"

"It's fine…" Naza said. "Those two are not as effective as regular potions due to a mistake."

"Lily sees…" Lily said as she took a look at the top one. "It looks like too much water was added."

"Yes…please use them for smaller injuries."

"All right…thank you very much, Miss Naza!"

As they left the shop, Bell handed Lily the potions so she could put them in her back but kept one on his person at her insistence.

"Lily wonders how the mistake was made," she said as she examined all the potions.

"Maybe they were tired?" Bell pointed out. "It's just Naza and Lord Miach after all."

Lily still looked unsure but put it aside.

"Now then, Lily will show Master Bell the shop for newbies to buy armor," Lily said as they made their way to Babel Tower.

They exit the elevator onto the fifth floor and make their pass several displays of weapons with various customers making their way around.

"There are a lot of people here," Bell noted.

"Yes," Lily nodded. "This place is where they sell weapons for the lower ranked Adventurers made by the Familia's lower level Smiths. So everyone can shop here and not only the First-Class Adventurers. Today we'll try to find Master Bell a new set of armor. A full set if possible since Master Bell's breastplate and coat will not be enough anymore."

Bell nodded in agreement as he looked around and the shiny weapons and armor located in the store.

"I can't believe these are made by low level smiths…" Bell muttered as he stared at one of the mannequins displaying a shining suit of plate armor.

"Yes," Lily nodded. "Shall we look around for a bit? Lily thinks she also wants a new coat after seeing all of this. Something like this will probably make Lord Caster angry if he looks at it for too long."

She gestured to her dull colored coat that was torn and patched in various places.

"I don't think he'd care about that," Bell said.

"Lily will take no chances in making her King look bad!" Lily insisted. "Master Bell too! Master Bell should stop doing things that make Lord Caster angry! Lily is worried for Master Bell's head too!"

"Thanks…"

"Master Bell is a very kind person so Lily wants Master Bell's equipment to be suitable for him. Also, Master Bell never heard of a Hero who goes around saving people in rags, right?"

"Please stop…" Bell groaned as his cheeks reddened in embarrassment as Lily giggled. "Then let's look around and meet back up at the elevator in half an hour?"

"Lily is fine with that," she nodded before wandering toward the cloth armor area as Bell went to the light armor section.

As Bell took in the sights and sounds, he found himself in the very back of the store where massive shelves lined the walls. Sitting on all of them were armor pieces crammed into tiny boxes and stuffed together.

Bell wondered if they were just junk pieces but the boxes all had price tags on them.

"Is this the bargain area or maybe the unsold stuff?" He asked out loud as he examined the rather low prices on the tags.

There was no way a prominent Familia like Hephaistos's would sell faulty equipment so perhaps they were most likely items that were deemed not fit to be put onto display. Bargain bin was also most likely accurate as he had spotted a suit of armor going for fifteen thousand in the front and his breastplate had gone for five thousand while he saw a box with a whole set going for barely seven thousand.

A box in the center row caught Bell's eyes and he pulled it forward and lifted the breastplate from it. It was light. So much lighter than the one from the guild and although Bell wasn't completely sure but he felt it was much sturdier than it too. Holding it up to his chest, he found that it was also a perfect fit.

"Oh no…I think I love it…" Bell said as he looked through the rest of the pieces. It may have only the first armor he really looked at but now he can't imagine wearing anything else. It was light, felt sturdy, simple in its silver and red design, and cost only ninety-nine hundred Valis.

He was indeed in love with it.

Flipping the breastplate over, he found a signature on it.

_Welf Crozzo_

He may be only be a newbie smith but Bell already loved his work. If Bell ever needed something else, he'd try to find more stuff from this smith. Satisfied, he walked over to the counter to pay.

"Wow, Master Bell looks very gallant!"

"Thanks. Your new coat looks nice too, Lily."

After buying the new armor, Bell borrowed a stall to change and then waited by the elevator for Lily. She came up wearing a new white coat with pinkish sleeves and a bright smile.

"It's almost time to meet up with Master Archer and Lord Caster, right?" She asked as they got onto the elevator before someone else needed to use it.

"Yes," Bell nodded. "Caster was organizing his treasury and Archer was making some provisions to take into the dungeon…and for Goddess in case she gets back before we do."

"Ahh…Lily understands. Lily doesn't want to come home to a starving and crying Goddess either."

Bell chuckled as the doors open and they made their way to the entrance of the dungeon area.

Bell watched the various parties of Adventurers go into the dungeon, filled with energy and excitement for the day ahead as they waited for the two Spirits to show up.

"Ah, Lily sees them."

Sure enough, the Golden King and the Red Archer came through the entrance with the latter wearing a small pack.

"Good, the two of you look presentable," Caster nodded. "You remember today's objective, correct?"

"Yes!" The two of them nodded in unison.

Today's objective was to simply try out Lily's new skill and Bell's new magic. If the results were adequate they would then try to make their way beyond the tenth floor before returning to the surface.

"Very well. Let us descend."

They entered the dungeon through a corridor that was a bit out of the way and proceeded as Lily navigated with her map.

Before long they came across a pair of goblins.

"Cranel," Caster said simply and Bell eagerly stepped forward with his arm outstretched.

"FIREBOLT!"

Electric flames carve sharp lines in the air before striking the closest goblin and exploding in its face, burning it to ash save for its magic stone.

"Arde."

Lily then pulled up her sleeve and revealed a tiny crossbow, one of the Little Ballista series that the Goibniu Familia created for Pallums. With hands showing familiarity with the weapon, Lily quickly loaded in a small bolt and fired it, scoring a direct hit in the second goblin's skull.

"Well?" Caster asked as Lily ran over to the goblin to carve out its crystal.

"Umm…I don't think it used up all that much," Bell said. "It's fast and strong enough to kill a Goblin in one hit but…I think we need more testing on stronger enemies."

"Lily felt it was a bit easier loading the crossbow," Lily said as she pulled the tiny Magic Stone fragment out of the corpse, allowing the body to vanish into black mist. "And the loader seemed a bit easier to pull but other than that Lily feels no different."

"Hmm…perhaps with a ranged weapon like a crossbow the effects are smaller," Caster said. "Cranel. Give Arde your knife."

"Eh?" Both of them let out a noise at the same time.

"The knife works for anyone of Hestia Familia," Caster said. "We will have Arde fight the next monster alone with it."

"Don't worry," Archer said as Bell handed a very nervous looking Lily his dagger. "I'll keep any others off of you."

"Y-yes…" Lily nodded as she handed Archer her pack which the man lifted rather easily despite its bulk. "Lily will do her best!"

The next group of monsters were a trio of Kobolds. At Caster's order, Bell blasted two of them with magic, disintegrating them just like the goblin from earlier before Lily charged forward, knife in hand as the hieroglyphics engraved into the blade began glowing.

"Lower yourself and slide!" Caster ordered and Lily obeyed, her body sliding underneath the Kobold's swing. "Swing upward!"

The dagger in Lily's hand swung upward in an arc, slicing clean through the monster's arm below its elbow. As it howled in pain, Lily got behind it and stabbed the knife into the back of its neck, causing it to fall forward on its face onto the ground as Lily was standing over it, panting heavily.

"Amazing Lily!" Bell said as reached down and pulled the knife out of the corpse.

"Ahh…Lily was super scared!" She said with a sigh. "Lily is not used to fighting in the front!"

"You still did great," Archer said as he returned the pack to Lily who quickly rummaged through it for a water container for a quick drink. "What was it like?"

"It felt like Lily didn't have to think," Lily said as she closed the container. "Like Lily entrusted everything to Lord Caster and her body could react on those orders alone."

"I see…" Caster muttered. "A skill that lets a leader manage the user down to the smallest detail outside of an overall command. It is of little use with only one user but if one were to get a half dozen or so…"

Caster then trailed off with a shrug.

"Regardless, there is no point in forcing you to play a role you are neither suited for nor comfortable with. A rear support suits you better than a front line fighter."

"Lily wholeheartedly agrees with His Majesty's judgement!" Lily said without missing a beat.

"Nevertheless," Archer said as he held out a small dagger in his hand toward Lily. "Best to keep one on you in the unlikely event something jumps in the middle of us."

"In the Upper Levels, that shouldn't happen," Lily said. "Not unless the entire dungeon completely changes…but then everyone would have bigger things to worry about at that point."

"Should we keep going?" Bell suggested. "I think the magic doesn't take much out of me at all."

"No doubt due to the upkeep of our summoning," Archer said. "Like this, your magic status will keep growing simply from us existing and in turn, makes your Firebolt stronger."

"Really now, what a convenient system," Caster huffed. "The spell both moves and fires quickly and by simply going about your day without even using it, you may eventually be able to fire a spell that can level a building with a single breath."

Bell's eyes began shining at Caster's words and he resolved to work as hard as possible to make that a reality.

The party made fast and constant progress through the dungeon floors. Spurred on by Caster, Bell and Lily dispatched everything that came their way. Sometimes Caster had Lily fight alone, causing her supply of bolts to run out but they were easily replenished by Archer's magic, and other times Bell was fighting alone with conditions such as no using magic or only using magic.

"I had planned on calling for a camp earlier…however the two of you had surpassed my expectations for the day," Caster said as they stood at the entrance to the tenth floor and looked down a long staircase toward the misty level below. "I shall remember to adjust it accordingly."

"Lily feels great!" She said pumping her tiny arms. "Lily feels like she can keep going without a break."

"Me too," Bell agreed. "Maybe just one more fight before camp?"

"There's no need to rush," Archer said. "You're both probably still in a high from making it all the way down here. Let's wait here at the entrance and have some food."

Though they were still full of energy, both of them obeyed without complaint.

"Wow, I still can't believe that I can use attack magic now," Bell said with a happy laugh as he looked at his hand while holding a wooden bowl in his other hand. "I mean…I always played around as a kid while tending the field with Grandpa about using magic but now it's reality."

"Well, save your excitement until after you eat," Archer said as he placed a ball of fried rice into Bell's bowl and then poured hot water over it, allowing it to split apart and reveal grilled bird meat and veggies inside.

"Master Archer's food is as fragrant as always," Lily said as she basked in the scent of her bowl happily with her tail swishing back and forth. "Even though its just rations for the dungeon."

"This would still keep for a long time," Archer said. "Just cook the ingredients then pack it into rice and fry it to keep the insides fresh. Then just pour hot water or broth over it and you got an instant and filling soup."

Caster ate his food silently as he looked at a page containing details of the tenth floor that he had gotten from the guild.

"But still…" Archer muttered as he looked around. "It's pretty difficult keeping track of time in the dungeon, isn't it? There's always a source of light and depending on how many fights you get into you can lose track of time if you don't have a good sense of it."

"Yeah…" Bell nodded as he glanced back down at the Tenth Floor. "Maybe we should go back after taking a look? I don't want to leave Goddess alone for too long."

"Indeed," Caster nodded as he rolled up his notes and placed them into a pocket of Archer's bag. "I would rather not return to a crying goddess screaming to the heavens about her solitude. We will have both you and Arde fight one Orc alone and then return."

"Yes!" The two of them replied dutifully.

As if the dungeon was answering their wishes, the moment they descended to the Tenth Floor, cracks start forming in the dungeon wall as various body parts of monsters start forcing their way out of them.

"It's a Monster Party!" Lily shouted as a small force of monsters dropped down in front of them.

A Monster Party was when a large amount of monsters were born in the dungeon at once. It was thought to happen whenever the number of monsters on the floor was low so the dungeon decides to spawn more to replenish the numbers in mass.

"Arde, take the rear," Caster said calmly. "Archer, Cranel, remain in the front. Fortunately for us, there are two Orcs in the midst."

He then opened his stone tablet and glanced at the two orcs. Golden light constricted around them, restraining their movements in a flash.

"Arde, Focus on the bats above us. Cranel, the imps. I give you free reign with your magic. Archer…do as you wish."

""Yes!"" Lily and Bell nodded while Archer merely nodded as he formed his bow and several arrows.

The battle was both chaotic yet organized. Small bolts, silver arrows and red flames flashed all across the battlefield with the occasional burst of yellow light.

Once an Imp had jumped at Caster from behind only for the man to lazily lean his head to the side as a blast of flame shot past him and struck the monster which was then followed by a quick apology from Bell.

Lily nimbly had her dagger in a reverse grip in one hand while skillfully loading bolts into her crossbow with the same hand as she stood behind Caster and shot down any bat that got near him to try and screech at him while Archer covered Bell with a blanket of arrows to keep the boy from getting mobbed but not killing any of them so that Bell could gain the excelia from delivering the final blow.

Finally, only the two immobilized Orcs remained.

Lily dropped her pack and readied her crossbow and knife while Bell quickly got into position as the golden light died down. The two charged forward as the orcs squealed in anger. Lily let a bolt fly and struck the orc in front of her in the hand. She clicked of her tongue as she loaded another bolt and quickly jumped to the side as the orc slammed the ground where she was standing. She then fired another shot into the monster's leg and sent it to the ground. She then mounted the downed monster from behind and jammed the dagger into the side of the orc's neck, causing it to let out a gargling noise and flail weakly before falling limp.

Bell reached his orc before Lily's first bolt hit, slashing at the orc's arm before it could react and then held his hand out to it.

"Firebolt!"

A wave of crimson lightning lashed out over the orc's back, setting the monster on fire as it squealed out in pain and fell forward as a charred corpse.

"Master Bell is so mean!" Lily complained. "He makes Lily's hard work look like nothing!"

"Ahaha…I'm sorry…" Bell said quietly as Lily walked over and pounded on his breastplate with puffed up cheeks.

"Now now, both of you did well," Archer said, pulling Lily away from Bell as she crossed her arms and turned away from Bell in a huff. "Come now Lily…"

"You did well considering your position," Caster said to Lily who stopped pouting and started smiling. "Once we retrieve the Magic Stones we will return to the surface."

"Yes!" Lily nodded as she started to get to work.

"She's like a little puppy eager for your praise…" Archer noted to Caster who huffed.

"The King's praise is one of the world's greatest treasures," Caster said. "It is only natural for a former thief to work hard to obtain as much of it as possible."

"Humph," Archer made a noncommittal noise and turned to look at Bell who was helping Lily stack the bodies together so she could work more efficiently. "What do you think? Think he could handle another Servant?"

"…No," Caster said after a moment. "Now that he has another magic spell, I am more adamant on him waiting until he Levels Up before summoning another one. It is another powerful tool at his disposal and summoning another Servant would cripple the tool's utility at this point in time."

"Yeah, I get where you're coming from," Archer said as Lily waved Bell away, saying that he didn't need to help with her job. "He could fire several spells off without rest right now. We still have two mind potions after all of this. If he were to summon another Servant then it'd might limit him to only a dozen or so."

"Indeed," Caster nodded as he looked around and saw a few other parties coming down from the Ninth Floor. "However…the boy's growth is unnatural. Only a few days ago, he was floundering around to take down a pair of Kolbolds on the third floor. Now he can devastate a dozen imps on his own. It is like walking away from a potted sprout for an afternoon and coming back to see that a rose has already bloomed."

"Got a point there…" Archer admitted as he leaned back against a tree. "Hard to believe he's a fourteen year old kid. Graced by a goddess or not."

"Master Archer, Lord Caster, Lily has finished!" Lily said as she and Bell ran back to them with a bag filled with Magic Stones.

"Very well," Caster said as he turned toward the exit. "Then let us return to the surface."

X-x-X-x-X

The trip back up was rather uneventful with only some token resistance here and there but when they exited Babel, night had already fallen on the city.

"We should hurry home," Archer said. "Lady Hestia's probably back already. We can exchange the stones in the morning."

"Good idea," Bell nodded. "Now that we're back out, I feel really tired."

"Lily wants a bath and maybe a light dinner before bed," Lily chimed in. "Maybe take out from the pub if Master Archer is too tired to cook?"

"Don't worry," Archer said. "Compared to you and Bell, I didn't do anything. Maybe a sandwich and some soup?"

"That sounds really good right about now," Bell nodded.

"All right, I'll bring it up to your rooms when done. When we get back, say good evening to Hestia then head upstairs to wash up."

"Yes Mama," Lily said with a smile as Archer rolled his eyes at her.

"At least make it Papa."

"But Master Archer is more like a Mama than a Papa~"

Bell was really happy. Gone were the days of having nothing but leftover potato puffs from Hestia's stall as their only meals and now they had decent meals thanks to Caster's constant trips to the Business districts' casinos and Bell being able to go further into the dungeon to claim more valuable Magic Stones with the help of Archer and Lily.

Bell suddenly stopped walking as a cold chill wrapped itself around his body only for it to suddenly vanish as soon as it arrived. He looked around for what might have been the cause. Turning around, he saw that Caster has stopped as well and was glaring back up at the Babel Tower with his dark red eyes.

"Your Majesty?" Bell asked. "Is there something wrong?"

"It is none of your concern just yet," Caster said as he turned around and continued walking. "Get a good night's sleep and prepare yourself. You will continue your spar with Archer in the morning and then return to the Dungeon once more."

"Understood!" Bell nodded dutifully as he ran to catch up to his Familia members, the cold chill completely forgotten.

When they finally arrived back at the Hestia Familia Home they were greeted by a sobbing Goddess.

"I MISSED YOU ALL SO MUCH!" Hestia said as she dived at Bell who dodged her by reflex and hugged Archer's legs instead. "I was so used to seeing one of you around when I got back that coming home to a big empty house is so SAAAAAAAAAD!"

"That is your duty as a Goddess," Caster said unsympathetically as he walked past her and Archer. "As a Goddess, you are to put your faith and trust in your children that they will come home from the Dungeon."

"I know that!" Hestia said as she finally released Archer who quickly dusted his pants off. "It's just that this house is too big for a single person alone at any point in time! Hearing my footsteps echo in the empty halls is too lonely!"

Caster let out a long sigh as they entered the house.

"Have no fear, I shall be working from the home for the next few days," Caster said. "Arde's passive skill is enough for her to provide more support for Cranel in the dungeon and the active component is merely a bonus."

"Yay! You're the best, Gil!" Hestia said with a smile.

"…I told you not to call me that…"

"Lady Hestia is so different from Lord Soma that it almost bothers Lily," Lily said as she shook her head. "But, Lily prefers this. It is much warmer."

"I know right?" Bell asked with a chuckle.

And thus ended another day for the Hestia Familia.


	9. Job Offerings

**Chapter 9: Sidequests**

The next morning, after their usual spar, Bell led Lily and Archer to the Blue Pharmacy to restock on their spent potions.

"Good morning," Bell called out. "Is anyone here?"

"…Good morning…Bell," Naza's tired sounding voice appeared from behind the counter as per usual. "Here to restock?"

"Yes," Bell nodded. "We used up a lot yesterday. Oh and some more mind potions as well."

"Oh, good morning Bell."

As Naza pulled out a case of potions, a man with long blue hair wearing some rather patched and frayed robes stepped out from the back as well. The man had a presence similar to that of Hestia, meaning that he was also a god…most likely Miach himself.

"Good morning, Lord Miach!" Bell greeted with a quick bow as Lily and Archer did the same.

"So these must be the new members Hestia was telling me about," Miach said as he looked over Lily and Archer. "Please to meet you."

"Lily is honored to meet Lord Miach," Lily said.

"Likewise," Archer nodded.

"Take good care of Bell, all right?" Miach said with a friendly smile. "He's a good customer and Hestia particularly adores him so it'd break her heart if he got hurt."

"We noticed," Archer and Lily reply at the same time causing Bell to blush and squirm a bit.

"Here we go…" Naza said, as she packaged the potions. "Is this enough?"

"Yes, that is enough," Lily nodded as she held out the money to pay for them.

As she took the bag however…

"FU-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA, I'm coming in!"

The room shakes with a roar of laughter, and as the door is kicked off its hinges.

"You got my money for this month, Mii-ahh-chhh?"

A middle-age god with graying hair and a beard wearing a white robe with intricate gold embroidery appeared in the doorway. Behind him stood a shorter girl around 150cm tall wearing a white and blue uniform complete with a tiny hat on her head.

"Dian…!" Miach muttered with a rather bitter expression on his face.

"I dragged myself all the way out here 'cause you never showed up. Be grateful, you ruined beggar, bwahahahahahaha!" The other god let out another laugh.

In a bad way the god reminded Bell of Caster in the way he laughed arrogantly at seemingly everything…not that Bell would ever say that to the king's face.

"That's Dian Cecht…" Lily whispered to Bell who nodded in understanding.

"I see your shop is just as dusty as always! Gotta make this a quick visit, being here too long's gonna make me sick. Oh, I see misery loves company! Hosting some more beggars so you won't get lonely?" Dian Cecht asked as he glanced over toward the Hestia Familia before promptly dismissing them and turning back to Miach. "Well, Miach? Where's my money?"

"It's-" Miach began but was cut off with another laugh.

"Guess you still don't have it even after I gave you an extension after the last extension!" Dian Chet shouted. "But I'm all out of goodwill! Have the money by tomorrow or I'll take your home to cover your debt!"

With that, the older god let out another barking laugh, sending spit flying everywhere before leaving with his Familia member as abruptly as he appeared.

"Umm…what was that about?" Bell asked. "That was Lord Dian Cecht, right?"

"Yes…" Miach replied with a long sigh. "The two of us don't get along with each other even in Tenkai. It only got worse when we came down to the lower world and set up rival business but then…"

"…Then I ruined everything…" Naza jumped in when Miach's voice trailed off, prompting Bell and Lily to share a glance, recalling the rumor they discussed yesterday. "I also used to go into the Dungeon like all of you…until I messed up…got beaten by a monster…and had my right arm eaten by it."

Somewhere along the line, Archer had placed his hands on both Lily and Bell's shoulders. After hearing what happened to Naza…his grip tightened causing the two to wince a bit, prompting him to quickly ease up as Naza rolled up her right sleeve that was longer than her left, revealing a completely silver arm made of smooth metal that seemed to act just like a regular arm.

"A prosthetic," Archer noted and Naza nodded.

"Lord Miach got it for me after I lost my real one…it's from that Dian Cecht Familia. He practically begged them. Aside from selling potions, they also take custom orders from adventurers and make special items to help their customers. This airgetlám, or 'silver arm,' is one of them."

With a faint clicking noise, Naza flexes her steel arm and fingers to show them how it worked.

"…Is that why there are no other members here?" Lily asked, looking around the dark store.

"Yes…" Miach nodded. "Everyone left after I took out a loan for the arm. They had every right to since I didn't tell anyone about it and I didn't stop them. Only Naza stayed behind."

"Me and a massive loan…" Naza growled…her voice filled with self-loathing. "I can't even fight monsters anymore…I just freeze up so all I can do is help make potions after spending six years to reach Level 2 and getting the Synthesis Development Ability."

"EH!? You're Level 2?!" Bell shouted in surprise. "I never realized that…"

"As I said it doesn't matter…I can't fight monsters anymore so it's useless on me. Everything we owe to that stuck up moron is my fault…"

"Naza."

Naza looked like she was going to continue berating herself but Miach silenced her by simply calling out her name. A heavy silence fills the room as Bell turned around to look at Archer who was looking at the god with a hand on his chin.

"Then?" Archer asked. "What are you going to do now? From the sound of things this loan isn't something that one or two people can come up with overnight."

Bell wondered if Caster was able to help but it sounded as though he was done using his treasures for other people after what Hestia asked him to do. His knife still felt amazingly heavy after hearing its price tag.

"We…do have one idea…" Naza admitted as she and Miach shared a glance. "But you're right. It's impossible with just the two of us."

"I see…" Archer nodded as he picked up the bag of potions that had almost been left forgotten on the counter. "Then I hope you find a solution soon."

"Eh?"

Bell had thought that Archer had come up with a way to help them but it looked as though he had no idea what to do.

"By the way, Lily," Archer began. "Changing the subject for a moment. Is there any other way for Adventurers to make money quickly? I'm tired of relying on Caster's money for nearly everything. Like say does the Guild have bounties or something?"

Lily blinked a few times in confusion at the shift in topic before her eyes widened as she stared at Archer.

"Yes," she replied with a nod. "Sometimes people put out Quests to the guild. Basically, these are requests for Adventurers to keep an eye out for items while they explore the dungeon that the requester, or client, isn't strong enough to get for themselves. The client then prepares a reward for the items and the Adventurer collects it after the Quest is complete."

"Heh…that sounds convenient," Archer nodded as Naza and Miach bounce their gazes back from Lily and Archer. "I wonder if there's a way we can get one suited for Bell's level."

Understanding what they were saying, Bell chimed in.

"Hey, Lord Miach, Naza!" He said quickly. "Do you happen to know anyone who might have a Quest for us? Or rather, maybe you have one for us right now?"

He wasn't exactly proud of his acting skills but right now, he didn't care.

"You three…" Miach began, as if he could barely believe his ears.

"Y-yes," Naza said quickly. "We do have a Quest…two of them actually."

Miach looked at Naza as she returned his gaze again to which he nodded.

"The first one is rather simple…" Miach began. "Though its difficulty is only due to the fact that it's a rare monster on Floor Seven."

"Hmm…when Lord Miach says rare monster…then it's that right?" Lily asked. "A Blue Papillon?"

"Yes," the god nodded. "Basically we need its drop item, Blue Papillon Wings. As much of them as possible."

"Lily understands," Lily nodded. "Blue Papillons are the opposite of the regular ones who spread poisonous powder from their wings and instead spread a healing powder, right?"

"I see…that definitely would work well in a potion then, probably," Bell said with a smile. "Then the second one?"

"…Eggs of a Bloodsaurus," Naza replied, causing Lily to pale in fear.

"B-Bloodsaurus!?" Lily repeated. "Those monsters appear on the thirtieth floor! There's no way we can get those! Even if we could it would take well over a day t even reach that floor!"

"No, don't worry about that, Miss Lily," Miach replied. "There's actually a nest of them up here on the surface."

"That's even worse!"

"…Isn't that bad?" Archer asked, placing a hand on Lily's head to calm her down.

"There's no worry," Naza replied. "You should have learned it from the Guild, right? Monsters on the surface are much weaker than the ones in the Dungeon. Their Magic Stones are so small they might as well not be there. At best, an Orc from the Eleventh Floor could give it a run for its money."

"Then I'll handle that one," Archer said as he turned around to look at the pack on his back. "How big are these eggs? Would they fit in this thing?"

"Huh? You plan on going by yourself?" Miach asked.

"If they really are about as strong as an Orc then I will have no trouble with them," Archer replied. "If they're beyond me then I can get away easier on my own."

"W-well…if you insist," Miach said. "In that case, you can find them in the Deep Forest Seoro near the Alb Mountain range east of Orario. I suspect there wouldn't be more than a dungeon or so eggs. Again, I only need as much as you can carry. Oh and if possible, don't kill them all. It'd be nice to have a renewable resource after all."

"Got it," Archer nodded. "Should probably find a cart…"

"Then we'll handle the Blue Papillons," Bell said as Lily nodded behind him.

"Lily has an idea!" Lily said, thrusting her hand up into the air. "Come on Master Bell. Lily needs to buy something."

"Ah, wait Lily, you don't need to pull!"

And with that, Lily dragged Bell out of the shop.

"Then…please excuse me, Lord Miach, Miss Naza."

With a polite bow, Archer also took his leave.

"Thanks again," Miach said as he waved after him.

"Good luck," Naza called out after him as well.

X-x-X-x-X

After getting a map from the guild and renting a cart from the gates, Archer was on his way to the forest indicated by Miach and Naza.

"Bloodsaurus…" Archer repeated the name of the monster. "…From it's name…is it a dinosaur?"

Although Archer would never admit to it out loud, the thought of seeing a real live dinosaur made him feel a bit giddy. For some reason, compared to dragons which he knew existed both in the Deep Floors of the Dungeon and scattered across the surface (the biggest of which being the One-Eyed Black Dragon), a dinosaur seemed so much more novel.

Tying the cart at the edge of the forest, Archer grabbed an empty bag and slowly made his way into the woods. Almost immediately the surroundings go dark. Each tree in this forest seemed to stretch several meters into the sky and their leaves covered everything in almost total darkness, with only small beams of sunlight making its way through as the floor was covered in vibrantly colored wildflowers and dark moss. One would have to be insane to come here in this wild land at night without preparations.

Taking to the trees, Archer made his way through the forest without any problem, avoiding the smaller monsters that made their home.

Finally, he spotted a wide depression in the ground.

A footprint.

Stopping on his current perch, Archer's eyes scanned the forest until…

"Bingo."

In the distance he could spot three five meter tall monsters looking through the trees as if sensing an intruder. Blood red in color to match their name, the monsters stood on two legs with three jagged toes and had two stubby little arms with two fingers for hands. It's massive sharp teeth poked out of its mouth showing that it was indeed a carnivore.

"…It's like meeting a real life T-Rex…!" Archer said, a smile creeping onto his face before he quickly shook his head. "No…remember why you're here…"

Although Miach asked him not to kill all of them, Archer was sure that just these three wouldn't affect the population at all. Of course, as they were standing around their eggs, he couldn't risk them trampling over them so just killing them where they stood was out of the question. He also couldn't dematerialize as he wouldn't be able to pick up the eggs or his backpack if he did.

"Then…"

The only path left was to lure them out with force.

"Since they are only on the level of orcs…"

There was no need to create anything special. Just the usual arrows should do the trick.

With bow in hand, Archer closed the distance until he was just in range of their vision. The trio of monsters looked up at him just as he pulled back on his bow. The silver arrow zipped through the air and tore through the Bloodsaurus closest to him like its body was made out of paper. In a shower of gore and blood, the monster fell over, rocking the entire forest.

It looked as though Naza was right. Monsters on the surface were all mass and no power. It certainly would explain why it was considered amazing to get even to Level 2 outside of the Dungeon when a surface equivalent of a Floor Thirty monster was only as strong a Floor Ten Monster. Then again, getting to Level 2 was a massive achievement just inside Orario already.

The two remaining Bloodsaurus roared as they charged at Archer in a blind rage. Two more arrows and two more dead monsters. Frankly, it was rather anti-climatic. He had hoped to have had a chance to ride one or at least have them put up more of a fight but…it was like facing the last boss of a video game only to see that it was level 1 when you were level 100.

"Well, if it's easy then it's easy…" Archer sighed as he jumped onto the ground and walked past the corpses. "Wonder if removing the Magic Stone would cause them to disintegrate as well when they were born from eggs rather than the dungeon."

Questions for another time.

Moving past the corpses, Archer found a slope and came across a nest situated between two trees. Like Miach said, there were about a dozen or so eggs here. Glancing at his bag and then at the eggs Archer let out another sigh.

"Guess I'll need multiple trips…"

X-x-X-x-X

"…You really managed to get them…" Miach said as he stared at the five Blue Papillon Wings and a dozen Bloodsaurus eggs in front of them.

"It was simple," Lily said. "Master Bell and Lily just waited until four of them showed up at a pantry. Then we followed them away and took them down before they knew what was going on."

"As for me I found a nest without any parent standing over it," Archer shrugged.

It technically wasn't a lie. The three Bloodsaurus were standing over the nest but around it.

"Thank you," Naza said as her tail wagged back and forth beneath her long skirt. "With this we can make our new potion."

"What kind of potion is it?" Bell asked.

"It's a potion that should be able to heal the body and the mind," Miach replied with a smile. "We'll do our best to finish it up by then so drop by in the morning and we'll save a sample for you as your reward."

"A double mind and body potion!?" Lily asked. "Lily has never heard of such a thing before! W-wouldn't that be extremely valuable?"

"Well…it's going to help pay off our debt so yes," Naza nodded. "But it's thanks to the three of you we got so many ingredients."

"Enough to get a discount on future orders?" Lily asked with a smile.

Miach opened his mouth to respond for for a small thud to sound out from under the counter and for the god to wince in pain.

"Ow ow ow…I uh…sorry, that's not part of the Quest Rewards," Miach said with a wry smile as Lily let out a small "boo" in disappointment. "For now please accept these regular potions before the double one."

"Thank you," Bell said as he accepted them. "We'll be good for a few days with this."

"Please come again," Naza said with a small smile as the three of them said their goodbyes and left with the reward and the satisfaction of completely their first Quest as a Familia.

X-x-X-x-X

"Welcome back!"

When the three of them returned home, Caster and Hestia greeted them at the door.

"Well? How was your day?" Hestia asked.

"We helped the Miach Familia by completing some Quests," Bell replied.

"Miach huh? I heard he was having some trouble with Dian Cecht but it's good to hear that you're helping him out."

"I trust you have been compensated for your efforts?" Caster asked.

"Yes!" Lily nodded. "Twenty Regular Potions and five Mind Potions on top of what we bought earlier this morning. Also Lord Miach promised a sample of their new Potion that should heal both the Mind and Body."

"Hoh…now that is an interesting concoction. We should hope that they are as good as they claim to be then."

"Have you had dinner yet?" Archer asked Hestia.

"Ahh…not yet," Hestia replied, shaking her head. "I know you're probably tired but-"

"No worries. I can get started as soon as I-"

Archer's words were interrupted as the bell from the front gate rang.

As one, they all shared a glance.

"Did you invite some guests over, Goddess?" Bell asked and Hestia shook her head.

"If I did I wouldn't have invited them over in the middle of the night," Hestia pointed out.

Caster turned toward Archer and jerked his head toward the front and the Servant nodded before hurrying back outside while they waited in the foyer.

"Yo Hestia, it's been a while."

The visitor was a god, that much was certain. An orange-haired god with perfect features to match his status though much more effeminate looking than both Archer and Caster.

"Hermes?" Hestia spoke the identity of the god for the sake of her Familia. "What do you want so late at night?"

"Sorry for the late visit," Hermes said with a smile and an apologetic look to Hestia. "But I have a package and a letter for you."

Placing down his pack, Hermes pulled out a box and a letter.

"All right, the first one is for a…Liliruca Arde," Hermes said as held out the box. Then he tapped the letter. "And the letter is for…and I quote, 'The Captain of the Hestia Familia.'"

"Lily is here," Lily said, picking up the box and turned it over in her hands in confusion.

"I will take the letter," Gilgamesh said as Hermes handed the letter over to him.

"All right, delivery complete," Hermes said with a satisfied smile. "Whew, I certainly didn't expect this kind of delivery. I mean, who would have thought both Soma and Loki Familia would want something to be delivered to your little Familia, Hestia. Well then, good night."

And with that, the Messenger God left as quickly as he came, leaving Lily to stare at the box as if it was some kind of bomb while Caster looked over the letter with curiosity.

With the suddenness of delivery, they convened in the dining area for a meeting saved for Archer who was preparing them a late night snack in the kitchen area but he could still hear and participate in the discussion from there.

"First off…let us get the bigger problem over with," Caster said as he turned to Lily. "Open it."

"Yes…" Lily nodded as she carefully broke the seal and lifted the cover off the box to reveal…a bottle of Soma Wine. "Lily knew it…"

"Maybe Lord Soma is trying to make amends?" Archer asked. "You drank the Soma wine and didn't lose yourself to it so he considered it an appropriate gift?"

"Or rather…how much does that cost?" Bell asked, his body shaking slightly. "The failure was worth sixty thousand Valis right?"

"Lily accepts Lord Soma's apology! But Lily doesn't want the wine! Lily doesn't care how much she can sell it for! So Lily humbly offers it to her king as tribute!"

Lily spoke in a quick and rapid tone as she pulled the bottle out and placed it in front of Caster with shaking hands and with her face and arms flat on the table.

Caster paused or a moment before speaking as his eyes went from Lily to the bottle of Soma Wine in front of him.

"That is a gift to you from a god," Caster said, placing a finger on the top of the bottle. "And while this is more than worthy enough to be a part of my treasury, it is not mine to accept."

"But…" Lily mumbled as she lifted her head up and looked at Caster. "Lily doesn't want anything to do with Lord Soma anymore…"

Caster's eyes bored into Lily's before he let out another sigh.

"Very well, I shall hold onto it for you," Caster said as Lily let out a long sigh of relief. "But only until you come of age. Then, we shall open it and drink to celebrate your first steps into adulthood."

Lily looked less than happy that she wasn't completely getting away from what she no doubt considered a cursed wine but she didn't say anything as she sat back up straight and nodded.

"All right…now what does that idiot Loki want?" Hestia asked as Archer set a plate of sandwiches in front of everyone before sitting down properly at the table.

Caster opened up the letter and read through it, his eyes moving side to side silently before a frown appeared on his face.

"It is a notice and a request," he said. "Loki Familia is planning an expedition to the Lower Floors of the Dungeon."

"Ah, that," Hestia nodded. "Loki's captain has gotten rather ambitious lately. He plans these expeditions every now and again and their Familia make deep dives into the Dungeon that last for weeks. But what does that have to do with us?"

"It says that they were forced to abandon their previous expedition when they ran into monsters that spewed out an acidic substance that melted their weapons and they were forced back up to the surface. To mitigate this, they hope to hire Archer alongside a number of Hephaistos High Smiths to repair and maintain their weapons and for Archer to create replicas of their weapons as well as Magic Swords to help push through them."

"I see…" Archer muttered while Hestia was fuming.

"They want to take a Level 1 all the way down to the Lower Floors!?" She shouted, completely ignoring that Archer was not a normal Level 1. "No way! No how! Forget it! She can kiss the bottom of my shoes!"

"You're not wearing any shoes right now, Goddess," Bell pointed out.

"Not the point!"

"They wish to discuss it tomorrow," Caster said as he tossed the letter onto the table. "As they are the ones requesting assistance, they will meet us here."

"We don't even get a say in it, huh?" Hestia growled as she slammed her hands on the table. "Archer! Shoot them down right away!"

"With words, right?" Bell asked.

"I don't care!"

Caster turned to Archer to ask for his input since the request was for him after all.

"To be honest, I want to help," Archer admitted. "If the plant monster that appeared the other day was anything like the kind of Monsters that appear on the lower floors then I'm sure they need every advantage that they can get. However…" he turned to Lily and Bell. "I am not comfortable in leaving you two alone in the dungeon for a week or two. Not that I don't think you can handle it, but I would simply worry because I am a worrywort."

"Lily knew Master Archer is like a Mama," Lily teased as Archer simply grunted, unable to say anything against it. "Master Archer doesn't have to worry though. Lily survived for a long in the Dungeon by herself. She can look after Master Bell and herself without any problems."

"They will have to stretch their wings without their mother hen watching over them eventually," Caster said, getting in on the fun although he kept his face neutral. "Let us hear the details tomorrow before deciding. Meanwhile…" he turned to Bell. "Once you finish your morning training, you and Arde shall head into the dungeon." He then turned to Lily. "You are to use your judgment. I want you to reach the tenth floor but go no further. If you feel as though you cannot make it, do not overextend and return immediately."

"Yes!" The two of them nod in unison again.

"Murgrrr…" Hestia let out another growl before sighing and sliding face first onto the table. "I don't want anything to do with Loki, but if you want to do it Shirou, then I won't stop you."

Archer rocked side to side in his chair for a moment at the use of his old name, telling him that Hestia is definitely not happy about this but he wasn't going to refuse outright without hearing Loki Familia's side properly.

Lily looked confused at the unknown name but a quick whisper from Bell and she nodded her head in understanding. She then whispered something about "Gil" to Bell and Bell turned his eyes at Caster while Lily nodded again.

X-x-X-x-X

The next morning, after being smacked around by Archer for an hour, Bell and Lily headed to the dungeon completely outfitted while Hestia, Caster and Archer awaited the arrival of Loki Familia.

"Why do we have to listen to that flat chested joker anyway?" Hestia grumbled as they waited in the living room with Hestia sitting in a blue arm chair while Caster took an entire couch for himself and Archer simply leaned against a wall as usual. "You're too nice for your own good, Archer."

"If someone is in trouble, isn't it only right to help them?" Archer asked back as Hestia mumbled something under her breath.

"When are they even getting here anyway?" Hestia asked as she shook her head.

Her answer came with the door bell ring with Archer pushing himself off the wall to welcome them in. A moment later, Archer came back with Loki leading a blonde Pallum, a green haired Elf, Tiona and Ais taking up the rear.

"Quite a show of strength against our small Familia," Caster noted to the Loki Familia Captain, Finn Deimne.

"My apologies," Finn replied with a wry smile. "I had initially only planned to take Tiona with me but Loki decided to tag along and we needed more minders."

"Hey Goldy, been a while," Loki said with a smile.

"Goddess Loki," Caster nodded before turning to the others to acknowledge them before turning back to Finn. "Then let us get straight to business. This Familia is still small and not as well off as your own so cannot afford to take too much time off."

"Haha, very well," Finn nodded as he and Loki sat down at the Sofa across from Caster at his gesture. "Simply put, we wish to borrow Archer's magic for our expedition."

"Hoh…is an expedition so trivial that a Level 1's magic can actually make that much of a difference."

"That is what we hope to discern."

"Unfortunately we have little reason to divulge our Familia's secrets to the Familia of a goddess that is at odds with our own."

"That's right so clear out!" Hestia shouted, one foot on the table as she pointed toward the door.

"Aww come now Chibi," Loki said. "At least hear us out over some tea?"

"Tea is for guests! Not for people who invite themselves over at their own convenience!"

"Moving on," Caster said with a cough into his hand. "Is there any particular reason for this expedition? Did you not return from one just recently."

"Well yes," Finn nodded. "But there was a lead to something we were investigating and there is supposed to be a clue on the 59th floor."

"A clue…huh," Caster muttered as he moved his arm and a portal appeared by his side where he stuck his hand into it. "Would it happen to involve this?"

And he pulled out the Magic Stone left behind by one of the plant monsters.

"Well now, you figured it out," Finn said with a smile.

"It is not particularly difficult," Caster said as he tossed the Stone toward Finn who caught it. "But what is in it for Loki Familia to investigate such matters?"

"Well, they seem to be bringing up monsters from the Lower Levels up to the surface," Loki pointed out. "Isn't that enough cause for concern?"

"I suppose so," Caster said, sounding uninterested. "But then…we are drifting from the original topic. Why do you assume that Archer's magic will be of any assistance to you?"

"Archer was able to create an exact…or at the very least…close enough replica to a sword that Ais only had for five days in seconds," Finn said as he turned toward Archer. "And he was able to hold his own rather well against those monsters despite supposedly being only Level 1."

"Supposedly nothing," Hestia said, slamming her hand on the table. "He received the Grace only a few days before Monsterphilia. He can only be a Level 1! We're not hiding anything from the Guild!"

"My apologies, Lady Hestia," Finn said quickly as he held up his hands. "I did not mean to imply as such."

"Hey hey, Archer?" Tiona spoke up as she unwrapped the massive piece of cloth she had been holding onto. "Do you think you can make a copy of this?"

It was a massive double bladed sword that was made out of some extremely high quality metal. Archer glanced toward it and a pained expression appeared on his face.

"Ah? No good?" Tiona asked.

"No, it's not that," Archer said as he held his hand out to the side. "I'm just feeling the pain that those poor blacksmiths must have felt making that thing as well as all the repairs they had to do. _Trace…On…_"

Lightning surged down Archer's arm as something began to take form in his hand.

"_Judging the concept of creation. Hypothesizing the basic structure. Duplicating the composition material. Imitating the skill of its making. Sympathizing with the experience of its growth. Reproducing the accumulated years. Excelling every manufacturing process…_"

At those last words, what looked like an exact duplicate of Urga appeared in Archer's hand causing Tiona to cheer happily while Riveria, Finn, and Loki looked rather shock at it.

Tiona then gave her Urga for Ais to carry as she walked over and took the one from Archer's hand.

"Whoa…it looks just like it," she said did some slow and careful swings as to not hit anyone or break anything. "I wonder if its as strong as the real one though."

"Please do not hit the blades against each other," Riveria said quickly. "You do not want to get on Goibniu's bad side even more."

"Well, looks like that answers that question," Finn noted.

"So it seems," Caster replied with a frown. "But have you not commissioned Hephaistos Familia for weapons with the Unbreakable Durandal trait already?"

"Durandal weapons can still dull even if they can't chip," Finn replied as the Urga in Tiona's hands vanished when Archer held his hand out toward it, causing the Amazon to pout. "By having a source for instant weapons with quality anywhere close to our original ones would be a massive boon for us."

"Very well, then I shall ask one more thing," Caster said. "What is in it for us? As I said, we only have four people in our Familia. Archer is the Familia's veteran front-liner and is watching over the other two's progress as they enter the dungeon. It would be a heavy blow to our finances if we were to lose him for even a week."

"Would a percentage of the drop items and Magic Stones cut it?" Finn offered. "Compared to the Upper Levels, the Magic Stones on the Lower Levels are much more valuable. A single stone can go up to tens of thousands of Valis."

"And with the increase in reward comes with an increase of risks," Caster pointed out as he leaned back in his seat. "But I suppose this will be a good opportunity to raise your Status, Archer. What is your answer? Leave Cranel and Arde alone to their own devices for a while and go on the expedition? Or refuse and keep watch over their growth?"

"…I agree to those terms," Archer said as he clasped his hands behind his back. "To be honest, I've been feeling like I haven't been contributing much of anything in terms of Valis. This could be a chance for me to stop relying on you to pay for everything."

"It is a king's duty to manage the finances of his kingdom," Caster said with a smirk as he waved a hand lazily at Archer who simply grunted. "There's no need to worry yourself over trivial things."

"I refuse to be indebted to you any further than I am now," Archer said simply as Caster simply laughed it off.

"All right!" Loki said as she clapped her hands. "Now that the important stuff's out of the way. How about we relax with a drink? Think you can share some of your stash, Goldy?"

"Unfortunately it is my policy not to hand out a gift to the same person twice," Caster said as he glanced at Hestia. "And I believe you have worn out Goddess Hestia's welcome."

"Darn right you have!" Hestia shouted. "If you're done then get lost!"

"Then please show this pass to the Loki Familia home and you'll be let in," Finn said as he tossed a token at Archer who snatched it out of the air. There was a depiction of the Loki Familia's emblem on it. A cross-legged joker with a card behind it.

"All right. About what time should I head over?" Archer asked.

"Well, we still have some things to handle on our end," Finn said. "If you can come over tomorrow at noon, that would be great."

"Putting this aside right now…is it all right to let someone outside the Familia to enter the Home?"

"I trust that you'll be professional when on the job," Finn said, his smile not leaving his face.

"Hmm…Understood," Archer nodded as he extended his hand to the Pallum who took it without hesitation. "A pleasure to be working with you…although I don't know how much help I'll be."

"No worries. I think you'll be able to help out immensely when the time comes. You didn't lose your head when fighting the plant monsters the other day and even dived in to successfully help Lefiya and Ais. I know you won't be a burden."

"I will do my best not to fail those expectations then."

And with that, the Loki Familia left, with Riveria dragging a depressed Loki who failed to get more wine from Caster.

"Just remember one thing, Archer," Caster said. "You are a member of Hestia Familia, not Loki Familia. Your duty is to return from the expedition alive. Not to die trying to play the hero as you please."

"Your concern is noted, oh King of Heroes," Archer replied with a shrug.

"Archer!" Hestia cut in with a shout as she ran up to Archer and looked up at him. "Please…come back, okay? Don't die down there since Loki's children definitely won't care to bring you back…okay?

Archer's reply was quick and simple.

"I promise."


	10. False Swords

**Chapter 10: True Convictions**

"Lily does't think that going on the expedition is a good idea."

It was evening and both Bell and Lily had returned from the dungeon safely and without any notable injuries.

"So you've been saying all dinner," Archer said as he held out his hand to her and she handed him her empty plate for seconds.

"Lily is serious," Lily said as she took back her now full soup bowl. "Lily has heard horror stories about the Lower Levels. Lily has heard that there are dragons that breathes fire so powerful that they attack Adventurers from an entire floor below."

"You mean like if they're on the fourteenth floor they can shoot up and through to the thirteenth floor?" Bell asked as he swallowed some bread.

"Yes…but Lily thinks they're on the lower fifties. Fifty-eight, Lily recalls."

"Mu…muuu…let's cancel it after all!" Hestia said, shaking with worry.

"It's far too late for that," Caster said as he sipped his drink. "Did I not tell you already? A goddess's duty is to wait and trust her children to come home."

"I know, but I can't help but worry about my children…" Hestia said as she slumped down on the table. "Especially one going with that Loki of all people. Don't let them steal you away form me, okay! Fight your way out if need be!"

"You don't have to worry about me, Lady Hestia," Archer replied. "I won't leave this Familia willingly."

"If anyone has to be worried of being snatched away it would have to be that fool next to you."

Caster spoke up and glanced toward Bell who simply looked confused.

"Umm…how do you mean?" He asked.

"Ah, Lily understands," Lily nods. "Master Bell's growth is abnormal so any god would be interested if they know about it."

"Ah…" Bell nodded, finally getting it. "Don't worry Goddess. I won't go to any other Familia so long as you're here. After all, you're the only one who would accept me into their Familia in the first place."

"Bell…" Hestia looked at Bell with tear welling up in her eyes. She then starts bawling, "You're such a good kid, Bell!"

"Goddess-wah!"

Hestia then jumped over and started hugging Bell tightly.

"Lady Hestia is really clingy today," Lily pointed out.

"She's always clingy when it comes to Bell though," Archer pointed out and Lily agreed with a nod.

"That is not necessarily a good thing," Caster noted. "Those who are loved by the gods…always meet with a cruel fate sooner or later."

"If you're jealous of Bell, you only need to say so," Archer said with a smirk.

"As if," Caster growled before taking a sip of wine.

The next morning, Archer sparred with Bell again and let the boy struggle a bit more before beating him down. Lily was sitting on the doorstep watching without comment as if worried that if she made fun of him she would be the one getting beat down next. She did offer Bell a drink after the session though before the two of them headed off into the dungeon together.

"It's like they're siblings," Archer noted.

"They better stay only siblings…" Hestia mumbled from the behind Archer and he turned to see her resting her head on the windowsill. "I'm the only one for Bell!"

"Yes yes, as you say," Archer said with disinterest as he ran a wet towel across his face.

"Do you think Bell is really going to get better like that?" Hestia asked.

"He is getting better," Archer pointed out. "He's reading my openings better, he's lasting longer each round, he's also incorporating punches and kicks into his attacks, and it's much safer than fighting a monster since I won't kill him even by mistake."

"Hmm…I guess I don't like it because it looks like one of my older children is bullying my youngest…" Hestia said as she let out a long sigh.

"I'm not bullying him," Archer said irritatedly. "He wants to train like this just as much as Caster wants him to-wait…youngest? Bell is younger than Lily?"

"You shouldn't judge a Pallum's age just from their size, Shirou," Hestia teased with a smirk. "It's only by a few months but Lily is indeed older than Bell. She's 15 and he's 14."

"Huh…that's surprising…" Archer said honestly as he folded his arms and cocked his head to the side. "By the way…changing topics for a moment, is there anything you want for lunch? I'll make it before I leave for Loki Familia."

"Ahhh…don't remind me about that," Hestia said as she waved her hand back and forth lazily. "Something that can be heated up easily will be fine. How about that instant rice soup that you guys had in the dungeon? Since I don't want Caster to work through lunch without something to eat as well. Even if you guys don't need food to survive I can at least make sure you eat on time since it's about all I can do to help you."

Archer looked at Hestia's warm and bright smile before letting out a sigh.

"Really, you're the one Lily should be calling 'Mama' not me," he said with a laugh. "All right, I'll prepare some fried rice balls. Just pour hot water over them and they'll be ready…just don't burn down the house."

"Oh come on!" Hestia shouted, all trace of her previous dignity vanishing in an instant. "It was one time!"

X-x-X-x-X

After finishing cooking, Archer left the house with a bag of the fried rice balls hanging from his waist and the Loki Familia pass in his pocket.

The Loki Familia Home wasn't hard to find. Everyone knew where it was, being one of the top three Familias in Orario after all. It was more or less a giant castle situated in the city, making Archer wonder just how much tax they had to pay to the guild every month. Although it wasn't as though the Familia couldn't afford it due to their massive amount of members.

He showed the token to a guard at the front gate and was led to a large yard where various members of the Familia were running around preparing supplies.

"Oh, you're the one, huh?"

Archer saw a man that could basically be described as a short and stout wall of muscle. A dwarf with a rather scraggy looking beard that radiated strength from his very being.

"Gareth Landrock, I presume?" Archer asked.

"That's right," Gareth nodded, extending a strong hand toward Archer who shook it. "And you must be Tiona's sword copier."

"I can do axes too," Archer said, noticing one resting against the wall from the direction Gareth had walked over from.

"Hah! Is that right?" Gareth asked. "You're one with a lot of talents then."

"Not at all. Just one single talent that I can do very, very well."

"Good to hear. I'll be honest, if you can help us out, you'd be saving us a lot of money and be keeping a lot of our youngsters safe. Anyway, since our Captain's off fooling around in the dungeon for a bit, I'll be working with you for today."

Gareth led Archer into a large tent as several people were glancing over, curious as to why Gareth was leading an outsider around.

"What do you make of these?" Gareth asked, showing Archer a table of rather colorful looking daggers.

"These are…_" _Archer muttered as he glanced over the daggers. "Magic Swords. Swords that have magic spells built inside them, right?"

"Oh, you've seen one before?" Gareth asked, impressed. "I thought you were from a new Familia?"

"We are…but our Supporter saved a lot of money before joining us and has one on her person."

"Must have saved up a lot of blood and tears for that," Gareth muttered. "Not too many people treat Supporters very well. You take good care of her, you hear me?"

"Of course," Archer said with a smile. "So what do you want me to do?"

"Think you can copy them?" Gareth asked, stroking his beard. "If not there's no problem, we can just purchase more, but having spares of these can mean life or death….and a fuller wallet."

Archer nodded as he picked one of them up after getting the okay from Gareth and flipped them over in his hands.

Magic Swords.

As he said, Magic Swords have a limit in how many times the spell embed inside them can be used. Once that limit was reached, the sword would shatter, making them last resort weapons at best. After all, taking a weapon that was guarantee to break into the dungeon where everything was trying to kill you was a terrible idea. Not to mention that the spell contained in the blade was also much weaker than the actual spell that could be cast through a mage and a chant.

But if you could make them on the fly…

"Trace on…" Archer muttered as Gareth looked at him curiously.

"Hmm? What was that?" Gareth asked only for Archer's body to start glowing and he took a step back. "Oh!"

_Judging the concept of creation…_

A disposable sword for use of the Loki Familia as they ventured into the Lower Floors.

_Hypothesizing the basic structure._

It was shaped like a simple dagger with a colored blade to symbolize the fire magic held within. It wasn't very strong compared to the spell it was based on but it was useful for what the Loki Familia had planned for them.

_Duplicating the composition material._

A list of metals found on this world and the Dungeon filled his mind.

_Imitating the skill of its making._

_Sympathizing with the experience of its growth._

_Reproducing the accumulated years._

_Excelling every manufacturing process…_

Lightning arc'd around Archer's arms and when they died down…a pair of magical swords looking identical to the ones on the table were in his hands.

"…Seriously?" Gareth asked as Archer shrugged with a wry smile on his face.

"This is the first time I tried it on these things," Archer said holding them out to Gareth. "So I don't know how useful they are. The firepower should be the same but the durability's probably halved."

"No, that's more than enough," Gareth said as he took one and examined it. "Let's see here…oi! Some set up a target!"

Gareth shouted to the gaping audience and several people quickly moved and brought over a wooden dummy that had several broken arrows embedded in it.

Gareth swung the projected Magic Sword in his hand at the dummy and a ball of fire came out of it properly and ignited the dummy without any problems.

"Well, I'm impressed," Gareth nodded. "Strength's more or less the same so that's perfect. Oh…I better mark them so we don't mix them up with the real ones. You know…you could make a lot of money selling these."

"If I did, they would be a scam," Archer said as he snapped his fingers theatrically and the slightly used Magic Sword in Gareth's hand shattered into a million particles of light. "Seeing as I can just destroy them just as easily as I can make them."

"Hah, yes I suppose you would be scamming people if you sold them like that," Gareth nodded.

"I can do a few more though. How many do you think you'll need."

"To be perfectly honest, I'd like one for each member of my Familia but that's probably way too hard on you. So try making ten for now."

Archer did so without any problems, allowing Loki Familia to have four regular Magic Swords and ten Fake Magic Swords.

"Well I'll be…didn't think it'd be that simple," Gareth nodded as he marked the fake ones with colored tape.

"They should last for a while," Archer said as he rolled his shoulders to get out a kink that had formed while he was working. "If they vanish I can make them again before the expedition proper."

"Sounds good, but you aren't pushing yourself right?" Gareth asked worriedly. "Don't want you getting a case of Mind Down. The old elf would yank my ear off."

"Speaking of Lady Riveria…" Archer began. "Is she fine with this? I heard that Elves hated Magic Swords."

"She ain't the type to not use something just because she hates it if it could help the Familia," Gareth answered, storing the Magic Swords away. "She may have her pride, but she's also decided what's more important to her."

"I see…"

"By the way, you think you can look at the Durandal weapons when the smith we ordered them from bring them over?"

"I don't think I should be near someone who can replicate their days long effort in a matter of seconds. They might want to kill me…or make me join their Familia" Archer replied as Gareth let out a bark of laughter.

"I think Tsubaki would try to do both," Gareth said with a smile. "But still…having you around will definitely make this expedition easier."

"I'm just worried about leaving my younger two Familia members alone for that long…" Archer admitted and Gareth let out a laugh as he pounded Archer's back.

"That's just how it is," the dwarf said. "Though you can't be babysitting youngsters forever. They'll never grow if you do. Besides, still got about two weeks before we actually set off. Get them to a level you're comfortable with so that you aren't as worried."

"I do not know if I will ever be comfortable not watching over them," Archer admitted. "My first day in the dungeon with Bell ended with him nearly getting killed by a Minotaur."

"Ah…"

Gareth let out a small noise and suddenly looked uncomfortable as Archer looked at him.

"Ahh…you know…sorry about that…" Gareth said with a chuckle. "That may have been our fault."

Gareth told Archer about how some of his more overeager Familia members scared off a herd of Minotaurs on the way back from their previous expedition and sent them running to the upper floors and they were forced to chase after them before any accidents happened.

"I see…" Archer nodded. "Well, no harm done aside from scaring the daylights out of Bell."

"I'll bet," Gareth sighed, still looking apologetic. "But since you can beat a Minotaur all by yourself at Level 1, that means I don't have to worry as much about you during the expedition."

"I'll stay out of everyone's way as much as possible," Archer said. "Is there anything else?"

"Well…since you're here and done much earlier than expected…how about giving these a go?"

A few dozen spare blades, spears and axes and a frying pan as a joke later, Archer left the Loki Familia home without any problems, even if he didn't actually get to see inside the building itself.

"Well, it was only natural that they wanted to protect their secrets," Archer muttered as he walked down the streets back home.

X-x-X-x-X

"So everything went all right?" Archer asked at dinner time when Bell and Lily returned.

"Yes…for the most part," Lily admitted.

"Lily got jumped by an imp on the tenth floor but the cut was shallow," Bell said. "I'm sorry…we got split when the bats started screeching."

"Injuries are to be expected in the Dungeon," Caster said simply. "The two of you will only disappoint me should you fail to return home from the Dungeon."

Although he said that, both Bell and Lily's shoulders were slumped.

"He's right," Hestia said. "The important thing is that both of you came home safely. So don't worry about it and eat up! I got a lot of leftover jagamaru-kuns today so eat your fill!"

The potato puffs were Hestia's favorite so she always strived to take home any unsold products at her stall. Bell was never really picky so he didn't mind eating them and Lily also liked them because they were extremely cheap and filling at only thirty valis each.

Even so, both of them remained rather depressed as they ate silently.

"What of Loki Familia?" Caster asked Archer, changing the subject.

"The prep work is ongoing," Archer replied. "But they're expected to head out in two weeks. I will be going back and forth during this time to help them prepare their equipment."

"Is this really worth it though?" Hestia grumbled, still not happy that one of her children was helping out a goddess she didn't particularly liked.

"I'm acquiring blueprints for more weapons…" Archer said as he held out his hand and a spear appeared in his hand before being replaced by a pair of daggers and a massive axe. "The Loki Familia Executives' weapons."

Bell finally looked up when the spear appeared and his eyes went from sad to shining in an instant as he gazed upon the weapons of Orario's top Adventurers.

"I see…so your mental library increases each time you gaze upon a new weapon," Caster said, his face twisting into a scowl. "Humph…well, I shall ignore it as it increases the Familia's power. Arde."

"Y-yes!" Lily replied, sitting up straight.

"If you are feeling useless then join Cranel and Archer in the morning. I do not have time for your moping. Instead, make yourself useful and find ways to increase your growth."

"Yes…Lily apologizes…" Lily said as she lowered her head before turning to Archer. "Can Lily join Master Bell and Master Archer in the morning?"

"I think we can squeeze you in," Archer nodded. "We'll make it so that you can shoot Caster's hat right off his head without him realizing it."

"Lily would rather not but Lily wouldn't mind the skill anyway," Lily said as Caster glared at Archer who simply smirked at the king's direction.

X-x-X-x-X

The next day went more or less the same as the first one as Archer created more weapons for the Loki Familia while Gareth watched with a rather complex expression.

"You know…" Gareth began as he examined a near identical copy of his beloved axe. "I'm starting to think we might be underpaying you, whatever it is."

"Well, the effort I'm putting into making these things is more or less non-existent so the cost of labor shouldn't be all that much," Archer pointed out.

"You're going to make a lot of smiths cry with that attitude…" Gareth pointed out as he gave the axe a few practice swings. "Mmm…weight and handling's the same…put them side by side and you probably can't tell the difference unless you're a High Level Smith…I could probably just use your copies if I don't want to ruin my original axe again."

"That thing did look as though it's been through a lot," Archer noted as he looked back at the original sitting in the corner. "…Not as much as Tiona's Urga but…"

"That idiot doesn't control her strength properly so it makes those poor lads in Goibniu Familia cry all the time."

"Hey! Who you calling an idiot!?"

The two of them turned around to see Tiona, holding her hands on her waist, glaring at them with a small pout.

"The dumb Amazon that keeps breaking her hundred plus million custom made weapon," Gareth replied as Tiona stuck her tongue out at him.

"By the way Archer," Tiona said walking up to the man. "Can you add custom things to the weapons you make?"

"It's theoretically possible," Archer began. "But it would also depend on what you had in mind?"

"How about making an unbreakable Urga?"

"That I can't do. The things I make can be broken by me after all. I can't make something unbreakable because I ca always break the things that I create…do you understand?"

"Uhh…maybe?"

"I see…" Gareth nodded. "So you already tried it on a Durandal weapon? Well, I suppose there are limits to everything. Or rather if you didn't have limits on that thing I'm sure a either Hephaistos Familia or Goibiu Familia would have some choice words with ya."

"I'm doing my best to not step on anyone's toes," Archer said honestly. "My Goddess probably won't be able to handle the fallout. Besides, you'd probably get more out of your original than a hastily made copy."

As he said it, he made another copy of Urga and tossed it over to the Amazon who caught it with a twirl of her hand as if the massive blade was nothing more than a gymnast's baton.

"Yeah but no one would get made if I broke a copy and I don't have to keep raking up my debt," she replied, sticking her tongue out as if she was trying to play cute.

"Well…you got a point there I suppose."

"Oh right," Tiona suddenly said as she pounded her palm. "You're only Level 1, right? I know you were fast enough to avoid those New Species but can you hold yourself okay in a fight? Even we aren't bringing anyone below Level 2 on the Expedition."

"From the sound of things he beat one of those Minotaurs you idiots chased up to the Upper Floors a few weeks back," Gareth said as Tiona let out a sound to show that she remembered. "Seems like Ais saw it happen too but didn't really remember it until I asked."

"Ahh…so she was the one I felt nearby back then…" Archer muttered. "Well, I was more concerned about getting Bell out safely so I didn't bother looking."

"Uu…sorry about that…" Tiona muttered, looking actually apologetic. "Well, if you can fight Minotaurs one-on-one then you'll probably be as fine as Lefiya."

"A Level 1 that can fight on the level of at least Level 3…" Gareth muttered. "You live long enough you see the damndest things."

"I can show you the Falna if you think we're lying," Archer offered but Gareth shook his head.

"Don't go showin' off things like that so easily," he replied. "I don't think you're lying…you wouldn't survive in this city long if you were…but the Falna's as important as your life."

Archer nodded as the fake Urga vanished, almost causing Tiona to fall over as she was leaning on it.

"Hey!" The Amazon shouted indignantly as she caught her balance.

"Come to think of it, since you can make whatever you want to fight with, is there anything you consider your favorite?" Gareth asked.

"Duh, it's in his name," Tiona said with a smile. "He's 'Archer' so he probably uses a bow right?"

"Labeling someone like that is rude," Archer said, crossing his arms. "In my case it happens to be true, but still. I also prefer using two short swords in close range as well."

"A bowman, huh?" Gareth muttered as he looked around and saw a target someone hadn't cleaned up after using on the other side of the yard. "Think you can hit that from here?"

Archer glanced at the target and brought up his left hand, allowing a black bow to appear as he took aim at the target. Luckily there wasn't anyone else out in the yard at this time so there was no worry about someone randomly walking in the way.

Well, even if someone did, there was no way Archer wouldn't see them first.

After pulling back on the empty string for a moment, a simple arrow appeared in his hand and he nocked it on the string.

Then in a smooth motion, the arrow whistled through the air and struck the target.

"Ohhhhh…" Tiona said as she clapped her hands. "Bullseye."

"I see…" Gareth nodded. "Around Riviera's level when she decides to pick up her bow. I always considered bows to be useless as a main weapon in the dungeon for several reasons. First off being arrows don't do squat to the higher level monsters unless they're made of stronger material and no one wants to use rare material in potentially one shot projectiles. And the second is that once you're out of arrows, you better be able to pick up sword to keep helping out otherwise you're dead weight. Not that bows don't have their place as distraction weapons of course."

He then glanced at Archer's bow.

"Though if you can just make up your arrows on the fly then there won't be any problems with you using a bow at least."

"Hey Gareth," Tiona began. "If we have Archer with us, do we even need the Hephaistos High Smiths anymore? I mean, if something breaks he can just magic up a new one, right?"

"And if Archer bites it we lose all our weapons," Gareth pointed out. "Not having a single point of failure is important in the Dungeon, especially when we're going that deep."

"Ah…good point."

"Archer is also standing right here and doesn't appreciate his death being speculated about," Archer said with a wry smile as Gareth chuckled and thumped his back with a powerful hand.

"Don't worry," Gareth said. "Stick close to one of us and you'll be fine."

"I guess…by the way…"

Archer turned to the stack of various weapons on the table.

"…Do you plan to keep the unbroken fakes for as long as possible even after the expedition?"

"If you don't mind," Gareth said with another laugh. "Like you said, the cost of labor isn't much, right?"

"Well…I suppose I don't lose anything either way," Archer said with a shrug. "But do remember…that those fakes could disappear when you least expect it once the expedition is over."

Not because they would degrade over time or anything but because Archer could break them whenever he wished. They weren't true permanent items after all.

"Hey Archer," Tiona began. "Wanna try sparring?"

Tiona's suggestion was so out of the blue that even Gareth looked surprise.

"Sparring with a Level 5?" Archer asked. "I'm not so suicidal as to attempt that."

"Come on, I know how to hold back. If you can take on a Minotaur on your own while protecting your Familia member then you should at least be around Level 4 in skill. It won't be that big of a difference."

And that could particularly be a bad thing.

"And if I end up fighting near your level, won't end with you holding back less and then end up breaking a few of my bones?"

"He's got you there," Gareth nodded as Tiona puffed up her cheeks in a pout.

"Stop being so mean!" Tiona said as she went to the back of the tent and started rummaging around a barrel. "Let's see…I know there are a few wooden swords around here somewhere."

Archer simply sighed as he rubbed his forehead with his right hand. Holding his left hand out, he conjured up the image of Urga while altering its base material.

"Tiona."

Tiona turned around just as the altered Urga soared toward her.

"Oh! It's a wooden Urga!" Tiona said happily as she caught it and spun it a few times in her hand. "The weight's about the same too!"

"…Really now…" Gareth said as he rubbed his eye. "Your magic is really something. You aren't overdoing it right? There's no need to humor this idiot Amazon's whims."

"Well, I'll consider it a plus for me too," Archer answered the dwarf as two wooden short swords appeared in his hands. "If I can last against Tiona for a while, then I can survive against the monsters on the Deep Floors long enough for one of you to rescue me."

"…Fair enough…" Gareth admitted. "But we're setting some ground rules."

"Not first to lose weapons, I hope?" Archer said as he dropped one of the blades and formed another one in his hand before the blade hit the ground. "Cuz that's part of strategy."

"…The more and more I talk with you, the more I realize just how versatile that magic of yours is…" Gareth said with a chuckle. "Fine. Go until I say stop or one of you falls flat on the ground."

"Okay!" Tiona nodded as she walked out onto the open yard with Archer waiting across from her. "Ready?"

"Whenever you are…" Archer said, feeling as though he was going to regret this. While he didn't think he was going to lose out right, he had no idea what a Level 5 was capable of after all. Well, they should have plenty of healing potions either way.

"Then go!" Tiona shouted as she immediately closed the distance between them with a single step, causing Archer's eyes to open wide. He quickly brought up his blades to catch the fake Urga mid-swing. The power behind the blow caused his knees to buckle and it was all he could do to keep it from crushing him. "Oooh! Not bad!"

"Are you trying to kill me you crazy Amazon!?" Archer shouted as he reinforced his arms and pushed her off of him.

"Ehh? Come on, that was just a greeting!"

Level 5…it definitely wasn't something to take lightly. They could probably match lower level Servants at the very least…or at least through Tiona's brute strength was a match.

"You sure you're only Level 5?" Archer asked.

"'Only' he says…" Gareth muttered as he shook his head while Tiona simply laughed.

"I feel like I'm only a few days away from Level 6!" Tiona admitted. "That's why you should try going all out, Archer!"

"Well…I won't be able to do that…" Archer said before he disappeared from where he stood.

"Oh!" Tiona let out a small gasp before raising her fake Urga above her head, catching Archer as he slashed downward from the sky above her. "You're pretty fast!"

Then with a swing of her arms, she flung Archer off of her, allowing him to land back down on the grass.

It looks as though there wasn't a way for him to overcome her brute strength if he struck head on and her speed wasn't anything to scoff at either. Frankly the optimal thing for him to do was to retreat and use his bow but this was a spar so there was no need to go that far.

In the second he used to try and plan his next attack, Tiona charged him again and he had no choice but to meet her whirlwind of steel head on.

Honestly, Tiona was one of his worst type of opponents. An opponent who knew his tricks and gimmicks while he was in a situation where he couldn't back off and snipe from range and in a one-to-one contest of strength she trumped him. Not to mention that even though their weapons were made of the same material, her powerful swings were close to shattering the swords in his hand.

But still, Archer was keeping up.

Each blow was being parried even if he couldn't find an opening in her cheerful strikes. If he couldn't find one then he'd have to make one.

Seeing a swing coming from below, Archer jumped back and blocked it, allowing the force to send him flying up into the air. He then threw his blades at Tiona, allowing them to sin and curve like boomerangs toward her.

"Oh!"

With a powerful swing, the two blades break and splinter against the might fake Urga. With that, Archer's body landed on the ground and shot forward toward Tiona like a bullet with two new wooden blades.

"Okay, stop!"

Both Archer and Tiona froze in mid motion at Gareth's call.

"Let's stop here before Tiona smashes the yard," Gareth said as Tiona had been halfway through the motion of slamming her blade into the dirt to kick up rocks to shield her from Archer's attack.

"Ehhh…but it was just getting fun!" Tiona said as her weapon vanished along with Archer's.

"Well at the very least we probably don't have to worry about Archer in the Deep Floors," Gareth muttered as he stroked his beard. "I think I got an idea why you're only a Level 1 despite your magic."

"Really?" Archer asked.

"Your usual weapons are probably some expensive and high quality blades, right?" Gareth asked. "If a Level 1 uses a weapon like that their stats won't go up at all. And since you make them as easily as breathing, it's only natural your stats won't go up except for Magic."

"Ahhh…I get it!" Tiona nodded. "Level 1s usually only start off with basic iron weapons and armor after all. If Archer can make adamantite weapons like Urga and use them then his Status won't go up at all."

"I see…that makes sense…" Archer nodded.

"Let me guess…you got your magic after contracting with your Goddess and the first thing you did was go to one of Hephaistos Familia's High Rank shops and looked through the windows, didn't you?" Gareth asked with a smirk and Archer decided to play along.

"You got me," Archer said with a wry smile and shrug. "I mean…wouldn't you? I didn't even need to get the overpriced Guild Dagger."

"Guild issued equipment huh…" Gareth muttered with a rather faraway look. "That was a very long time ago…"

"Don't get nostalgic on us now, Old Man," Tiona said with a laugh.

"I can't imagine a Level 6 as a beginner Adventurer…" Archer admitted honestly.

"I didn't sprout up from the ground a full grown Level 6 Dwarf!" Gareth said with huff. "I was a snot nosed brat just like the both of ya before. You should have seen how poorly Finn, Riveria and I got along back when Loki was just starting out. That snobby princess could barely work with us."

"Ehh…I can't imagine Lady Rivieria being snobby…" Tiona said as she glanced to the side.

"Well that was almost thirty years ago," Gareth said as he waved his hand. "Way before your time. Great now you got me acting even more like an old man."

"I'm sure you got plenty of decades left in you, Gareth," Archer said with a smile. "By the way…I wanted to ask earlier but…it's rather quiet today, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Gareth nodded. "Finn went to renegotiate the terms with Hephaistos Familia since with you around we don't need as many of their High Smiths now. The others are running around doing Quests or just diving into the Dungeon for Magic Stones."

"I see…" Archer nodded.

Right, aside from weapons, they still need things like food and potions for their expedition. And that would cost a lot of money.

"I stayed behind because being alone with Gareth wouldn't be fun for anyone, right?" Tiona asked as Gareth glared at her.

"Not at all, he's great company," Archer said with a smile.

"Ah! Stop trying to suck up!" Tiona accused to which Archer simply held his hands up in surrender.

"Wonder if those two are doing okay…" Archer muttered as he looked in the direction of Babel Tower.

X-x-X-x-X

"LILY HAS BARELY LEFT SOMA FAMILIA FOR ONE WEEK AND SHE STILL GETS CAUGHT IN TROUBLE BECAUSE OF THEM!"

""WE'RE SORRY!""

"STOP SCREAMING AND RUN!"

Bell was running in the back of the pack of four as he was being chased by a mass spawn of Killer Ants. He and Lily had been making their way through the Dungeon as normal when the two of them heard two screams followed by a stampede of monsters chasing after a white haired Hume Bunny and a black haired Renard dressed in Far Eastern clothing with Soma Familia's emblem.

"AND TO TOP IT OFF IT'S A PASS PARADE!" Lily screamed at the other two.

"It wasn't our fault!" The Hume Bunny countered. "We're the ones that got pass paraded first!"

"S-some idiot Adventurer must have have failed to kill them properly and they called for the stampede!" The Renard added.

"Lily, we're just going to drag other people into this if we keep running this way!" Bell called out. "We have to stop them here!"

"How!?" Lily shrieked. "Master Bell only has a single dagger and Lily's crossbow and dagger can't do anything against this many monsters! Annnhhh! Master Archer where are you!?"

"I-if we can find a spot where you all can protect me, then I can probably use a spell to wipe them out!" The Renard claimed.

"Spell?" Lily repeated. "Lily doesn't remember any mages! If you're newbies you shouldn't be down this far in only a week!"

"We came from outside of Orario!" the hume bunny explained. "We're not newbies who only got their Falna yesterday!"

"Gaaaah! Let's just try it!" Bell said impatiently as Lily seemed too wrapped up in her dislike for Soma Familia to plan properly. "Turn left there!"

They made a turn into a narrower corridor allowing less space for the monsters to swarm them.

"FIREBOLT!"

The red sparks shot out from his hand and burned the closest ants to ashes.

With that breathing room, Lily took up position in front of the Renard who began chanting as a magic circle appeared below her feet. This left Bell and the Hume Bunny as the vanguard who drew out a katana as they faced the incoming horde.

"Master Bell!" Lily called out as she tossed Bell the combat dagger that Archer gave her to which he caught without turning his eyes away from the Killer Ants.

"We just need to buy a few minutes!" The Hume Bunny said as she and Bell charged into the fray.

In a whirlwind of steel the two carved their way into the mass of ants. Even though they could only run for their lives earlier, with the "hope of victory" behind them, they managed to find some courage to face the oncoming swarm.

Bell didn't know when he decided to do so…but simply holding the second dagger in his off hand gave him no small amount of comfort. Was he simply imitating his hero? Pehaps. But even so…he felt it drove him one step closer to that back standing in front of him.

Decapitating the Killer Ants was not enough. Their heads needed to be crushed completely in order for them to not spread out their pheromones…or destroy their Magic Stone to destroy their body completely.

Finally…after around five minutes of non-stop cutting, stabbing and firebolting…

"It's done!" Lily called out as both the Hume Bunny and Bell backed off from the entrance at the same time.

No sooner did Bell get out of the way did a a surge of arcane energy rush past him. A beam of white light enveloped the corridor, vaporizing the rest of Killer Ants…as well as a good portion of their Magic Stones.

"Hah…Lily is alive…" Lily sighed as she sat down on the floor.

"We're sorry for getting you involved…" the Hume Bunny apologized again. "I'm Tsukinokami Kaede and my friend is Shinonome Momiji. As you might have guessed…we came to Orario from the Far East and joined the Soma Familia ."

Kaede the Hume Bunny and Momiji the Renard. Hume Bunnies were a demi-human race with long rabbit ears. Kaede's were white like her hair but a shade darker than Bell's own white hair and had yellow eyes. She was wearing a short and that hung loosely over her uncovered right side and had her chest wrapped up in bandages to which Bell believed was called a "sarashi" in the Far East.

"Nice to meet you both," Bell said as Lily huffed and turned her head away. "I'm Bell Cranel and that's Liliruca Arde. We're from the Hestia Familia."

"Oh, you're 'that' Arde?" Momiji asked as she looked at Lily. "The one who didn't lose to the Soma Wine?"

"Lord Soma has a lot of praise for you," Kaede added with a smile.

"Lily is thankful for Lord Soma's words but Lily doesn't care," Lily said softly. "Lily has nothing to do with the Soma Familia anymore."

Momiji and Kaede shared a glance as if unsure what to say.

"Umm…so why did you join Soma Familia in the first place?" Bell asked. "The two of you didn't seem like the type to go after the wine."

"There's no real reason," Kaede shrugged. "We went to a recruitment drive and after getting into the city and joined up. It seems like they kicked out a bunch of their previous members that didn't like the changes Lord Soma was implementing and needed new members so we joined up."

"Changes?"

"Like the real Soma Wine isn't to be drunk wily nilly anymore. It's only broken out or celebrations and parties like birthdays or a Level Up. Outside of that, Level 2s and up will get a small bottle a month."

The Hume Bunny held her hands out vertically about fifteen centimeters apart. It definitely wasn't an amount that one could drink their fill and was probably meant as a way for the God to limit the consumption and prevent any more mishaps like what happened to Lily.

Bell turned toward Lily who was staring at them in shock.

"…They're not letting whoever gets the most money get a drink anymore?" Lily asked.

"Was that what it was like?" Momiji asked looking rather surprised as her black ear shot up. "That sounds like it must have been awful…"

"Oh but the failed Soma is still free for anyone to drink whenever," Kaede added. "It's really good~ I always love drinking a cup of that after a bath."

Soma seemed to have turned things around tremendously since Lily left. No doubt the god finally decided to take running his Familia seriously after he got an idea of how much someone like Lily had suffered yet still triumphed over his wine.

Lily remained silent fr a while before she stood back up and looked at the mass of Magic Stones.

"Let's…just divide up the stones…" Lily said, pointing to them.

"Ahh…right…" Momiji nodded. "Is 50/50 okay?"

"I'm pretty sure you took out most of them," Bell pointed out.

"Yeah but we dragged you into this…" Kaede said with a wry smile. "So let's just call it even with this."

"Lily and Master Bell will take your generosity then," Lily said quickly to cut off anything else Bell might say.

With that out of the way, the four of them picked up their share of the loot and went their separate ways.

"They seemed nice," Bell said as the two of them decided to return to the surface while the Soma girls wanted to go spend a bit more time on the floor first before heading back up.

"They didn't seem to be lying about Lord Soma…" Lily admitted as they climbed up the steps to the Sixth Floor while passing another party headed down to the Seventh. "But all of that has nothing to do with Lily anymore. Lily is part of Hestia Familia just like Master Bell, Master Archer and Lord Caster."

Lily gave Bell a bright toothy smile as she hurried down the corridor before Bell let out a smile of his own and ran after her.


	11. Master

**Chapter 11: Little Hero**

The next two weeks passed as a routine settled over the Hestia Familia.

In the morning, Bell and Lily would train with Archer before leaving to the Dungeon while Archer would head over to assist Loki Familia.

Bell and Lily made an attempt at the eleventh floor but the spawn rate was a bit tougher to handle than the tenth floor so they retreated and Lily suggested that they not attempt it until Archer returned and Bell agreed.

While he had no trouble taking down the enemies that crowded him, Lily wasn't as fast as he was and his constant worry about her could cause him to make mistakes.

"Having a third person makes a lot of difference," Bell sighed as he and Lily took a break at the steps of the tenth floor.

"Yes," Lily nodded, her false animal ears drooping a bit to match her mood. Although she did not really need to do so any more, she still used her magic as often as possible to increase her Status. "Although Lily has been practicing shooting targets, Lily can't keep up with all the monsters like Master Bell can or shoot as quickly as Master Archer."

"It's fine, I'm the weird one after all," Bell said with a laugh. "Today's the day Loki Familia's going on an expedition, right?"

"Yes. Today means starting today we won't be seeing Master Archer for at least two weeks…"

They had thrown a small good luck party for Archer the previous night at the Hostess of Fertility and Hestia had been crying over him and constantly telling him to be safe as she drunk herself into a stupor, resulting her in being stuck in bed this morning with an irate Caster looking after her hangover and so she didn't potentially drown in her own vomit.

As last minute preparations had to be done, he spent the night at the Loki Familia Home instead of returning to the Hestia Family Home.

"I wonder what we should do for dinner from now on…" Bell sighed, thumping his head against the stone stairs he was resting his back against as Lily's ears shot up in alarm.

"Lily completely forgot about that!" She said as she held her head in her hands. "Lily has taken Master Archer's meals for granted! Lily apologizes to Master Archer!"

"Same goes for me, to be honest…can you cook, Lily?"

"Only a bit…but Lily's meals were small things that Lily isn't sure will fill Lily up anymore…since Lily was desperately trying to save up money to leave the Soma Familia, Lily's food budget was very small."

It was the same with Bell. Though they weren't necessarily extravagant, Archer's meals were warm and filling. Much better than reheated potato puffs in any case.

"…Wanna go back up a bit early, Lily?" Bell asked. "Maybe we can catch Archer on the way back."

"Yes…Lily doesn't have the motivation to continue."

With that said, the finished up the rest of their lunch and packed their belongings and started the long trek back up to the surface. However as they made their way back through the ninth floor…something seemed strange…and deathly familiar.

"Lily…does something feel off to you?" Bell asked, his voice just barely above a whisper.

"Off?" Lily asked, turning to Bell. "How so?

"We hadn't run into a single monster or Adventurer Party since we started heading back…"

Lily's eyes widen as she looked around and spoke in a whisper as well, "Now that Master Bell said it…Lily noticed it too…"

A cold creeping feeling began to creep up Bell's spine. The dungeon on _that_ day…the day he first summoned Archer…

"Master Bell…Lily thinks we should run to the exit," she said, tugging on Bell's sleeve. "It doesn't feel-"

Before Lily could finish her sentence, a low roar echoed in the room and Bell froze on the spot. Lily continued to say something but Bell's mind wasn't there. It had suddenly returned to that day almost a month ago.

And then…_it_ appeared from around the corner. A massive minotaur with a chipped horn placed a hand on the wall as it turned towards Bell and Lily. Bell felt someone calling his name and shaking him but it was no use. With each step the minotaur took the fear in his body grew, paralyzing every nerve and muscle in his body. Just its sheer presence shook Bell down to his very core, removing all thought and action from his mind and body.

It was only when he felt something heavy push him followed by dust and rubble being sent flying everywhere that his eyes began to focus once more. Looking down, he saw Lily's motionless body lying on top of him with blood running down her forehead. Despair took hold in his mind for a moment, thinking that his moment of weakness had cost them her life but he quickly realized that her head had been hit by some rubble and knocked her out. Her bag had been utterly destroyed though and its contents were scattered across the room.

The sight of his injured Supporter sent jolts through his body, springing it back to life and he stood up with Lily in his arms…the thought of failing to protect Lily and returning home to face Hestia, Caster and eventually Archer without her overwhelmed his fear of the monster in front of him.

The monster roared and swung its blade down at the two. Acting quickly, Bell tossed Lily as far away as he could to the side while jumping in the opposite direction as the ground split between them. He then raised his arm up and screamed, "FIREBOLT!"

The red bolts surged forward and enveloped the creature but doesn't even faze it for more than a second as it charged right through and slammed into Bell's body, sending him across the room and into the wall, his armor shattering to pieces around him.

However, by some miracle, he managed to land on his feet as he extended his hand out again and several more bolts of flame shot out at the Minotaur. He had to keep its attention on him. He can't let it turn to look at Lily for even a second. The moment it does, then it would be all over for Lily. He couldn't take another hit like that without any armor so he did everything he could to make sure he would not get hit.

A gleam of steel caught his eye and he snatched it up at as he dodged another attack the same time. It was Lily's blade, or rather the one Archer created for her the same day that Caster joined them in the Dungeon. It was a bit longer than the knife he had gotten from his Goddess but it was perfect for an offhand weapon to use to defend himself.

He realized he was just a bit faster than the minotaur. If he could keep it at a contest of speed, he might be able to wear it down and find a chance to escape with Lily afterward.

"…Master…Bell…"

A weak voice reached his ears. Lily had managed to wake up but her eyes were murky as she struggled to sit up.

"Run Lily!" He shouted as he parried the large cleaver the minotaur was holding. "Get out of here quick!"

To his horror, she just stared at him with tears in her eyes as if she wasn't able to understand the situation in front of her anymore.

He couldn't escape while Lily was here but Lily was also too disorientated to understand that she had to escape as well.

"Run! Get going! I'll be right behind you!" Bell screamed, begging her on the inside to hurry. "GET GOING NOW!"

Tears streamed down her eyes as she placed a hand on the wall to support herself and desperately tried to make her way out of the room with a wail.

That was one problem dealt with, not he just had to keep the minotaur here until he was sure Lily was far away enough. It was slight but Bell felt that the minotaur was much slower than Archer when he was sparring with them. It wasn't as though Archer or Caster ever went full throttle except perhaps Archer at the time of his summoning against the first minotaur but compared to Archer, Bell could see the minotaur's movements just a bit better.

The goal here wasn't to beat it. It was simply to not lose and…

"…The goal wasn't to beat it?" Bell repeated out loud.

Bell leaped back away from the Minotaur as it growled at him. In that instant, Caster's words from the dinner party last night struck him.

"_It would be remiss for you both to rely on ether Archer or myself all the time,_" he had said when Bell said he was going to miss Archer while he was away. "_We are ghosts. Our time has come and gone. We cannot be there to hold your hand on your Adventures. We may lead you, train you, arm you…but we cannot hold your hand as you walk down your path. Just as Arde broke out of the Soma Familia with her own strength, you both must use that same force of will and power to carve your own legend on this world._"

The minotaur's slam barely misses Bell that time but the sheer force of the blow still sends him flying to the other side of the room as he rolls a bit…his head and teeth vibrating in pain.

That was right…he can't rely on that man. He can't go on Adventurers if he was hiding behind that man's back all the time. He had to fight for himself. He couldn't be saved again.

Even though he said that, he suddenly felt calm as something brushed against him.

"You definitely look like you're in over your head. Hang tight while I beat this guy."

That Hero…His Hero had arrived…and Bell was once more comforted by the sight of that man's back. He was saved…again.

But…was this all right?

Was this what he wanted? To be saved over and over by this man?

No.

He didn't want to be saved.

He couldn't allow himself to be saved again

He would never be able to catch up to him this way.

Those thoughts rushed through Bell's head as he reached up and grabbed Archer's wrist to stop him.

"Stop!"

And a red light flashed in the room.

X-x-X-x-X

— A few minutes earlier —

X-x-X-x-X

"Come on, Archer, let me see what else ya got in that noggin of yours."

"I refuse."

Archer was doing his best not to let the half-dwarf smith and Captain of the Hephaistos Familia, Tsubaki Collbrande, get to him but she was doing her damndest to keep him from just ignoring her.

Come to think of it, even though she was only a half-dwarf she was still rather tall compared to Gareth. Not to mention Mia Grand from the Hostess of Fertility was a full blooded female dwarf as well. Were the women simply taller than the men?

In any case, he should worry about the current situation since the smith hanging onto his arm had came to scout him after examining the projected weapons he had given to Loki Familia. It seemed that Gareth told Tsubaki about him when she came over to deliver the Durandal-class weapons she was making for them and she was curious about what else he could do. Not that he was willing to show anything to light her fire even more.

Right now, Archer was walking alongside the top Adventurers of Loki Familia alongside ten of Hephaistos Familia smiths as part of the vanguard for the expedition.

"Hey Finn," Archer called out to the front. "Is it really all right for me to be in the Vangaurd?"

"You can keep up with Tiona, right?" Finn called back with a smile. "I'm sure you'll be able to keep up with the rest of us."

"He better or he'll just be monster chow," the werewolf Bete Loga added. "I don't wanna have ta be picking up after him."

"There it is! Bete's stupid ego is raring up again!" Tiona narrowed her eyes at the werewolf's pompous grin. "Is it even possible for you to be nice, Bete? Do you get some kinda thrill looking down on everyone else? I hate people like that!"

"You got it all wrong! You actually think I like looking down on bottom-feeders? Don't make me laugh! All I do is call it like I see it," Bete responded with a snort.

"Forget about him, Archer," Tiona said as she slowed her pace to match his.

Archer simply shrugged his shoulders in response.

"It's fine," Archer said. "As my Captain might say, it's the weakest dogs that bark the loudest after all."

"Huh?"

Bete stopped and wheeled around toward Archer.

"You wanna try that again?" Bete asked, his face right in front of Archer's.

"That I am looking at someone who used to be too weak to protect anything and now hates looking at people and things that remind him of that time," Archer said. "If you want to encourage people to grow, there are are better ways than yapping like that."

"What the hell do you know?" Bete said with a scowl before he and Archer quickly looked back to the front.

"Sounds like a group of four?" Tsubaki noted as she and Tiona looked around the two white haired men as well.

"Are they running from something?" Tiona asked. "Hey! What's going on!?"

Tiona's shout caused the other party to stop in surprise, having been too worked up at the thing that they were running from to realize that they had nearly ran into a larger group.

"What's the matter?" Bete asked as he walked up toward them with a sneer. "Bite off more than you could chew? Have to ditch a Supporter or two to get away?"

"There was a Minotaur, you moron!"

"…Hah?"

"That walking Bull Monster was prowling on the the Upper Floors!"

The one who looked like the leader of the party shouted at Bete who looked rather flabbergasted at the response.

"…Did we miss one?" Bete asked turning around toward Finn and Riveria.

"That's not possible," Riveria said. "If we had, the Guild would have reported a massive amount of casualties amongst the Low Class Adventurers."

"My apologies, but can you tell us a bit more about it?" Finn asked.

"S-sure…" the leader nodded. "We were exploring the Dungeon, same as always, when we saw it! In one of the passageways between the rooms. He was…attacking some kid with white hair! We'd have done something, but one howl from that beast and-"

"Archer!" Tiona shouted but the man had already slipped his arm out of Tsubaki's grip and was blasting his way through the Dungeon corridors.

Fifth Floor. Sixth Floor. Seventh Floor. Eight Floor.

Bell was on none of them. They hadn't been able to break through to the Eleventh Floor yet so that meant that he should be on the Ninth. Sure enough, as soon as he touched down on the Ninth Floor, he could hear the sound of fighting echoing through all the chambers.

"Archer."

The Sword Princess had caught up to him.

"This is a Hestia Familia matter," he said. "You don't need to help."

"I want to," came the curt reply as she looked around before gasping.

Archer wheeled around just in time to see a bloody Lily crawling out of a corridor.

"Master…Archer…!" She cried out as she tried reaching out to him.

Ais managed to get to her first as she carefully lifted Lily up.

"Lily, are you all right?" Archer asked quickly as he kneeled down beside her. "Where's Bell?"

"Master Bell is…" Lily began, pointing back down the path she came from. "Over in room E-16 and…"

She stopped speaking as a large imposing figure came out of the shadows.

A massive Boaz wearing no armor except for a single plate of metal covering his heart holding a massive cleaver was standing in their way.

"I see…" Archer said, standing up and stepping forward. "Goddess of Love…Freya Familia…" Not just this situation but Monsterphilia's as well. "Caster's nose was right on the money."

"The one with the Soul of Rusted Iron…" Ottarl, Captain of Freya Familia and the only Level 7 Adventurer in Orario. "I challenge you."

Ottarl then took hold of the bag slung over his shoulder and tore it with his fingers, allowing a multitude of weapons to fall from it onto the ground.

"…Have I done something to offend?" Archer asked, magic swirling within his body as he took in each and every blade on the ground while Ottarl picked up the largest of them and pulled it from its sheath.

"You are in a Familia outside of mine," Ottarl said simply. "Is that not enough a reason for me to kill you?"

Archer didn't answer as his expression darkened.

"I don't have time for you…" Archer said as his trusted bow and a black twisted arrow appeared in his hands. "I'll break through even if I have to kill you."

"Archer?" Ais spoke as she carefully set Lily on the side of the corridor and stood up as well.

"Kill me?" Ottarl asked. "You?"

"…No, probably not…" Archer admitted as he nocked his arrow and he pulled back the string of his bow. "But I can still give you a scare."

And like that, he released the arrow.

"_Hound of the Red Plains: Hrunting!_"

And then, in front of the eyes of those present, the impossible occurred.

The arrow was launched forward at over supersonic speeds. The walls of the dungeon around them cracked and the stalactites and stalagmites shattered from the sheer force of its travel speed. But the one who held the title of "World's Strongest" did not flinch as the black sword turned arrow flew close. With an almost lazy swing of his blade, the arrow was knocked aside with nary a second glance, sending it spinning toward a wall…only for the projectile to shoot right back at the Boaz.

Seeing this, Ottarl leaned back to dodge, just as it came close, causing it to slip pass him harmlessly and make impossibly sharp turns to round itself back toward him.

Then, with a mighty roar, Ottarl swung his blade at the arrow, causing it to explode in front of him and covered the corridor with smoke.

No sooner had it been done did a flash of white and gold appear by his shoulder, clearing the smoke with a burst of wind. With a massive diagonal cut, Ais slashed at the man but hit nothing but the flat of Ottarl's blade. One moment Ottarl had struck the arrow coming from behind and in the next his blade was already at his back to defend against Ais's speed.

Then with another strike, Ottarl sent Ais flying back down the corridor. Ais landed on her feet, sliding to a stop in front of Archer.

"Well?" Archer asked as the slightly singed Ottar dusted himself off. "Did that scare you?"

"…There will not be a second time," Ottarl said simply as he flicked off a crack in the metal plate above his chest.

"I would be disappointed in the rank of 'Level 7' if there was one…" Archer said as his favored blades, Kanshou and Bakuya appeared in his hands.

However, Archer had no time to be playing around here. He had to get to Bell as soon as possible.

"Archer," Ais said. "I'll try to give you an opening…go save your Familia."

"Sorry, Sword Princess," Archer said as he charged forward straight at Ottarl. "I leave the rest to you."

"Right!" Ais nodded as she followed right behind him before blasting forward past him in another burst of wind. "TEMPEST!"

Ais struck high while Archer struck low. However, each blow was being blocked by Ottarl's pure swordsmanship backed by no other magic other than the grace he received from his beloved goddess Freya.

Then as Ais suddenly retreated, Ottarl saw something strange. He saw his own blade, the one currently in his hands, swinging toward his own face. Raising his blade, he blocked it but was sent backward from the strength of the blow…his own strength.

Looking up, he saw Archer holding what looked like an exact copy of the blade in the other man's hands.

"…Curious…" Ottar said, looking down at his sword as if to make sure he was still holding onto it. But that was all he could say as Ais and Archer renewed their assault.

With a roar, Archer's strikes with the copy of Ottarl's swords changed target away from Ottarl himself to the dungeon floor, sending up a cloud of smoke.

Ottarl stepped back and swung his blade to his left in a powerful strike, clearing all the smoke in the area in an instant…but his blade cut nothing but the floor as Archer was gone, leaving only Lily and Ais in the area.

"Illusion? No…he was there…" Ottarl muttered as he turned around to look behind him. "… failed, huh?"

"Oh? Fancy meeting you here, Ottarl."

Turning back, Ottarl saw the rest of Loki Familias executives minus Gareth lining up behind Ais who was still pointing her blade at Ottarl while Riveria was taking care of the injured Pallum.

"…Heh, did you actually get him, Ais?" The werewolf asked with a smirk.

"No…" Ais replied, shaking her head. "Archer did."

"…He what?"

Seeing that he failed his objective, Ottarl didn't say anything and instead just dropped his blade where it was and moved to leave.

"…Is there some reason your master trying to destroy a new Familia?" Finn asked when Ottarl walked passed them.

"No," came the reply. "I acted on my own."

And with that, the Boaz left as quickly as he arrived.

"Where is Archer?" Finn asked once he was sure Ottarl left.

"I…think he continued down the path," Ais said, indicating the path Lily pointed at earlier.

"Then we better hurry," Finn said. "Riveria?"

"I have her," Riveria nodded as she picked up Lily in her arms and they ran down the path as well.

When they got there, they saw Archer…standing still with his arms crossed as he watched a white haired boy fight the Minotaur on his own.

"Master Archer?" Lily spoke up. "What are you doing? Hurry and save Master Bell!"

"I can't," Archer said simply. "He told me not to interfere. So I can't."

"…Can't…or won't?" Riveria asked as Archer looked over his shoulder at her, his hands shaking as they rested in his arms.

"Both. That boy is having an Adventure right now. I can't hold his hand during it even if I want to. This is a Hestia Familia matter but…I'd appreciate it if you respect his wishes too."

As he said that, Bell shouted "FIREBOLT!'

Four bolts hit the Minotaur dead on and blocked Bell from view, allowing Bell to get in close. The minotaur swung the blade down blindly at Bell who jumped and brought Lily's dagger up to meet the blade. The dagger shattered upon impact but as it dissolved into light, Bell was able to redirect the force of the blow into his other arm as he slammed the Heestia Knife into the monster's exposed wrist, bringing it down to the ground and with a bloody twist, the minotaur's wrist shattered and was no longer capable of holding the blade in its hand.

With only its bloody roar as a warning, Bell pulled the knife out and retreated as the minotaur swung at him with its empty hand. It tried to stand up but in doing so, dropped its blade which Bell quickly too advantage of. Switching the knife to his off-hand, Bell grabbed the massive blade in his right hand and swung it at the recovering minotaur, cleaving a massive wound in its chest before spinning his wrist and bringing it back for a second cut before stepping back and slashing it once more across the face as he did.

Both fighters then staggered away at each other and stared each other down before they both roared and charged each other. It looked as though he was attempting a suicidal charge but at the final instant, Bell brought the massive blade down on the Minotaur's horn, forcing the Minotaur off balance but at the same time shattering the unmaintained blade. He then got in close and underneath the Minotaur to jab the Hestia knife into one of its open wounds as deep as it would go.

"FIREBOLT!"

A shock wave rocked the Minotaur's body.

The beast's chest expanded suddenly, as if something deep within had exploded, releasing scarlet flames from the wounds made by the shattered weapon. The Minotaur's bloodshot eyes opened as wide as it realized what was happening.

"FIREBOLT!"

One more blast erupted inside the Minotaur's body.

No matter how tough the outside of its body was, the inside of its body was just as soft and weak as any other living creature.

"FIREBOLT!"

Another cast of the spell and the minotaur's body inflated like a massive balloon before exploding in a ball of fire and white ash. Bell's body that had been standing next to the explosion remained relatively unharmed but his shirt and gloves had been burned away, exposing the entirety of the falna on his back for all to see except for the magic and skill slots. All that was left was a half-naked Bell standing rim-rod straight, having passed out on his feet.

"Mind Down…" Riveria noted.

"Tch…that reckless idiot…" Archer cursed as he finally moved his body.

"Bell…Bell!" Lily cried as she followed Archer toward Bell.

Archer carefully picked Bell's unconscious body up in his arms and glanced down at his left hand where two clear lines could be seen while a third seemed to have faded away.

Archer made a sour face before turning back to look at Finn and the others.

"I apologize…but I have to take my Family home," Archer said, lowering his head toward Finn.

"That's fine," Finn said with a wry smile. "But do you mind letting us know his name first?"

"Bell Cranel…" Archer said with his own smile. "Just some stupid kid who dreams of becoming a hero."

Finn chuckled at that.

"Do you still plan on coming with us on the expedition?" Finn asked. "I won't blame you if you change your mind. With your help on the equipment we won't be running out any time soon so I can say you did more than enough already."

"…If possible I still want to go but I think I need a day or two to make sure this idiot's okay," Archer said, indicating Bell.

"That's fine," Finn said looking around. "Tiona."

"Yes?" the Amazon asked as she turned to her captain.

"You mind sticking around for a bit? Archer will need a guide down to the Fiftieth Floor where we'll make camp."

"No problem!" Tiona nodded as she walked over to Archer and the others and looked down at Lily. "Hey are you okay to walk?"

"Y-yes…Miss Adventurer," Lily nodded. "Lily is fine…"

"That's great to hear!"

"Thank you, Finn," Archer said, bowing slightly.

"Like I said, it's no problem. Your Familia comes first after all."

Archer nodded as he made his way back up to the surface with Tiona and Lily following after them.

Once they were gone Bete turned to Riveria.

"You saw them…right?" Bete asked. "His Status."

Riveria didn't say anything as she turned to look at the Werewolf.

"It's not fair if you're the only one who knows what they are!" He shouted, feelings that he didn't quite understand bubbling up to the surface. "That Familia of theirs is completely crazy. First a Level 1 made that bastard Ottarl bleed and now another killed a Minotaur by himself!"

Riveria sighed before speaking.

"S."

"Huh?"

"All of his abilities were S."

As Ais, Finn, Bete and Tione stared at her incredulously, Riveria chuckled softly to herself.

It wasn't the entire truth after all. Certainly…Strength, Defense, Dexterity…those were all S. But Magic and Agility?

SS rank.

"To think something like that exists…" the High Elf muttered, covering her smile with her hand. "This world is full of wonder."

X-x-X-x-X

"…To think that mongrel would do something as foolish as that…"

Caster let out a long sigh as he looked toward Archer who was standing with his arms folded behind his back across from Caster's desk.

In order to stop Archer from saving him once again, Bell had forced him aside with a Command Spell, one of the three absolute commands a Master could give to a Servant to force them into submission or to power them up and achieve victory.

"And to top it all off…the one pulling this nonsense is one of the Top Three Familia…" Caster let out another long suffering sigh. "This is why Goddesses of Love are…"

His voice trailed off as he sat back up straight.

"What of the Goddess and Arde?"

"They're watching over Bell as he sleeps," Archer replied, glancing out the window toward Babel Tower in the distance. "I let the Amazon Tiona Hiryute stay in one of the empty rooms so she can act as my guide back to the Expedition. Last I saw, she was talking to Hestia and describing the fight to her."

"That is fine," Caster said as he waved his hand. "What matters now is what do we do about this blatant attack on our Familia."

"You're going to strike at Freya Familia?" Archer asked, eyebrow raised.

"When the King's kingdom is attacked," Caster said as he pulled out a small container holding what looked like several pills, separated into two different portions with a different color in each portion. A single shake of the container and one of the pills fell out into his open palm. "He must seek Retribution."

"Restricted as you are…you won't last long against Ottarl," Archer pointed out.

"That deluded fool never strays too far from his goddess," Caster said popping the pill into his mouth. "He will not be where we are going."

Archer's eyes narrowed as the golden king's form began to change.

X-x-X-x-X

Llayd was standing guard at the front gates of the Freya Familia Home, also known as Folkvangr, when he spotted something in the shadows.

"Halt!" He called out, spear raised, only to lower it slightly when a small blonde boy stepped out with his hands up. "A kid?"

"Sorry mister!" The boy said, lowering his head. "I just heard that the world's strongest Familia lived here and I wanted to see it for myself…"

"Geez kid…it's almost midnight," Llayd said with a sigh as he scratched the back of his head. "You shouldn't sneak out of your room so late. Your parents would be worried about you."

"…I don't have parents."

Llayd bit back a curse as he winced and turned his head away from the boy. It wasn't particularly a unique tale. Lots of kids get abandoned in this city. Some thrown away by prostitutes, some abandoned by people who just weren't ready to have one…others left behind when their parents didn't come home from the Dungeon. It was the same story one could find anywhere amongst a rather distressing number of the child population in the city.

"I'm…sorry to hear that kid…" Llayd said as he crouched down so he was eye level with the boy. "Look…come again in the afternoon and I'll see if I can't get you a tour, okay?"

"Gee Mister…that's so nice of you," the boy said with a bright toothy smile before his red eyes became sharp as knives. "It's a shame your Goddess is little more than a two-bit whore though."

"Wha-!?"

Before Llayd could react, a blade shot out from out of nowhere and embedded itself into his legs, rendering him immobile as he fell to the ground.

"Now then…let's see here…" the boy said as the guard started screaming in pain.

The boy then tossed up a ball of light and in the next instance, something that looked like a twisted white drill whistled through the air and smashed into the gate, blasting it open. The earth shook as stone and wood and bodies were sent flying into the sky as the boy walked into enemy territory with a smile like he was going on a field trip.

"Let the fun times begin~" the boy said happily as golden portals appeared around him with massive blades of all makes and sizes poked out of them.

The blades shot out in every direction with the intent on causing as much havoc and destruction as possible rather to strike at anything particular. Balls of light were also shot into the air to be used as signals for someone in the distance to shoot explosive projectiles at the large temple.

"It will truly be a night to remember~"


	12. Denatus

**Chapter 12: Summons and Evils**

Two souls were standing beside a bell of a large clock tower as they watched the fire in the distance. It had been about thirty minutes since the flames started and about ten minutes since the sounds of battle and explosions stopped.

"As expected of Freya Familia," the golden haired boy said as he dangled his feet off the ledge with his elbows on his lap, propping up his head. "They reacted rather quickly all things considered."

"…Was something like this really necessary for you to use your youth potion for, Caster?" The taller man wearing a mask that just barely covered the area around his eyes asked.

"Hmm? I wouldn't use something like that for such a trivial reason," Caster said as he reached behind him and pulled out the container holding two different colored pills. "These things are merely a toy. A candy that temporarily reverses one's age to that of a child for an hour. Of course, the mind reverts a bit as well but that is no problem for someone like me…is what I'd like to say but…"

Caster flopped his body over to the side with a long sigh.

"Why do I grow up to be such an asshole?" The young boy cried, causing Archer to hastily let out a cough. "I'm really a pain, aren't I?"

"Well…I'll admit that the older you is the type of person I can't handle most of the time…" Archer admitted. "…Wait, will you remember any of this once the candy wears off?"

"Even if I did, I will probably pretend it never happened either way," Caster replied with a shrug as he sat back up. "Anyway, it's good to let loose every now and again, isn't it? Even if we still held back for the most part to make sure no one died. As expected of the Grace, it has granted every Adventurer some modicum of Divinity with their newfound strength. Well, I suppose if some blowhard could receive low rank divinity just from claiming to be the son of a god then a god claiming you were their child would definitely do the same."

"I'm surprised you even care about that…being careful to make sure nobody died, I mean."

"The city is in a precarious balance between the Familias right now," Caster replied. "Any massive change to the status quo of the top Familia like Freya's could spark a war that would engulf the entire city. Loki Familia is not the only one looking to knock the queen off her throne."

"Who else is there?" Archer asked. "Ganesha?"

"No, Ganesha is the 'Lord of the Masses.' For better or worse, he will not increase his power in a way that would damage the city like a war. No, the other would be…"

Caster's eyes traveled from the dying flames in the distance toward the pleasure quarters.

"Ishtar Familia."

"…I am probably going to sound extremely judgmental…but are a bunch of prostitutes really going to be able to take on Freya Familia?" Archer asked skeptically.

"Prostitutes or not, most of them are Amazons around Level 3 and 4," Caster replied as he started kicking his legs back and forth. "And they will probably be just like that Amazon girl who seems attached to you."

"Amazons huh…" Archer muttered. "And by attached, you mean Tiona Hiryute? She just sees me as a way to make one hundred twenty million valis blade on the cheap."

"…Do you really think that's all there is to it?"

"If I wanted to lie…yeah…" Archer admitted. "She's just an overly friendly 17 year old girl. She can probably make friends with anyone. What?"

Archer stared at Caster who was smiling so brightly at him that it was almost creepy once you remember that this was the same tyrant going on about mongrels not thirty minutes ago.

"Nothing~" Caster said, still smiling before sitting back up straight. "But to get back on topic of Ishtar Familia…the Captain may only be Level 5 but you do remember what Hestia said, right? That they can mysteriously punch well above their supposed Levels. And it's not as though they are all Heroic Spirits."

"…Right…" Archer nodded. "Even so, would that be enough to take on Ottarl? As a Level 7, the entire world knows his name and legend. Whatever Ishtar Familia is using to power their members it sounds like it's a temporary thing and only gives them around a single Level in Status. Otherwise they would have challenged Ottarl already."

"You have a point there," Caster agreed. "So they must have some other plan outside of a frontal assault. And when one thinks of Ishtar, what comes to mind?"

"…The Bull of Heaven," Archer replied.

"Indeed…" Caster nodded, his voice dropping to a low whisper that seemed to even freeze the air around them. "However, the Gods cannot access their divine might in this world…so what is it I wonder? What is her little trump card…and where is she hiding it I wonder~?"

"…Are you planning on destroying the Ishtar Familia?" Archer asked.

"…To be honest, I am not really sure," Caster replied with a shrug. "It's like a rat nestled in the outskirts of my garden. If I ignore it, it may simply live peacefully while occasionally trashing the bushes around it. But if I were to say… light a fire in front of its hole…will it poke its head out to see what is happening?"

"…So this was also a bait for the Ishtar Familia?" Archer asked.

"A king is able to play multiple games at the same time," Caster said with a smile. "Especially such a simple one like this. The Pleasure Quarter is nothing more than an eyesore in the eyes of many people. I would say it is necessary for the stress of the fools who dive into the Dungeon with their heads full of dreams of fortune. However…the head of the piece must be sawed off before it fits perfectly into the rest of the puzzle."

"…All right, I can see how someone like you can grow up into something like that now," Archer said with a sigh as Caster wheeled around toward him with the same expression a child might make if their mother suddenly told him he couldn't have his dessert after dinner.

A look of hurt and despair which only caused Archer to sigh again.

"I'll never get used to this…" he muttered as a pair of tiny hands punched at his leg.

X-x-X-x-X

The Guild was in an uproar.

Three days ago there had been a report from Loki Familia that a minotaur had been sighted on the Ninth Floor and then just after midnight on the same day, Freya Familia had been attacked by an unknown party with the only reports being that the assailant was a single blonde boy that looked about eight or ten years old but it wasn't clear if the were a human or a Pallum. Both were unrealistic as there was no conceivable way a small child could overpower Freya Familia's defenses and the only high level Pallums in the city were Loki Familia's Captain who was deep in the Dungeon on an expedition and a few of Freya's own.

Monsters moving up to floors where they shouldn't be was nothing new but in most cases, the monsters were encountered two floors above or below their recorded origin point. But this Minotaur was spotted on the Ninth Floor, meaning that it had somehow journeyed up from the Middle Fortress. The earliest floor where Minotaurs were usually encountered was the fifteenth, six floors below.

The fact that this was not the first time a Minotaur had been seen in the upper levels was what really made the Adventurers' blood run cold.

The previous incident where a Minotaur had made it to the Fifth Floor had been caused by an accident during Loki Familia's return from an expedition. Guild employees had explained this many times, but Adventurers were not that easily convinced. Some Adventurers claimed there had been a change in the Dungeon's design that allowed Minotaurs to be born in the upper levels.

Eina and her coworkers were unable to dismiss it as an exaggeration as for Level 1 Adventurers, this was a matter of life and death. If monsters from the Middle Fortress were roaming the upper levels, they couldn't work.

The other was harder to dismiss as what appeared to be a small child had run roughshod over several of Freya's best in a single night and the Guild had no clue to the their identity although several witnesses claimed to have heard something flying through the air from one of the larger towers in the city making it sound like there was an accomplice as well. The only silver lining was that while there were several injuries, no one was killed during the attack. It was if someone had wanted to send a message.

Thus the only thing they could do was to post a Quest asking for confirmable information of the attackers.

As Eina rubbed her head, she hoped Bell was all right. She hadn't seen him in four days since he came to say "hi" on his way to the Magic Stone exchange with his Supporter. She hoped he wasn't caught up in any trouble.

"Ah, Eina's favorite Adventurer spotted, twelve o'clock."

Her friend Misha's needlessly long-winded voice caught Eina's attention, and she looked up. Sure enough, the boy's signature white hair stood out immediately from the crowd as he along with his Captain and Supporter, weaved their way toward the reception counter.

"Good Morning Miss Eina!" Bell said once they reached the counter.

"Good morning to you too Bell," Eina returned the greeting with a smile. "And you Miss Arde, Mister Caster."

"Good Morning Miss Advisor!" Lily said happily while Caster simply nodded his head.

"Did something happen?" Eina asked curiously, looking toward Lily and Bell. "The two of you look rather happy."

"This one…" Caster began as he placed a hand on Lily's head. "Is simply happy to have survived an ordeal in the Dungeon. That fool however…"

"I'm Level 2 now!" Bell said with a toothy smile.

Misha who had working behind Eina suddenly lost the paperwork she had been holding, letting it drift onto the floor as Eina herself froze.

"Perhaps we can have this conversation in a place where there are not a hundred different Familias behind us?" Caster asked clamping a hand on the back of Bell's head.

"Ah…yes…" Bell nodded, looking slightly abashed but it didn't do anything to dampen his smile despite Caster's dangerous eyes boring down on the back of his head.

After all, with a Level Up came a new Servant, a new Heroic Spirit to meet and talk with. To learn the ways of a Hero from another true Hero. Why wouldn't Bell be excited about that? Sure having an Alias granted by the gods was also cool but this was going to be another real Hero!

Eina seemed to have regained her composure as she quickly cleared her throat and led them to a private room. Well, private once Caster picked up a binder that had been left on the table and flung it at the closed door, causing the human receptionist that had tried to listen in on the other side scream and scamper away.

"I'm sorry about Misha…" Eina said but Caster waved her off and Bell began his story.

Once he finished, Eina was left staring at him, slack-jawed at his recklessness.

"The Minotaur…" Eina muttered as a long sigh escaped from her lips. "Loki Familia said that it had been defeated but…to think it had been you…"

Eina glanced over toward Lily who was shifting in her seat as she glanced over at Bell.

Well, from the sound of things, it wasn't as though Bell could have abandoned an injured Familia member to die and there was no way he could have escaped the Minotaur while carrying her either.

"But…Level 2 in one and a half months…" Eina muttered as she glanced at the Hestia Familia Captain.

"I fully understand how absurd this is," the man replied with a grunt before handing some files over to Eina. "However, the boy had done the supposed impossible after all. I believe the previous record was one year by the Sword Princess?"

"Yes," Eina nodded as Bell wiggled his body in happiness. As Eina read over the files, she realized that they were Bell's training regime as well as a quick history of what he had been doing in the last month in the Dungeon. Fighting a Silverback on his own...fighting off a swarm of Killer Ants with only one other person...and of course, the Minotaur. It was enough to give Eina a headache. "Well…putting aside the danger you put yourself into…congratulations on leveling up, Bell."

She wanted to chastise him more on his recklessness but she felt she should't get in the way of any Familia rules with his captain sitting right there. From the man's expression though, it looks as though he chastised Bell enough already and it looked as though his words had gone in one ear and out the other due to Bell's euphoria at the Level Up.

"Thank you, Miss Eina," Bell said before pulling out a torn sheet of parchment. "By the way…another reason I came here was also to ask you about this."

He handed her a list and Eina saw that it contained three different terms. Abnormal Resistance, Mage and Luck.

"I see…" Eina nodded, looking rather confused at the final term. "Development Abilities. Well you are Level 2 now so these were bound to show up."

"Yes…I wanted to get your opinion on this."

"Abnormal Resistance" was a relatively easy to gain ability where it helped one resist negative status like poisons and the like. "Mage" was also a common one received by magic users in order to ease the burden on their Mind, allowing them to cast more spells before needing to resort to a potion or suffer from Mind Down.. "Luck" however hadn't been recorded by the Guild before so Eina had no idea what it could mean.

"Lily recommended Abnormal Resistance, Caster said Mage but Goddess insisted Luck was the way to go."

"I see…" Eina nodded, getting a feel for Bell's Familia member's personalities based on said opinions. She glanced at Caster who seemed to understand what she was thinking.

"My insight is only a recommendation," he said. "It is up to the boy to choose his own path in the end. Whether it is the right choice or not is only something one can find out in time."

"Well, what do you think Bell?" Eina asked.

"Well…I mean Mage does sound cooler and would definitely help since I tend to use my Magic a lot…but Abnormal Resistance can save your life in the Dungeon and save on status recovery potions and stuff. But Goddess was really adamant on Luck."

"Lady Hestia only kept saying 'You need this ability!' though," Lily said, making a fist and leaning over the table to mimic Hestia. "Lily thinks it's risky taking an unknown ability though."

"Well…like Mister Caster said the final decision belongs to you, Bell…and I don't want to push you in any direction one way or another but…if you want my advice, I say choose something that aligns with your goals."

"My goals?"

"Yes. Like, if you want to protect yourself better then Abnormal Resistance. If you want to progress through the Dungeon easier, then Mage.. But if your goal is something loftier—to get somewhere that is currently beyond your grasp…That path has nothing to do with mere ability. I believe that Luck might be a better ally when the time comes. Provided that it does exactly what it says it does."

"Yes…thank you very much!" Bell nodded as both Caster and Lily looked at each other.

"Bell is going to choose Luck isn't he, Lord Caster?" Lily asked, eyes half closed.

"Indeed he is," Caster nodded.

"I-I haven't said anything yet!" Bell shouted as he stood up and both of them turned at him with accusing eyes causing him to wither a bit. "But…yes…probably…"

"Well…they say Luck can make up for an abysmal lack of foresight and skill after all," Caster said as he stood up. "Perhaps it is best for a fool like you."

"Caster! That's mean!" Bell cried as he turned to Lily. "Come on, Lily. It's not that bad right?"

"Lily thinks we should return home before Lady Hestia leaves for Denatus if Bell wants to Level Up properly," she answered as she dutifully followed Caster toward the door.

"Guys? Hey guys? Come on! Guys!"

X-x-X-x-X

"Huhu…so you chose Luck after all," Hestia said when they returned home and she proceeded to update everyones' Status. "As expected Bell. You listened to me like a good child. All right, done. You are now Level 2!"

"Really?" Bell asked as he looked down at his hands. "I don't feel any different."

"It's not a feeling that happens where your body becomes overflowing with energy. Nothing that drastic occurs but you should notice the difference if you go to the Dungeon. Like a switch has been flipped."

"I see…" Bell said looking kind of disappointed.

"But Caster…" Hestia said, looking at Caster's sheet. "What the heck have you been up to? Your Status jumped up a dozen points split amongst everything except Defense."

"A king has his own training regime that he follows," Caster said vaguely while Lily mulled over her own new Status. "Although it is hardly the duty of a king, one should cull the garden once in a while after all."

"Hmm…Lily is growing much faster than when she was with Soma Familia but still nowhere as fast as Bell…" she said as she handed the sheet back to Hestia. "Well, it's not as though Lily wants to fight a minotaur herself so she won't let that bother her."

""Good,"" Hestia and Caster said in unison as Hestia handed Bell his own sheet.

"Is there any point in looking?" Bell asked. "It's all back to zero, right?"

"Hee hee hee…I was wondering if I should surprise you after the Meeting of the Gods but you'll probably be diving back into the Dungeon before that's finished so you should probably see it."

Bell glanced down at the sheet and immediately froze.

"Congratulations Bell. You got an-uhh…a skill!"

"Aww…Lily is losing her lead in skills," Lily said but she was smiling and didn't seem annoyed at all about it while Bell was jumping for joy.

"Heroic Desire: Argonaut!" Bell read the name of the skill out. He then froze and turned around to see Hestia and Lily smiling at him with the former looking as though she was about to burst out laughing.

"Really now…" Caster sighed, as Bell let out an embarrassed scream and buried his face into his hands and curled up into a ball on the floor. "You desire to reach the level of 'Hero' so badly that it is now forever engraved into your back and soul. What a helpless fool."

"Please stop…I wanna die…" Bell cried as Lily and Hestia both walked over and sat down by his head.

"Don't worry Bell, Lily thinks Bell is already a hero," she said, kindly patting his head as Bell just whimpered even more.

"You're such a cute kid, Bell," Hestia said as she stroked his head while tears fell down Bell's cheeks. "Besides, what's the problem with idolizing heroes when you actually live with them? Not many people can remain as pure as you after all."

"Stop…please…" Bell said as he finally sat up.

"Enough of your sniveling!" Caster said impatiently. "What are the skill's effects?"

"Uhh…" Bell sat up and looked at his sheet. "It says it charges up an active action…and that's it. What does that mean?"

"Hmm…it sounds as though it powers up your attacks," Hestia said. "For example, if you try charging a sword swing, it might make the effect stronger or maybe it'll let you fire an even bigger firebolt if you charge your magic."

"Is that right?" Bell asked, looking down at his hand.

"Well, you won't know for sure until you go down in the Dungeon and try it yourself."

"But…'Argonaut' huh?" Lily asked as she sported a massive grin. "Isn't that the story of a clueless boy who wants to be a hero, but is easily tricked by the people around him and tried to save a queen only to end up being saved by her instead?"

"Hoh?" Caster let out an inquisitive noise as Bell goes red in the face. "Then it's perfect for someone like you, don't you think?"

"Please stop…" Bell begged as he sank into the floor again.

"Stand boy. You reached the goal set to you of Level 2. Rejoice for I shall allow you to summon another Servant."

That got Bell's attention as he sat up immediately.

"Really!?" He asked, crawling on his knees toward Caster. "I can really do so?"

"Indeed. Call forth those heroes you so desperately chase after."

"All right! Yes! Hurray!" Bell cheered as he started jumping around again.

With that said, they quickly got to work.

Caster began creating the magic circle while Lily and Bell pushed the furniture to the side and Hestia ran up the stairs to get the Holy Grail to be used as a catalyst.

"Lily has always wondered how people like Archer and Caster came here…" Lily said as she sat on the pushed aside sofa. "But…is this really going to work?"

"It will!" Bell said as he jumped up and down in excitement once Caster stood up and made sure his handiwork was correct. "It definitely will work! Though…I'm sad that Archer won't be able to meet them right away."

"Well, we can have a proper party when he returns," Hestia said as she appeared in the living room with the Holy Grail in her hands which began to hum and shine. "Whoa, it's like it knows you want to summon something."

She placed it in on the hearth as Caster stepped back.

"It is done," he said. "Do it."

"Yes!" Bell nodded as he walked up to the circle with his left hand out stretched.

The chant began and Lily suddenly sat up straighter as she felt something course through the room and her body.

_Let silver and steel be the essence._

_Let stone and the archduke of contracts be the foundation._

_Let rise a wall against the wind that shall fall._

_Let the four cardinal gates close._

_Let the three-forked road from the crown reaching unto the Kingdom rotate._

_Let it be filled. Again. Again. Again. Again._

_Let it be filled fivefold for every turn, simply breaking asunder with every filling._

_My dreams form the body_

_Your Spirit shall show me the path as I walk it by my own power_

_And so I hereby swear,_

_That I shall be all the good in the world_

_That I shall defeat all the evil in the world._

_You seven souls who reside at the fate I wish to reach_

_Come forth from the binding circle_

_Oh Keeper of the Balance!_

Towards the end, Bell's hand began to bask in a golden light, with the sound of chimes accompanying it, contrasting the red glow of the circle beneath him before the circle arced with arcane lightning and exploded in light.

Hestia used Caster's body as a shield as the dust shot outward while the King remained undaunted and Lily covered her eyes with her hands.

"…Success," Caster said simply.

There, in the middle of the room between Bell and the grail was a man bent at the knee with a massive blade that seemed to be made out of glowing red ore or crystal. Similar to Bell's combat outfit, the knight in front of him wore a black tunic and black trousers over which he wore pieces of armor. He had massive gauntlets over is arms that seemed to work to amplify the knight's strength and as well as to protect his arms and had several daggers hanging from various metal loops on his waist and legs. He also wore a black mask that that covered the lower half of his face and had what looked to be a pair of glasses over his clear green eyes like Eina.

"Servant, Saber," the knight declared his class in a cool and icy voice. "My True Name is Sigurd. Are thou my Master? If so, please give me your orders and I promise to fulfill them posthaste."

The Servant, Saber, ended his declaration by lowering his head and closing his eyes as he awaited his next order.

Bell however, was too busy staring at the Servant, with sparkling eyes.

"…Master?" Saber opened his eyes and looked up, confused as to why Bell hadn't said anything.

"Ah! Right!" Bell said as he cleared his throat. "My name is Bell Cranel. It's nice to meet you, Saber. Please just call me Bell. Oh and please stand. There's no need to kneel."

"Bell…understood," Saber nodded as he stood up while muttering Bell's name as if to test it. His eyes then fell onto Caster. "And you are?"

"You may refer to me as Caster, o Hero of the Volsunga," Caster replied simply. "You shall heed my orders as if they were your Masters."

"Ah, please do," Bell quickly added. "He's the captain of our Familia after all."

"Familia. Family of the Gods. Understood," Saber nodded as if he understood everything at once.

Whether it was due to his mask or if that was just how Saber was, Bell felt that his voice was rather blunt, distant and cold.

"Then I assume I shall be joining the Familia as well?" Saber asked.

"If you want to, we'd really appreciate it."

"If that is your order, Mast-Bell, then I shall comply."

"No…it's more of a request than an order…"

"…Someone really did pop out.." Lily muttered, staring at the knight with awe.

"And you are?" Saber asked, turning toward Lily this time.

"Ah, Lily is Lily!" Lily replied as she stood up. "Liliruca Arde! Please call her Lily. She will be helping Master Saber as a Supporter!"

"Is that so?" Saber asked with a nod. "Then I shall count on you in the future. By the way…where exactly is the God?"

"Another handsome man…" came a rather distraught voice from behind Caster, causing Saber to blink and glance over at the king.

Caster then stepped to the side revealing the tiny Virgin Goddess of the Hearth.

"You summoned another one!?" Hestia screamed as she ran over and shook Bell. "I thought I told you that I can't be surrounding myself with men all the time!"

Saber stared at the diminutive goddess before turning back to Caster while pointing at her in confusion as if asking if she was really a goddess or not.

"Unfortunately this is the Familia's idiot goddess," Caster said as Bell's head flopped back and forth under Hestia's rant.

"I'm sorry!" Bell cried. "It's not like I can choose who answers!"

"That's no excuse! Wait…are you hiding something, Bell? Don't tell me you're actually interested in-"

"PLEASE DO NOT FINISH THAT SENTENCE, GODDESS!"

"I see…so this is a Goddess of this world," Saber muttered.

"That's right!" Hestia said as she released Bell and allowed him to fall to the ground. "I am the Goddess Hestia! And I ask of you, dear Hero! Join my Familia!"

X-x-X-x-X

_**Sigurd**_

**Level 1**

**Strength**: I0

**Defense**: I0

**Dexterity**: I0

**Agility**: I0

**Magic**: I0

**Magic**:

**Primeval Rune (Warrior)**: Quick cast spells through the use of runes carved onto a surface or drawn in the air.

**Skills**:

**Dragonkind Modification**: Quickly regenerates body after taking severe wounds and temporary increases Strength afterwards. Increases Parameters against Dragons.

X-x-X-x-X

"I see…this is the manifestation of the Falna…the Grace of the Gods," Saber nodded as he examined his Status sheet with a calculating gaze.

With Hestia out taking part in the Meeting of the Gods, the duty of informing the new arrival of how the world worked fell to Bell and the others.

"Indeed," Caster nodded as Saber set the sheet down on the dining table.

"Magic that doesn't require a chant but instead uses runes?" Lily read with a befuddled look. "Lily hasn't heard of anything like that before…as expected of a Spirit. Mortal common sense doesn't apply to you."

Saber made a noise that sounded like a chuckle before drawing a rune in the air as a demonstration which caused the sheet to fly in the air and burn, leaving not even ash behind.

"Now then…" Caster said as he stood up. "Normally I would have the you be baptized by the Dungeon immediately but as your Master requires some time to readjust his body to the strain of powering three Servants, we will postpone it for now."

"Three Servants?" Saber repeated.

"Yes," Bell nodded. "Archer is currently helping another Familia in the Dungeon as part of a Quest, so he'll be gone for a while."

"I see. A shame. I would have liked to meet a fellow knight."

"He will return in due time," Caster said. "For now…I suppose a celebration to welcome you is in order. Let us make our way to the usual pub…"

As per their usual method of celebration, Hestia Familia went out to eat at the Hostess of Fertility.

"Lily feels a bit out of place here…" Lily admitted once they were seated at a table as she looked between the three men. "Like she's the odd one out being the only girl in the Familia."

"Ahaha…sorry Lily…" Bell apologized with a rather dry laugh.

"Oh, did you get a new friend, Bell?" Syr asked as she came over to their table with a tray carrying their drinks. "Care to introduce me to him?"

"Yes, this is Saber, a new member of my Familia," Bell said gesturing to Saber who nodded his head in greeting.

"Another one with a strange name…" Syr muttered before smiling at Bell. "Your goddess really does have strange tastes."

"Ahahaha…"

That's right…from an outside glance it looks as though Hestia was the one coming up with what to call her Familia Members. She even referred to Lily as "Supporter" more than once while in public. With Archer and Caster and now Saber, it could be seen as something like Hestia's hobby for her Children.

"Well if you're celebrating new members, please be sure to order a lot and spend a lot, okay?" Syr asked with a smile and making a gesture for money.

"Ahahaha…"

"You two seemed rather well acquainted," Saber noted, eyes bouncing back and forth between them. "Is she your lover, Bell?"

Saber's question caused Bell to choke and spit up his drink and the two of them quickly turned red in the face with Syr quickly hiding her face behind her serving tray.

"Oh…my apologies," Saber said, understanding the dynamics immediately.

"I-it's not like that!" Syr and Bell insisted at the same time as as Caster threw his head back in laughter.

"As amusing as this is, we are only here for dinner, not a show," Caster said, his smirk threatening to grow as he coughed into his hand. "Three specials, two whole birds…"

Syr nodded as she took the order and left to deliver it to the kitchen.

As they waited, Saber brought up the topic of the Dungeon.

"So…this Dungeon…it gives birth to monsters constantly and is located under the tower located in the center of the city?" Saber asked as he looked at Lily.

"Yes," Lily nodded. "The core of every monster is their Magic Stone. Magic Stones are used to power everything in the world from light bulbs to kitchen appliances. So Adventurers go down into the Dungeon to gather those stones to sell to the Guild for money."

"I see…" Saber muttered as he brought a hand to his chin. "So rather than monster slaying…it would be more accurate to say it is merely a Magic Stone mining operation."

"It takes out a lot of the spirit out of things but…yeah," Bell nodded with a frown. "I suppose you could see it like that."

People go down to make money. They use that money to buy better equipment. Then they use that equipment to go down even further to make more money. That was how this world, how Orario worked.

"How interesting for Adventurers to not go on Adventures in the Dungeon. What about you, Bell? Why do you go into the Dungeon?"

"I want to get stronger," Bell said immediately. "I'm surrounded by so many amazing people in this Familia that I don't want to sit back and be protected all the time. I want to be able to stand beside you…or at least be someone worthy enough to be your Master."

"…Is that so? Then please allow me to assist you on your journey."

"Is that okay?"

"Whether you believe you are worthy of being my Master is irrelevant. You are my Master. So long as you do no evil, I shall follow you to the end."

"The boy would sooner cry then do something that would harm another on purpose," Caster said with a scoff. "You need not worry about him being led astray."

"Saber…Caster…"

Emotions welled up in his heart as Bell lowered his head, trying to hide how happy he was feeling. To be recognized by these heroes, even if it was only a little bit, meant a lot to Bell. It felt as though all the hard work he did was worth it.

As the food arrived, Saber removed his mask, revealing a attractive features that looked as though it had been carved from ice.

"Hmm…not bad…" Saber muttered as he took a bite of the fried fish.

"Isn't it?" Bell asked. "The food here is always good though it's a bit more expensive than I am used to."

"You are used to eating meals that consist of cold fried potatoes leftover from your Goddess's food stand," Caster said as Saber looked on in horror. "Those values of a person living off of dirt should be left in the past and forgotten!"

"Lily thinks that there's nothing wrong with being frugal, Bell," Lily chimed in. "But that's a bit much."

"…Would you like to try some of this fish, Bell?" Saber asked holding the dish out to Bell.

"Please stop looking at me with those eyes…" Bell cried as he chewed on a drumstick. His eyes then darted around as he tried to come up with a change of topics until he spotted the four daggers still hanging around Saber's waist even though the Servant had left his sword behind. "Saber! Um…what is your fighting style like?"

"Fighting style?" Saber repeated. "It's nothing particularly fancy. I strike with Gram until my opponent ceases to move. That is all there is to it."

"Gram…" Caster muttered with a twitch of his brow. "You call that massively overgrown blade Gram?"

"Well…it was broken when I received it. I simply reforged it into its current form."

"Reforged? Master Saber is a Smith as well?" Lily asked as she sipped at her drink.

"I have learned the skills of the trade," Saber nodded as he unhooked one of the daggers and held it up. "The large blade is the main part of Gram, but I also used the shards to create these daggers as well."

"So you fight with both the daggers and the great sword…" Bell muttered thoughtfully.

"Were you thinking of getting something else besides your dagger?" Lily asked.

"Well…daggers are fine and all but something with a little more reach couldn't hurt, right?" Bell pointed out. "That blade the minotaur was using was pretty high quality and made me think that having something like that on hand could help in a pinch."

"And how do you expect to carry a heavy blade while using your standard tactics?" Caster asked.

"Lily can do it," Lily said, raising her hand up. "A heavy blade or two attached to the side of Lily's backpack won't make any difference thanks to Lily's skill."

Caster slowly raised a hand to his chin as he mulled over the suggestion.

Artel Assist. It was not a particularly rare skill or anything, pretty much every full-time Supporter received it to lighten their burdens. It also allowed Supporters to pretty much carry anything and everything they could get into a big enough bag like Lily did. However, even if they could carry it all, it was still big and bulky so most Supporters didn't carry as large of a bag as Lily did.

"I have no further objections to that…" Caster nodded. "However, you are responsible for your own equipment."

"Of course," Bell nodded. "We got some money now from that Minotaur Magic Stone so I think I can buy a new sword along with some new armor."

"Should I make something for you?" Saber offered but Caster shut him down.

"There is no point in giving something created by you to the boy as he is now," Caster said. "It would only hamper his growth should he receive an item far above his level."

"Understood," Saber accepted the explanation rather quickly with a nod. "Then what do you suppose?"

"I guess I'll try talking to the Smith who made my previous armor," Bell said. "His armor really helped in protecting me…even if it did get shattered in the end."

"Something to consider for tomorrow," Caster said. "For now, enjoy the meal."

"Yes!"

X-x-X-x-X

As her Familia were enjoying a meal together, Hestia's battle was only just beginning.

The Meeting of the Gods, Denatus, was a once every three months affair that allowed the Gods to mingle with each other when they usually wouldn't have the time or opportunity to due to being busy with work or managing their Familias. What started off as a simple gathering of close friends spiraled into a more or less official event for the divine…as things often ended up turning out when one dealt with a bunch of bored gods.

The first part of the meeting was an unofficial meet and greet as everyone said hello to long time friends or new up and comers.

Hestia had already said hello to Takemikazuchi, a God of War she happened to be friends with as well as Hephaistos so she was planning to just hang around until the meeting began proper when someone unexpected came up to her.

"Hestia."

"Oh, Soma."

That simple greeting caused the nearby gods to whisper to one another. A few wondered why Soma was here as he usually skipped out on the meetings despite having a few Level 2s in his Familia and others were wondering why he called out to Hestia of all people.

"Is that child doing well?" The normally introverted God of Wine asked her.

"That child? Ah, you mean Liliruca Arde?" Hestia asked as Soma nodded. "Well, she's doing as fine as she can be. She got caught up in that Minotaur Incident the other day."

"The one that showed up on the Ninth Floor?" Soma asked and Hestia nodded. "I see…is she all right?"

"She got a little conk on the head but she's all right now," Hestia assured him before giving him a sly smile. "What's wrong, Soma? You're acting like a parent checking up on a child who finally moved out of the house."

"Is that so?" Soma asked simply, not taking the bait.

"You're not thinking of trying to get her back into your Familia, are you?"

"No. I lost my chance with her already. I believe she will be able to grow properly if she's with you."

"O-oh…I won't let you down then."

"Thank you."

Soma was acting so uncharacteristically active that several other gods were flat out staring at them now.

"By the way…has she drunk it?"

"Your…gift?" Hestia asked, catching herself before she mentioned that it was the Soma wine because she was smart enough to not let that slip at least. "No. It's being saved for a special occasion."

Hestia would swear on her name that the near expressionless Soma actually seemed disappointed that Lily hadn't drank his gift to her but it quickly vanished as he the god nodded.

"I see."

Soma probably intended for his wine to be drunk casually by Lily but he still accepted Lily's decision not to drink it just yet.

"Really Soma, you're actually acting like a dad who gave his daughter away for a marriage."

The conversation was interrupted by Hestia's hated enemy, Loki, who appeared behind Soma and draped her arm around the god's neck.

"You again, Loki…" Soma asked.

"I heard you finally got your head out of that wine jar of yours and started properly reigning in your kids," Loki continued, ignoring the slight glare Soma was leveling her way with a bright smile. "So it's because of this Level 1 Supporter girl who didn't lose her brains because of it then?"

Soma didn't answer but simply shook her off and walked away.

"Hey, I didn't even ask what I wanted to ask-"

"No."

"Tch…"

"Just because he's changed doesn't mean he's going to give his wine away like that," Hestia said, already understanding what Loki was after.

"Hey ya never know," Loki replied with a bright smile as she turned back toward Hestia. "So…your little kid became a Level 2 then?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Where are you finding these children of yours, Hestia?" Loki asked. "You got a brat that broke my Ais's record just like that, you got some crazy kid with a library of weapons he can pull out of his brain and I don't even know where to begin with Goldy."

"I didn't find them they came to me and Bell," Hestia shot back. "Let me say this right now, I'm not using my Arcanum all right? I wouldn't be able to hide it even if I did!"

"Well, ya got a point there," Loki accepted as she folded her arms. "Well, I didn't come here to pick a fight anyway. Just wanted to say thanks again for letting your Archer boy tag along with my kids. It's saved us a lot of money in the long run, even if Ais came into a little boon the other day."

"If I had my way Archer wouldn't be within ten feet of your children," Hestia said honestly. "He just wants to help you out, no questions asked. Because he's a good boy like that."

Loki let out a snort at that.

"But what's the hurry, Loki?" Hestia asked. "Didn't your children go on an Expedition not even a month ago? You're not being hounded by the Guild or anything, are you?"

"Nope, we're just trying ta beat Zeus's record," Loki replied simply. "Not like the Guild's rule of High Rank Exploration Familias requiring ta go on Expeditions ta break their previous records is fair to any Familia that can hit the Deep Floors anyway."

"…That's a thing?" Hestia asked in surprise.

"Yep," Loki nodded. "You may not need to worry about it since you're still at the bottom of the barrel but once you get to Rank D, you need to show the Guild that you are constantly advancing in the Dungeon. Say that the furthest Floor you've ever reached was Floor 20. The Guild requires you to hit Floor 21 and bring back Drop Items from the monsters down there as proof you broke the limit. If I remember right…it was like ten drop items from the same monster or something like that."

"Uwwaaahhh…sounds like a pain in the ass."

"No argument from me. But my kids are already well pass that point so we don't need to do it any more."

Hestia simply shrugged before the two goddesses glanced over around the hall.

"You heard about what happened ta Freya's kids, right?" Loki asked as she lowered her head a bit to whisper into Hestia's ear.

"Yeah…" Hestia nodded. "How can I not? They weren't exactly subtle. It's why Freya isn't here, right?"

"Nah, she rarely comes in the first place," Loki replied offhandedly. "Still, she's probably being begged by her kids to stay home just in case."

"Ishtar seems happy though."

Loki let out a grunt of agreement as they stare at the other Goddess of Love was laughing for some reason or another as a god was letting her step on him with a look of ecstasy on his face.

"You heard anything about the attackers?"

"Nope and I don't want to know. If they can do that to Freya, my Familia won't last a minute against them. So I'm keeping my head low and my nose to myself, thank you very much."

"Well…can't blame ya there."

"…What about you? Will you be all right? If they had no qualms attacking Freya, they probably think they can take you out with most of your kids down on the Expedition, right?"

"I'll be fine," Loki said with a wave of her hand but Hestia could tell she wasn't dismissing the possibility. "They bailed the moment Freya's Level 4s came into the picture so they weren't willing to commit to commit to an extended fight with First Class Adventurers. That kid who took attacked from the front is probably Level 4 or 5 in strength at the least then."

Loki's seriousness worried Hestia a lot so she decided to stop talking about it.

"…I wonder if Evils is making a comeback…" Loki muttered under her breath.

"Daaaah, I'm not hearing anything~" Hestia droned as she covered her ears to try and avoid knowing too much. "I already got chased around the city by a Silverback during Monsterphilia so I don't want to get involved in dangerous things anymore!"

Loki stared at Hestia for a moment before looking to the side as if recalling something before making an annoyed face at the memory and shaking her head.

"All right, all right I'll stop discussing scary thing with ya," Loki said. "It's time for the meeting anyway."

Loki then rang a bell she had by her side and the round hall fell silent for a moment before all the Gods in attendance started moving toward the large circular table in the center of the hall.

"Why do you have that?" Hestia asked.

"Cuz I'm hosting it this time," Loki said with a smile while Hestia felt a migraine forming in her head as she followed Loki to the table but split off to sit next to Hephaistos instead.

"Now then let's get the one thousandth something or another Denatus on the road!" Loki called out once everyone was seated to the cheers of the gods around her. "Everyone's favorite Loki will be hosting it tonight! So to start things off, anyone heard any juicy rumors?"

The meeting seemed to start pretty normally in Hestia's opinion. Her fellow gods were just swapping rumors and news with each other.

One piece of news caught Hestia's attention though.

"Rakia?" Hestia repeated as a frown appeared on Hephaistos's face. "That's where Ares is holed up in, right?"

"Well, more or less," Hephaistos nodded. "You could say that the entire country of Rakia is Ares's Familia ever since Phobos got sent back up."

"Wow…how many thousands…no millions of children are in there? Wait he's planning on invading Orario? Shouldn't that news be a bit more serious?"

"Don't worry about that, Hestia," Hephaistos replied with a smile. "The one with the highest Level amongst his children is only Level 3."

A Level 3 vs a city full of Level 4s, 5s, 6s and sole Level 7.

It would be like Bell trying to go to the Deep Floors on his own without any of his Servants or even Lily as back up.

The sheer ridiculousness of it all left Hestia flabbergasted.

"…Then why is he trying to invade?" Hestia asked.

""""Because he's an idiot!""""

Hestia jumped as the surrounding Gods answered her question for her in unison with bright smiles.

"Ahh…" Hestia let out a noise before lowering her head in thanks for the information.

"All right we'll send what we know to the Guild after the meeting," Loki said as a few gods nodded their heads as if to say they'll take care of it. "Mind if I throw in one other thing? "Recently, a nasty new monster species has been coming out of the woodwork. We saw 'em at 'Philia and now they're even showing up at safety points."

Hestia wondered if Loki was talking about the weird plant monsters that Archer mentioned. The ones with the weird yellow Magic Stones.

"These vibrant little beasties look like someone went at 'em with a paintbrush. They're more than a match for a Second Class adventurer…and damn elusive too. They have a tendency to show up wherever they goddamn well please, whether it's in the Dungeon or even the city itself."

The Dungeon was one thing but they were popping up elsewhere in the city too?

She should make sure that Bell and Lily never go into the Dungeon without Saber from now on. Hestia looked around the table. Was one of the gods in attendance a part of some sort conspiracy?

"_Maybe I should talk to Caster to see if Bell can't summon another Servant, just in case…_" Hestia thought to herself. "_If something happened down in the Dungeon, we could have one Servant hold them off while the other escort Bell and Lily back up to the surface. If Bell could keep two Servants at Level 1 then he could keep four at Level 2, right?_"

She was really regretting letting Archer leave with Loki's children now.

"I'd like to say something too!" A boisterous voice called out. "I am Ganesha!"

"We know, get to the point," Loki said with a sigh.

"No, no, that's not what I meant to say! I wanted to start by apologizing for the debacle at the Monsterphilia!" Ganesha corrected himself quickly as he started randomly posing and flexing while on his chair. "But you must understand—I swear on the name of Ganesha, Lord of Hosts, that those monsters, these Violas, you speak of are not related to my familia! You must believe me!"

Hestia believed him in any case. Caster said that the one who released the monsters had been a Goddess of Love. Hestia's eyes fell onto one of them currently sitting in the Hall.

Ishtar.

However, Ganesha claimed to not have been the one to bring those plant monsters up to the surface so they were probably unrelated…or at least, the plant monsters were not kept in the same area that the Goddess had gone in to release the regular monsters.

"And another thing! Down on the Eighteenth Floor where those monsters appeared, one of my children had been murdered! I have no idea whether the two incidents are related, but I would very much like to avenge my child! If anyone has any information, I ask wholeheartedly that you bring it forward!"

Ganesha seemed to have had it rough as well.

The god was sobbing rather loudly as tears were seeping through his mask and falling onto the table.

"Why…why Hashana!?"

All the gods in the room fell silent as Ganesha continued sobbing.

"Why did you have to die in the middle of having sex!?"

It was like something cracked in the room as all the goddesses who had been feeling some sympathy for Ganesha, Hestia included, froze with their eyes wide open at the declaration.

"To be killed by a hot bombshell of a woman! I'm so jealous!" Ganesha shouted as his body shook with envy. "Why couldn't that have been me!"

"He wasn't killed in the middle of boinking it, moron," Loki said with a sigh.

"Huh? He wasn't?"

"For the love of…"

Loki massaged her forehead as Ganesha sat back down without another word.

Hestia and Hephaistos shared a glance.

It sounded like some details were wrong but Ganesha's child had been murdered nonetheless…and some of Loki's children were in the area when it happened.

"Well, I guess that's it for that," Loki said, wanting to move on from the weird atmosphere Ganesha had kicked up. "Now let's move on to the main event, shall we?"

Hestia swallowed the saliva that had built up in her throat as a cheer rang out in the hall.

The main event known as the Naming Ceremony.

All around her, Hestia noted two changes. The Gods that had multiple Level 2s and above in their Familias were sporting rather depraved smiles like sadistic children ready to pick the wings off of an unsuspecting insect while others who looked to be newcomers just like Hestia were looking rather pale.

Papers were then passed around the table and as Hestia received them, she realized that they were reports of the Children who had Leveled Up.

First off the bat was a child named Seti of Set's Familia.

"P-please have mercy…" the god begged as tears were slowly forming in his eyes but his words fell on deaf ears.

"""""""""We refuse!"""""""""

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

And thus the poor child was given the name of "Burning Fighting Fighter" which could also be read as "Holy Dragon Knight of the Dawn."

To the Children of the Gekai, these names were considered badges of honor that symbolized the hard work and effort that they put into Leveling Up and those that had yet to receive one looked upon those that did with respect and envy.

However, the gods themselves did not view this venerable custom with the same excitement as their arguably old-fashioned children. In fact, they wanted to avoid it like the plague.

The majority of these Second Names or Aliases born from the naming ceremony were names of complete and utter tragedy meant to make the adventurer's patron deity writhe in discomfort.

For the especially mean-spirited gods, seeing an adventurer all proud and haughty about their freshly minted title while their patron deity squirmed in torment was one of the greatest pleasures in all the world and exactly why they couldn't stop.

"…This is madness…" Hestia muttered as Hephaistos let out a soft chuckle beside her.

"Well, I thought the same at first," Hephaistos said with a smile. "Do know that I won't be helping you when it comes your child's turn."

Hestia could only let out a whimper as another goddess screamed in despair as another "death sentence" was given to her child.

Hestia flipped to the next page and saw the portrait of a pretty Far Eastern girl with long black hair.

"Ohh, so it's Take's child," Hestia said as the other gods around her started murmuring as well.

"Let's see…" Loki began. "Since she's from the Far East her surname goes first so…Yamato Mikoto is it? What a high level beauty."

"Black hair is justice after all."

"I think I'll feel bad if we screw with her."

"Right? She seems like a good girl."

"T-then?" Takemikazuchi let his guard down at the praises his dear child was receiving as the light of hope sparked in his eyes.

"You're no good though, Takemikazuchi," a God shut him down quickly.

"Seriously."

"Always flirting around with goddesses and female children alike."

"W-what are you talking about!?"

"I'll take you down a peg with this, Takemika! Fortune Galaxy!"

"No, Saint Sprite!"

"Last Heroine!"

"Stop it!" Takemikazuchi begged as he slammed his hands on the table. "Don't you dare do this to my precious little angel!"

"Angel? Then how about Heavenly Child?"

"""THAT'S IT!"""

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"Hey Dionysus, you finally decided to join us for once. Have you got a suggestion?"

The blonde god mulled it over for a moment as Takemikazuchi clasped his hands together, silently begging the other god for mercy. Alas, his silent prayer was cruelly ignored.

"Zetsu Ei," Dionysus said with a cruel smile. "Eternal Shadow."

""""""AGREED!""""""

"DIONYSUS YOU BASTARD!"

With poor Takemikazuchi finished, the naming ceremony continued on with some of the more veteran and high ranked Familias who would not be "blessed" with the colorful names bestowed upon the lower ranked ones with Hestia stewing in agony as Bell's profile had yet to come up.

"Oh…the Sword Princess leveled up again?" Hephaistos muttered and hestia turned the page to see the quiet blonde girl that showed up in her house a few weeks back along with Loki.

"Heh…Level 6 by defeating Udaeus?" Hestia read. "That's a Monster Rex, right?"

"That's right," Hephaistos nodded. "The Floor Boss on the Thirty-Seventh Floor."

Monster Rex.

Massive monsters that appeared at various points in the Dungeon. They spawn on floors that contained a single massive room that acted as an arena, or one large "Boss Room" as some people would call it.

The closest one was on the Seventeenth Floor and was known as the Goliath. Due to their strength, it usually took them a few weeks to spawn again after they are defeated with the Goliath, the weakest Floor Boss, taking around two weeks to spawn again.

"Aren't these things supposed to be fought with multiple people?" Hestia asked out loud.

"Seriously," another goddess nodded. "Your child's doing one crazy thing after another, Loki."

"Don't need to tell me twice," Loki replied with a wry smile, showing that she wasn't exactly happy at Ais's recklessness even though she did win.

It was probably the same as how Hestia felt when she heard Bell took on a Minotaur on his own.

"Do we need to think of a new Alias though?"

"Maybe Sword Saint?"

"I dunno…it doesn't really fit her I think?"

"Yeah, I've gotten more or less used to Sword Princess."

"I don't know about you guys, but clearly the only viable candidate I see is Our Wife."

"""PERFECT!"""

"I will murder every last one of you in your sleep."

"""FORGIVE US!"""

The especially awful title was rejected by Loki in a heartbeat and it was decided to leave Ais's Alias alone.

Hestia turned to the next page and choked on her own breath.

It was finally Bell's turn.

"…Level 2 in a month and a half?" Hephaistos muttered as the Hall fell silent.

Below the portrait was a list of feats that Bell had done in that short amount of time as collected and reported by the Guild.

Reached the Fifth Floor solo after two weeks.

Successfully escaped an encounter with a Minotaur that had appeared on said Fifth Floor with no injuries.

Held off a mass spawn of Killer Ants on the Seventh Floor with only one other person to allow a Mage to complete their spell.

And of course…

"…He defeated a Minotaur on his own?" Hermes muttered, his eyes opened wide.

"…Your children were witnesses, Loki?" Dionysus asked.

"…Yeah…" Loki nodded.

A list of witnesses had been provided below that feat.

Archer and Lily's names were there along with Finn, Bete, Riveria, Tiona, Tione and Ais.

Putting aside the two people from the same Familia, three Level 6s and three Level 5s had been attendance of the Feat. It was impossible to deny that Bell had done it.

How he had gained the excelia to do so in the first place though…

Hestia knew such questions were running through everyone's heads.

But she ran through the speech and lists of excuses with Caster already. She won't be caught off guard and she'll take _that_ secret with her all the way back to Tenkai with her if she had to. For Bell's sake.

"Well…let's get started shall we?" Loki said as a grin appeared on her face, causing Hestia to break out in a cold sweat. "How about…Little Bunny?"

"Hah!?" Hestia felt a jolt run through her in fear. "Hey! Just because Bell looks like an Al-Miraj doesn't make him a bunny!"

"Al-Miraj? Then how about Blade Mirage?"

"No no, Pyonkichi!"

"Too bad, looks like his armor is already using that name."

"S-someone beat us Gods to it? Who is this Welf guy?"

Hephaistos suddenly twitched as she buried her face into her hands.

"He uses two daggers right? Twin Fang!"

"Oh! Like a rabbit's buck teeth?"

Things were progressing too quickly for Hestia to get a word in and Hephaistos seemed to have taken some damage somewhere and was no longer paying attention either.

Loki on the other hand…Hestia could see that she was all smiles, having made the entire hall focus on Bell's supposed similarity to a rabbit.

"C-can't you just give him something normal?" Hestia begged. "Or maybe even something cute?"

"""""""""Denied!"""""""""

"Ngyuuuuu…" Hestia let out a noise of defeat as the voting came to a close.


	13. Skill

**Chapter 13: Heroic Desire**

"Moonlit Dawn…" Bell repeated with a happy smile on his face. "That's so cool!"

Hestia had returned home looking exhausted and defeated and had nearly fell flat on her face when she came through the doors were it not for Saber catching her and dropping her at the dining table so she could eat her reheated dinner and break the news to Bell.

"As expected of the Gods…their senses are amazing," Lily said happily while wagging her false tail as Hestia chewed on her food bitterly.

"Is something the matter, Goddess Hestia?" Saber asked.

"No…" Hestia replied before burning her face into her hands. "I was just thinking that it was too early for Children to understand."

For the young Bell who had been hoping for a name like "Fire Blizzard" or "Tornado Typhoon" his reaction was one of pure elation.

"Uuu…I'm sorry Bell…I'm sorry Artemis…" Hestia sobbed. "I couldn't protect either of you."

Moonlit Dawn, or the Moon-Eyed Rabbit. Hearing Bell repeat his new Alias over and over again caused Hestia nothing but agony as if the boy was running his knife into her heart with the biggest smile on his face.

Saber blinked before turning to Caster who just shook his head.

"Anyway, Caster!" Hestia said as she sat up straight and wiped her mouth with a napkin. "I was thinking that Bell should try to summon another Servant."

Hestia's request snapped Bell out of his dreamlike state as his gaze started bouncing back and forth between Caster and Hestia.

Hestia repeated her thoughts from the Denatus as Caster listened with a hand against his chin.

"I'm sorry if it sounds like I'm doubting your abilities, Saber," Hestia said, lowering her head once she finished her explanation to Caster.

"No," Saber shook his head. "Bell's safety must be prioritized above all else. Adding another Servant will receive no objection from me."

"Certainly…if these creatures can cripple a Level 3 in a single blow and hold up a pair of Level 5s even if they were without their weapons, they should not be underestimated…" Caster nodded. "To think they spawned elsewhere on the surface without anyone noticing…"

"But…how did they get up to the surface in the first place?" Lily asked. "The Monsters from Monsterphilia were dragged up in cages by Ganesha Familia and they had crowded the entranceway for hours when they did…"

"Right…" Bell nodded. "And Archer said that the Violas were as big as a house. There's no way they could have gotten up without someone noticing, right?"

"They are plant-like monsters, correct?" Saber asked. "Could they have a dormant form? Such as something similar to a seed that can be easily carried on one's person?"

Caster slowly nodded his head as he took in everyone's words.

"It is…unlikely that they would have a Seed as a dormant form," Caster said after a moment's deliberation. "At the very least, not one so small. From the sound of things, these were found in the Dungeon and they are far too powerful to be a monster from the surface. And since unlike surface, the Dungeon Monsters are created full grown by the Dungeon they should not have a 'dormant' form."

Saber nodded his head in understanding.

"Then…what do you suppose?" Saber asked. "If these large monsters can come to the surface without anyone noticing anything from the single entrance to the Dungeon that has people moving in an out at all times."

"You've come up with an answer yourself, have you not?" Caster asked as Saber closed his eyes in response.

"Why do I have a really bad feeling about this?" Hestia muttered as she grabbed the sides of her head and slammed it against the table. "Please don't say what I think you're going to say…"

"There is a second entrance to the Dungeon," Caster and Saber said at the same time as Hestia let out a pitiful whine.

"I KNEW IT!" She cried.

"…A second entrance?" Bell repeated as he and Lily looked absolutely horrified at the prospect.

"Unless the Guild is the one bringing these Violas to the surface that is the only other explanation," Saber replied, pushing his glasses up a bit.

"But that would mean the central pillar of the city has become rotten," Caster continued. "The Guild exists because of the city, for the city. It has no reason to destroy Orario…so at the worst, we are looking at a corrupt official rather than the entire Guild."

"I hope it isn't Miss Eina…" Bell muttered as he fiddled with his hands before shaking his head. "No, it's definitely not her. Someone who cares so much about Adventurers wouldn't want to kill them after spending so much time making sure they survive."

"So…what do we do?" Lily asked.

"…There is no point in doing anything," Caster said. "It is all merely conjecture at this point in time. We will not investigate it as there is little chance you or Cranel would survive the fallout should our enemies learn that we are investigating them."

Once Caster said that, both Lily and Hestia sighed with relief but Bell didn't really like the fact that they were ignoring a potential danger to the city. But then, as Caster said, he wasn't strong enough to take on something that could knock out a Level 3 in a single hit. Even a Minotaur was nothing to a Second Class Adventurer as it wasn't unusual for a Level 3 Mage to kill one in one hit.

"So about summoning another Servant?" Hestia brought the topic up again.

"…Perhaps that will be the best option as we do not have Archer here…" Caster said as if not even taking into consideration that he could get up and defend Bell within the Dungeon himself. "Very well."

Hestia let out a sigh of relief as she finished up the take out dinner from the Hostess of Fertility and stood up.

Following her lead, everyone else stood up as well and headed toward the living area where the Magic Circle was and Bell prepared to summon another hero.

"Remember, Bell!" Hesita said as she pointed her finger at him. "A girl this time! A! GIRL!"

"And I keep telling you I have no control over that!" Bell cried. Most of the heroes he had heard about from his grandfather were men to begin with and female heroes were usually just companions of those men in the first place. Was there a female hero who had her own story? Bell couldn't remember.

He supposed all he could do was pray that a female hero would appear

"_You seven souls who reside at the fate I wish to reach! Come forth from the binding circle, oh Keeper of the Balance!_"

The room erupted in light and smoke once more as Bell covered his face with his arms. Once he felt the wind die down he looked up at the circle and felt his jaw drop.

Standing there was…what should be a Spirit but all Bell could see was a little girl that was even shorter than Hestia. She had white hair similar to Bell's and was staring at him with bright green eyes. She was wearing a heavy black shawl that covered most of her upper body but Bell could see a pair of black shorts and stockings that ran all the way up to her thighs as well.

All in all, she looked like the very image of a simple little girl were it not for the stitched up scar on her right cheek and the one running down her left eye.

Looking straight at Bell, the girl tilted her head for a moment before opening her mouth.

"Assassin, Jack the Ripper," she said causing the hair of Bell's neck to stand on end before she closed her eyes and gave Bell a bright smile. "Nice to meet you, Mommy."

"Heh?"

And just like that, Jack…or Assassin, ran forward and gave Bell a big hug.

"EEEEHHHHHH!?"

X-x-X-x-X

"Umm…" Lily began once the furniture was moved back and everyone took a seat with Assassin sitting next to Bell, still clinging to him. "Is this girl really a Spirit?"

"She is," Saber nodded simply. "Servant Assassin, Jack the Ripper. A well known killer who butchered several women in the streets and was never caught and their identity was never found. The name, Jack the Ripper was merely the moniker the authorities and public used to refer to them"

"…Is that so…?" Bell asked as he looked at Assassin who looked back up at him with another tilt of her head. "Umm…are you actually Jack the Ripper?"

"Yep!" Assassin nodded. "That is Our name. But We don't know if We are the same one that that Mister is referring to."

"Mister…?" Saber repeated blankly.

"…So you did kill a bunch of women then?" Hestia asked.

"Uh huh!" Assassin nodded with a smile. "But none of them were Mommy…"

"And you think Bell is your Mommy?"

"Yep! Master is Mommy and Mommy is Master!"

"I see…" Caster spoke up for the first time since Assassin's summon. "Assassin simply refers to their Master as their mother. A strange quirk but nothing that would get in the way."

"Easy for you to say…" Bell muttered.

"…Does Mommy not like Us?" Assassin asked looking up at Bell with quivering eyes.

"N-no it's not like that!" Bell said quickly. "It's just…I'm a boy you know? So it feels weird to be called Mommy. But if you want to call me that then I'll deal with it."

"Okay!" Assassin nodded. "We love you Mommy!"

"Oh boy…"

"Hey Assassin," Hestia spoke up as she spread her arms out. "If you want a mommy then I'll be one for you. If you join my Familia that makes you one of my precious children just like everyone else here."

Caster let out a soft noise of dissatisfaction at Hestia's claim but Assassin looked from Bell to Hestia before reluctantly releasing her grip on Bell. She then walked over to the smiling goddess who was welcoming her with open arms before diving into Hestia's chest, allowing the Goddess to embrace her.

"Will this work out?" Hestia asked softly.

"Hmm…" Assassin let out a soft whine as she nodded her head while snuggling up closer to Hestia.

"All's well that ends well, Lily supposes…" Lily said with a smile.

"I guess so," Bell nodded with a laugh.

And so, Hestia Familia welcomed their sixth member of their Familia.

X-x-X-x-X

_**Jack**_

**Level 1**

**Strength**: I0

**Defense**: I0

**Dexterity**: I0

**Agility**: I0

**Magic**: I0

**Magic**:

**The Mist: Darkened Misty Metropolis**: Create a poisonous mist that also interferes with the channeling of Mind and can prevent people from entering.

_This is the beginning of Hell_

_We shall be the flame, _

_We shall be the rain _

_We shall be the power_

_Shroud Us and Burn Us_

_Let Us begin the Slaughter_

_Darkened Misty Metropolis_

_The Mist_

**Skills**:

**Presence Concealment**: Completely hide one's presence and becomes almost impossible to be detected. Loses efficiency when preparing to attack

**Murder in the Misty Night**: Erases ones presence completely when attacking from mist or fog.

**Maria the Ripper**: If certain conditions are met, deal massive damage to the target.

The time must be night.

The target must be female.

The weather must be misty.

X-x-X-x-X

"…So what exactly do we call her?" Lily brought the topic up the next morning. "We can't exactly call her 'Assassin' in the middle of the street, can we?"

Said Assassin was enjoying a plate of eggs and fried potatoes beside Hestia who had completely embraced her role as a mother as she wiped Assassin's mouth with a napkin.

"I suppose we'll just call her Jack, right?" Bell suggested.

"Hmm?" Assassin looked up when her name was called. Lily and Bell quickly smiled and waved at her to which she did the same back to them.

"Come to think of it…" Lily began as she turned toward Caster. "Why is everyone just using their titles instead of names?"

"Well…Archer didn't consider his name his name anymore," Hestia explained. "And he introduced himself as such so it kind of stuck."

"Do you honestly think I would give my name out to mongrels so easily?" Caster asked, looking rather insulted at the idea.

"Lily understands now…" Lily muttered. "It just sort of happened rather than some sort of rule…"

Bell and Lily then turned toward Saber who stopped with his fork just in front of his mouth.

"I have no preferences whatsoever," Saber replied. "Saber or Sigurd…either is fine by me. I will answer to both names. Use whichever comes easier for you."

"I guess…Saber then?" Bell asked and the man nodded.

There was no need to change things when they have been already been sort of settled.

"Humph…well, an assassin going by the name Assassin would make for a poor one in any case," Caster said. "We need not have our killer name themselves so easily."

"No!" Hestia said as she suddenly hugged Assassin's head causing some food to fly out of her mouth. "I've only had Jackie for a few hours but if anything were to happen to her…I'll…I'll…!"

"Yes yes, we get it," Caster said irritably as Assassin reached over to her fork and brought more food into her mouth despite still being cradled by Hestia.

"At least she's being affectionate to someone other than me now, haha…" Bell said with a chuckle.

"And Jack doesn't try to escape like you do," Lily pointed out with a smirk, prompting another chuckle from Bell. "Anyway…today you're going to Babel to look for some new armor, right?"

"Yeah," Bell nodded. "Hopefully I can find some more armor made from the same Smith that made me last one."

"Then Lily will take Master Saber and Jack to the Guild to register."

"Register?" Assassin asked as Hestia finally released her head.

"That's right," Hestia said as she rubbed Jack's head. "You need to register if you want to go with Bell into the Dungeon."

Assassin nodded her head in understanding as she finished her glass of juice.

"Understood," Saber said as he cleared the last of his breakfast from his plate. "Shall we head out then?"

With a nod everyone except Caster and Hestia stood up and headed out of the kitchen with Assassin rushing straight out the front door while Lily and Bell went to get changed.

"Yay! It's bright!" She cheered as she ran out the front gate and stopped as she looked around the street.

"Do be careful," Saber said as he walked up to her, his blades materializing around his waist and on his back.

He knew that Assassin had four strange looking knives under her shawl as well as two rather large meat cleavers that a child really shouldn't be running around with so he wasn't worried for her safety but it would worry everyone if she were to get lost.

However, Assassin was simply standing on the street, staring off into the distance as if in some sort of trance.

Saber turned his gaze to the same direction she was looking at and saw nothing particularly out of the ordinary.

Just a mother holding onto the hand of her child while walking down the street.

…

Servants were supposed to be summoned in their prime. The one in front of Saber right now seemed even younger than his Master.

If this was the prime of her life, exactly how short had it been?

Saber quickly shook his head and looked back at Assassin who was still staring at the mother/child combo. Even with the intelligence of a dragon, Saber had no idea what to do.

"Sorry, did we make you wait?" Bell called out as he came out of the door with Lily behind him.

"No…" Saber said quickly. "We were just…looking at the city."

"Is that so?" Bell said as he walked up to Assassin without a clue and grabbed her hand, jolting her from her trance. "Then let's go. I'll show you to the Guild."

Assassin lifted up her hand which was firmly held in Bell's and looked from it to the boy's smiling face before breaking out into a smile of her own as he led her down the street, leaving a rather stunned Saber frozen in place.

"Is something wrong, Master Saber?" Lily asked as she peered up at him from under her hood.

"No…" Saber said as he adjusted his lenses. "I was simply thinking that I still have much to learn."

"Hmm?"

"Do not worry. Let us move on."

X-x-X-x-X

Once they arrived at the Guild, Bell split off to head to Babel Tower and shop for his new armor, leaving the newbies in Lily's capable hands.

Walking inside, Lily kept a hold of Assassin's hand to make sure she didn't get lost as they waited in line for the receptionist.

"Hmm…Lily doesn't see the usual Advisor today," Lily said as she peered around the line. "Oh…Lily sees someone she recognizes though."

As the line moved forward, Lily and the two Servants reached the reception desk in no time at all.

"Good morning," Lily greeted the pink haired human with a smile.

"Oh…you're from Eina's little brother's Familia, aren't you?" the woman asked.

"…Little brother?" Lily repeated.

"Ah, no…I know he's not really her little brother. She just tends to treat him like one."

"Hah…"

The woman, seeing Lily's confusion quickly cleared her throat and put on a professional smile.

"A-anyway…welcome to the Guild, dear Adventurers. My name is Misha Flott. How can I assist you today."

"Ah…yes…Lily would like to register two new members to our Familia."

She then indicated Saber and Jack, the former lowering his head slightly while the latter responded with a wave.

"Wow…that Familia's just getting more and more hot guys joining…" Misha muttered under her breath as she pulled out some registration forms from the desk behind her. "Ahem! Very well, please fill out these forms."

Lily nodded as she took the two over to an empty booth and helped them fill the form out. Or in the case of Jack, fill it out for her as she didn't know how to write.

"…It does not seem very detailed," Saber noted as he scanned through the form.

"Familias have their secrets," Lily replied. "The Guild only really needs the name and Level of the Adventurer. Everything else is just details. However, the Guild has no right to know an Adventurer's skills or magic so they don't ask for it. An Adventurer's Status is their life so do not show it to anyone. Understand?"

"Status…that is what is on Our backs, right?" Assassin asked as she tried reaching around to pat herself on the back where her Status was located.

"That's right,"Lily said with a nod. "So Jack, make sure no one ever sees it. It is as important as protecting Bell and Goddess Hestia, understand?"

"As important as protecting Master and Mommy Hestia, got it," Assassin nodded. "We won't let anyone see what's on Our back."

Once that was done, they received a simple orientation from Misha and then Saber and Assassin were now officially registered Adventurers.

"I see…" Saber muttered as he followed behind Lily and Assassin down the street as Lily was leading them around on a tour. "So many different peoples living in the same city. Orario is truly the center of the world."

"Lily thinks any place that is a center of trade will have all sorts races living together," Lily said.

"Hey hey, Lily," Assassin said as she tugged on the shorter girl's sleeve. "What's that?"

Lily turned to look at what Assassin was pointing at and saw that it was a street stand selling potato puffs.

"Ah, those are Jagamaru-kuns," Lily said as she walked over and paid for five of them, two with azuki cream.

She then offered them to Saber and Assassin. Saber picked out a plain one while Assassin happily snacked on the cream one.

"I see…" Saber nodded as he removed his mask and took a bite. "These are rather palatable. It explains why that was the fifth stand I've seen on this street alone."

"Yep," Lily nodded. "Potato puffs are well known and people of all races and ages can enjoy them. Lily heard that they are also the Sword Princess's favorite food too."

"Oh?"

"Yes! Apparently she visits Lady Hestia's stall a lot. Even if they are just potato puffs, each stand has their own toppings and recipes after all...they are the epitome of 'simple, cheap, and filling.'"

"I see…" Saber nodded as he turned back toward the stand at the smiling clerk who was wearing an apron depicting the shop's name over a rather worn robe. "Even the gods have to work in this world…"

"Hmm? That's right," Lily nodded as she finished chewing her food. "'Those who do not work, don't eat.' Is Master Saber familiar with that phrase?"

"I am," Saber nodded. "But it is rather…off putting to see Gods work like this."

"Well it's usually the poorer gods that have little money or small Familias work," Lily said as Assassin reached into her bag for another potato puff. "Though some gods who have Familias that are businesses like Ninsun Familia's cattle ranch or Demeter Familia's vegetable farm will have their gods or goddesses work alongside them. Others like Freya Familia or Loki Familia are large enough that their goddesses can happily live off their Familia's earnings without having to work."

"I see…" Saber muttered as he turned over his shoulder to look at the Babel Tower. "So Freya is here as well."

"Master Saber?"

"No, it's nothing."

With a quick shake of his head Saber stuffed the rest of his snack into his mouth without another word. Lily had a feeling that she shouldn't ask any further just like how she shouldn't pry whenever the topic of Ishtar Familia came up around Caster.

Lily wasn't an expert in the legends of heroes like Bell was so she didn't know about any of the legends of the Servants and she felt that she shouldn't pry into them regardless. After all, being a hero wasn't all fun and adventure. What defined most heroes…were the tragedies they encountered and whether or not they could rise pass them.

If Caster, Saber and Archer were truly heroes, they must have suffered tragedies in their "past" as well. Not only them but also…

"Lily is not eating more?" Assassin asked as she pulled out another potato puff and held it in front of Lily's face.

The other three Servants were adult men who must have seen and lived through times of hardship and times of happiness. But Assassin was a little girl that had been driven to kill people at such a young age for reasons only known to herself. Even Lily hadn't been driven that far. She may have cheated and stolen from countless Adventurers in the past, but she never did it in a way that could cause them to lose their lives in the Dungeon…not that the thought hadn't occurred to her. She just wasn't sure she would survive long enough to get back to the surface if she were to lose her "clients."

"Thank you, Jack," Lily said with a smile as she took it from her.

Well, there was no point in worrying about the past. Lily was now a member of Hestia Familia after all, same as everyone else. Right now, their future was more important than their past.

"Lily should eat more to grow up faster," Jack said, patting Lily's head.

"Lily is a pallum!" Lily shouted. "Lily is already all grown up! Lily won't get any bigger than this!"

"Is that so?" Assassin asked as she kept on patting Lily's head.

"Giiiiii! Stop treating Lily like she's younger than you just because she is smaller!"

"No, I'm pretty sure Jack is older than you…" Saber said as Lily tried to escape from Assassin by running around Saber only for Assassin to chase after her with a smile on her face.

X-x-X-x-X

Once they finished the simple tour of the city, Lily stopped by the market to buy some groceries for lunch and the trio returned to the house and found Caster reclining on a couch with a book in his hands.

"We're back, Lord Caster!" Lily called out as the man looked up from his book.

"I trust there were no problems?" Caster asked.

"Yes. Master Saber and Jack have been registered properly. They can enter the Dungeon whenever you wish."

Caster simply nodded his head at that as he returned to his reading.

"Cranel has returned as well with a new set of armor," he said as Lily headed into the kitchen to prepare lunch. "And the Goddess has left to her part-time job."

Though it was rather blunt, it seemed as though he was telling Lily how many portions she needed to prepare if she was planning on making lunch. Lily bowed her head with a smile before heading off into the kitchen with Assassin trailing behind her while Saber remained in the living area. The knight's armor dematerialized, allowing him to sit down in an armchair comfortably.

"Well?" Caster suddenly spoke up. "Have you gotten an understanding of this city?"

"Yes," Saber replied. "Due to Babel Tower and the Dungeon it hides, this city is full of life…and full of danger. It is a unique existence, even in this world where the gods live amongst the mortal races. However, I cannot pass judgment on the Dungeon itself without entering it first."

"Fret not, Saber," Caster said. "The floors that Arde and Cranel can traverse are full of nothing but fodder to a Servant of your level."

Saber didn't reply to that as Caster simply chuckled. The two of them then turned their eyes toward the entrance as they heard someone running down the stairs.

"Oh Saber! Welcome back," Bell said as he jumped the last few steps.

"I have returned, Bell," Saber replied, lowering his head slightly. "You were successful in purchasing your new equipment?"

"Yep!" Bell answered with a smile. "I ran into the Smith that made my last set of armor and managed to buy his latest work directly from him."

"Is that so? How fortunate for you."

Bell nodded again before running into the kitchen where Lily was laying out the food while Assassin was running back and forth trying to help.

"Hey Lily," Bell called out. "I wanted to tell you that I signed an exclusivity contract with a Smith."

An exclusivity contract was a contract between a Smith and an Adventurer. The Adventurer would go into the Dungeon and deliver Drop Items directly to the Smith who would then use them to create weapons for said Adventurer.

It was a limiting but also a mutually beneficial relationship.

The Smith could get his name out when a well-known Adventurer was using his equipment and increase his fame that way while the Adventurer had a steady supply of high quality equipment custom built for them without worry for costs.

The only downside would be if one of the two parties of the contract were lacking in fulfilling their obligations.

"Is that so?" Lily asked. "Lily doesn't think that that is something Lily needs to know about though. If Bell likes that Smith's work then it's Bell's choice."

"No…it's just that…he wants to join our party when we go into the Dungeon as part of the contract."

Lily froze in the middle of carrying a bread basket to the table with Assassin bumping into her due to the sudden stop.

"Why?" Lily asked slowly. "Lily feels like she shouldn't ask this…but shouldn't the Smith be going with his Familia instead?"

"Well…he said that his Familia often left him out so he had been going Solo all this time and can't get pass the Tenth Floor. So he wants to join us until he hits Level 2 and gets the Development Ability Blacksmith."

"That is definitely suspicious!" Lily immediately called out. "They are definitely trying to take advantage of you! Lily should know! She tried to do the same after all!"

"…And that's why I want to help him," Bell calmly answered with a smile causing Lily's mouth to shut with a clack.

"Bell is being sneaky," Lily pouted as she folded her arms and turned her back to him.

"Haha, sorry."

"But…can we fit anyone else in the party?"

"There is no problem."

Lily and Bell turned to see Caster entering the dining area with Saber right behind him.

"Assassin aside, Saber will replace Archer's role in your party," Caster said. "He will escort you to the Eleventh Floor and after that you will continue as normal. If you wish to add a Smith to the party then he will have to understand this before joining you in your little Adventure."

"Yes!" Lily nodded.

"Umm…so what about Jack?" Bell asked pointing to Assassin who was clinging around Bell's waist.

"…For the time being…it will be rather suspicious if a seemingly human child even smaller than you were to perform feats greater than your own. Assassin."

"Yes, Mr King?" Assassin asked as she looked at Caster who blinked at being addressed in such a way.

"In battle, you are to limit your ability to below Cranel, understood? Unless directed otherwise by Cranel or myself, you are to not release your Noble Phantasm or your magic. Understand?"

"Umm…don't fight faster than Mommy?" Assassin asked.

"Well…that is part of it…" Saber nodded as Caster let out a long sigh as he rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Of all things to summon a child…" Caster muttered with a sigh. "Saber. It will be up to you to reign them in. Understood? Above all else, we do not want the eyes of the other Gods to look upon us any more than they already have."

"Leave it to me," Saber nodded.

And so, the formation of a new Dungeon Party was finalized.

X-x-X-x-X

"Lily is amazing!" Assassin said as she watched Lily walk through the busy streets of Orario with her massive bag without any trouble.

"Fufu, this much is nothing!" Lily said, thrusting her chest out in pride.

Indeed, it was pretty much nothing in the big picture as any Supporter with Artel Assist could do it.

"Hey…wait! Don't climb up!"

"Whee!"

"Where are we meeting this Smith?" Saber asked, ignoring the flailing Lily who was trying to adjust to the sudden addition of Assassin's weight on her bag so the skill could kick in.

"Umm…he should be right over…ah, there he is!" Bell said, pointing toward one of the fountains in the plaza in front of Babel Tower.

Sitting on the edge and waiting patiently for them was a red haired youth wearing a black robe over a dark blue tunic and white trousers, tied around the waist by a simple brown belt.

The young man jumped up when he saw Bell running over and grabbed the large black great word resting by his legs.

"Yo Bell, right on time!" The young man said with a cheerful smile. "Oh right, before I forget…"

He then turned toward Saber and lowered his head in a bow.

"Thanks for accepting me into your party! I promise to not get in your way!"

"It is fine," Saber replied without missing a beat. "I shall escort you and the others to the Eleventh Floor. After that, the fighting will be up to you, understood?"

The Smith blinked for a moment before understanding washed over his face.

"Yeah I get it," he replied with a smile. "Sorry to have you stuck babysitting me."

"It is no problem," Saber said again. "You have simply been added to Bell, Jack and Lily's training regimen. Please be careful."

"Don't worry about me. I've been going solo for a while so I won't get caught off guard short of a Monster Party spawning on top of us."

"Please do not jinx us…" Lily said with a sigh as Assassin finally slid off the bag and landed on her feet with her arms stretched out to the side and a smile.

"Ahaha…anyway let's get started with introductions," Bell said as he gestured toward his familia. "Welf, these are my Familia members. Liliruca Arde, Saber and Jack."

"Nice to meet ya!" The newly introduced Welf said with a wave and a bright smile.

"And guys, this is Welf Crozzo, the one who I signed an exclusivity contract with."

"…Crozzo?" Lily repeated as she looked back and forth between Welf and Bell with wide eyes.

Welf's smile vanishes as if he knew what was about to happen next.

"Crozzo?" Lily repeated. "The cursed house of magic swordsmiths? The noble family of Smiths that fell into ruin?"

"Do you…know them, Lily?" Bell asked as he turned toward Welf who had a sour look on his face.

"Lily heard that long ago the Crozzo family was granted noble status by an old king of Rakia for the magic swords they forged. It's said that the only thing they made was magic swords…tens, hundreds of thousands of them. Some claim that their magic swords were so powerful that they could 'set fire to the ocean.' But one day they fell out of favor with the king. They lost their noble status and their house fell into ruin…"

Lily then turned toward Welf as if asking him for confirmation or to correct her.

The young man does neither as he just scratched his head with a sigh.

"Let's not worry about that unimportant stuff," he said finally. "I'm just a plain old smith trying to make a living here in Orario. Besides, we're here to dive into the Dungeon, right?"

Lily and Saber turned toward Bell for his answer.

"Y-yeah," Bell nodded. There really wasn't a need to delve into Welf's past anyway. He didn't want Welf to try and delve into Lily and the Servants' pasts either.

"All right," Lily nodded. "Then shall we settle on the formation?"

"No problem!" Welf nodded, happy that the topic had been dropped. "Oh and uh…is this kid also joining us?"

"We're not 'this kid,'" Assassin said. "We're Jack!"

"Don't underestimate Jack," Bell said with a smile. "Take your eyes off of her for one second and she'll disappear."

"Really?" Welf asked as he turned toward Bell. "Sounds like any other-huh?"

But when he turned back toward Assassin, she was gone.

"Where did she-"

"BAM!"

"Dowah!?"

With a loud shout, Assassin had jumped Welf's back from behind with her finger poking into Welf's throat.

"Bam! You're dead!" Assassin said with a bright smile. "Hee hee!"

"Hahaha…okay okay, you got me," Welf said with a good natured laugh as Assassin jumped off of him and he patted her head. "I'll be counting on you down there as well, Jackie."

"Uh-huh!"

Seeing that Welf had no complaints about Assassin, Bell nodded and began discussing the formation.

"So…I guess we'll have Saber in the front until the Middle Floors," Bell said as his Servant nodded. "Once there…"

"Lily thinks Master Crozzo should take the front," Lily spoke up.

"You sure I'm cut out for that, Lil'ly?" Welf asked, looking rather surprised that he was being trusted with the vanguard despite being a newcomer.

"That is the only place for Master Crozzo," Lily pointed out. "Bell and Jack should be in the center as they are fast enough to cover both the front and the rear…and don't call Lily that!"

"Oh!" Assassin cheered as she pulled out one of her daggers and one of her cleavers and held them above her head.

"That's dangerous!" Bell said as he quickly forced her arms down.

"Then I shall cover the rear and Lily," Saber said with a nod. "If you are overwhelmed, please do not hesitate to retreat to my position."

"No problem," Welf nodded. "Man, knowing there's a place to run back to is really reassuring."

"Well, I won't deny that," Bell agreed, remembering how hard his first two weeks were before he Summoned Archer and Caster. "Well then, let's go! Our first goal is the Eleventh Floor!"

"""Ohhh!"""

Welf, Lily and Assassin let out a cheer in response to Bell's declaration while Saber simply nodded his head as he led the way into the Dungeon.

X-x-X-x-X

When Bell summoned Saber, he thought that he would get to see a fight befitting of a knight like that in the stories.

He certainly was not expecting what was going on in front of his eyes.

Several War Shadows had converged in front of the party…only for daggers to fly forward and embed themselves into their face.

They were not being thrown either. Saber was unhooking the dagger from his belt, tossing them up into the air in front of him, before punching them toward the monsters.

"Uhh…I probably shouldn't say anything since I'm new and all but…I think throwing them would have the same effect, no?" Welf asked.

"This way is more efficient," Saber responded with complete seriousness as he flipped another dagger in front his head and punched it toward a wall just as a Wall Shadow's head popped out of it, killing it instantly.

Welf turned toward Lily and Bell as if wanting to ask them if he was the crazy one. To which they had no response.

At least when they were moving, Saber used his daggers "normally" to cut the Monsters down.

"Ummm…where's Jack?" Bell asked.

"Up here!"

Bell followed the voice and found his smallest Servant waving at him from on top of Lily's bag.

Assassin hopped down before Lily could yell at her and presented Lily with some tiny Magic Stones.

"…Where did you get these?" Lily asked.

"We pulled them out of some monsters down that way," Assassin replied, pointing down a path to the side.

"Don't leave the party to go wander off by yourself!"

"…You weren't kidding when you said she could just wander off when you weren't looking," Welf whispered to Bell as Lily started scolding Assassin who seemed to understand that she did something wrong.

Bell nodded his head as he walked up to the two girls.

"Lily, I think she got the point," Bell said as Lily turned from Assassin to Bell then back to Assassin to see that she had tears in her eyes.

"We're sorry…" Assassin said through her tears.

"Ah, you made her cry, Lil'ly," Welf pointed out.

"L-Lily isn't the bad guy here!" Lily said quickly. "But if you understand then that's fine! So stop crying, okay?"

Assassin let out a loud sniff as Lily pulled out a handkerchief and had Assassin blow her nose into it.

"Guess you actually are babysitting us, huh?" Welf asked with a smile toward Saber as a chuckle came out of the Servant's mask.

"Do not worry," Saber said. "It is the duty of the elder to ensure the young ones remain safe."

And so, once Assassin stopped crying, they continued their Adventure until they stopped in front of the stairs to the Eleventh Floor where Bell called for a break.

As Bell ate his lunch, courtesy of Syr, Lily showed Assassin the different kinds of Magic Stones and Drop Items they had gathered. Welf was also taking the opportunity to check his and Bell's weapons.

"I see…" Welf muttered as he flipped Bell's dagger over in his hands. "This is definitely one of Lady Hephaistos's works. How did you even pay for this? It can't have been cheap."

"My Captain traded some of his treasures for it," Bell said after swallowing the food in his mouth. "Though…please don't mention how expensive it is…it still gives me the jitters…"

"Treasures? Come to think of it…the goddess suddenly had new display cases holding some crazy ass weapons in her office out of nowhere the other day…"

Welf started muttering to himself as he used a whetstone to sharpen Bell's knife.

"Anyone else need some quick maintenance?" Welf asked as he looked at the others.

Saber pulled out one of his daggers and flipped it around in his hand before handing it over toward Welf, handle first.

Welf let out an appreciative whistle as he flipped the dagger around.

"Got some nice metalwork here," he said. "But it looks kinda off…was this broken before?"

"Indeed," Saber nodded. "It's a shard off a blade reforged into a smaller dagger."

Welf nodded as he worked his magic on the dagger and returned it to Saber.

"Here ya go, barely needed any work…despite how you were punching it with enough force to probably shatter several brick walls…"

Saber simply took back the blade with his eyes shut in an obvious smile.

"All right, we're all done then," Welf said, excitement flooding into his body. "Onward to the Eleventh Floor!"

"R-right," Bell said as he forced down the rest of his food and stood up.

"From this point on the battles will be left up to you," Saber said with a low bow. "Please do not overexert yourselves and retreat if necessary."

Welf and Bell nodded before rushing past him and heading down the stairs.

"…Boys do love adventures after all…" Saber said as he closed his eyes with a nod.

"Yahoo!" Welf's voice echoed back up from the stairs. "Floor Eleven, I have finally arrived!"

"Lily thinks Master Welf really wanted to come down here…" Lily said as Assassin nodded her head.

"Uhhh…guys! I think it's a monster party!" Bell's voice reached back up to them, prompting Lily and Assassin to run down the stairs to catch up to them while Saber descended the stairs at his own leisure.

Once Saber reached halfway down the stairs, he saw his little Master and his friends fighting against several Orcs and Imps just at the foot of the stairs.

Bell had pulled the imps away from the others and was quickly dispatching them one by one in a whirlwind of black and silver.

Assassin had gotten behind one of the orcs and was rather brutally and repeatedly stabbing into its back with her knives, causing the monster to squeal in pain as she steered it away from Lily and Welf. She then tossed two more daggers out toward two other orcs, striking them in the neck, causing them to fall over clutching their throats as blood seeped out of them.

Welf was currently facing an Orc on his own while Lily was firing her crossbow out at the rest distracting them from charging at Welf as he swung his blade upward, knocking the orc off its feet before cleaving it in two as it hit the ground.

As Assassin pulled out her cleaver and crushed the head of the Orc she had been riding on, Welf ran toward Lily and cut the orcs closing in on her in two with a single strike.

"Oh, Master Crozzo can do it after all," Lily said, clapping her hands together in soft applause.

"Hey…I won't ask you to like me right away but can you at least not use Crozzo?" Welf asked as he walked over to one of the orcs that Assassin had incapacitated earlier and stabbed his blade into its back to finish them off. "Also…you're kinda brutal, aren't you Jackie?"

"Hmm?" Assassin's response was to simply cock her head to the side as she ripped open the Orc's back with her knives and pulled out a magic stone before moving to the remaining orc and slamming her cleaver into the back of its skull.

"…There are just some things a girl that little should not be doing…" Welf muttered to himself as he turned around to see a dozen imps and four orcs dead around Bell. He let out an appreciative whistle. "Nice."

"Welf, duck!"

That was the only warning the Smith had before he threw himself forward onto the ground, feeling something brush right past his head. Rolling on his back, he saw that a Silverback had jumped him from behind…before a flash of red bisected it straight down the middle.

"Are you all right?" Saber asked, having drawn his sword for the first time since entering the Dungeon

"Yeah, sorry!" Welf said as he stood up only for two more Silverbacks to land around them. "Damn, more of them!"

No sooner did he say that did Bell come flying into the fray, driving his foot into a Silverback's head, snapping its neck, before flinging his dagger into the remaining one's eye. The monster reared back in pain, allowing Welf to cleave it in two in a single strike.

"Oh, you've come a long way since being chased around by a Silverback back during Monsterphilia Bell!" Lily said as Bell scratched the back of his head with a smile.

"Yep, having a party is great!" Welf said as he threw his head back in a laugh. "Ooof!"

"Do you not have parties often?" Assassin asked, having retrieved her weapons before leaping onto Welf's back again.

"Well…not as much as I'd like," Welf replied with a bitter smile as he patted Assassin on the head before his hand froze mid-pat as he gave the girl a big closed-eyed smile. "…You got monster blood all over my back, didn't you?"

Assassin looked down at the spot between her chest and Welf's back before looking back at Welf.

"…No?" Assassin replied as she started blowing air out with her mouth as if trying to whistle but failing.

She then jumped off the smith's back and bolted.

"Really now…" Lily sighed as Welf started chasing Assassin around the immediate area. "This Party has gotten rather lively."

"I don't think that's a bad thing," Bell said as he looked around. "Do yo need help gathering the Magic Crystals?"

"Don't worry about that," Lily said as she pumped her arm. "Just leave this to Lily. It is her job after all."

With that said, Lily ran to each of the corpses and started dragging them off to the side into a pile as Welf came back with a giggling Assassin under his arm like a sack.

"Hey Lil'ly, think you can take out the Orc stones first to get rid of this blood?" Welf called out. Lily responded by digging her hand into the orc's chest and pulling out the stone, causing the blood on all three of them to vanish alongside the orc's corpse. "Thanks!"

"Master Welf is welcome...and stop calling Lily that!" Lily shouted back.

"Man, sorry that I keep saying this but being in a party is definitely reassuring," Welf said as he dropped Assassin onto the grass with a thud. The Servant pushed herself up and spat out the grass that entered her mouth before she trotted over to watch Lily carve out the Magic Stones from the monsters with a fascinated expression. "But you're pretty fast aren't ya man? I didn't even see you fly in."

"I surprised even myself," Bell admitted. "It's the first time I entered the Dungeon since I Leveled Up so I'm still getting used to things. It's a world of difference."

"Is that right?" Welf asked. "Something to look forward to then."

"It would seem that other Adventurers are heading down as well," Saber said as he joined the two of them by the dead tree they decided to rest under.

"Well, we are still right by the staircase after all," Welf pointed out. "Something Lil'ly already took into account."

Lily had already dragged their "winnings" so to speak off to the side and piled them up before she started digging out the Magic Stones from the corpses. This way no one could try to claim that one corpse or another was actually theirs. And with Assassin balancing on top of the pile, no one could steal one without them noticing either.

"Shall we continue here or find a different room, Bell?" Saber asked as a rather mixed party of four, each a different race, passed by them.

"Hmm…yeah," Bell nodded. "Once Lily gathers up the Stones, lets try to find an empty room since more people are coming down now."

"You sure?" Welf asked. "There's a lot of fog in the other rooms after all."

"You got a point there…" Bell muttered as he looked over toward Assassin who was poking the snout of a dead Orc with her finger.

Come to think of it, Assassin had a skill that let her vanish even easier when there was fog or mist out didn't she? It was rather fitting and terrifying skill for an assassin to have…which probably what allowed her to become a serial killer if she could just fade away after a kill…

Bell quickly shook his head.

It was rather difficult for him to connect the cheery, if a bit creepy, girl to the Servant Class of Assassin. Rather than a Hero, she was more like someone whose legend came from their notoriety rather than their noble deeds.

Bell then turned his gaze toward Saber who was letting Welf look at his sword.

On the opposite end there was Saber who acted and looked the part of a perfect knight…fighting style notwithstanding.

Daggers, black tunic, white armored pieces…looking at it from a purely superficial point of view…Bell wondered if he would look something like that when he got a bit older as well…Saber even had white hair!

…Well, half of his hair was white anyway.

Even though Bell was Level 2 now, seeing Saber in action made Bell believe that his goal was still so far away.

And his goal was somewhere deep below in the furthest depths of the Dungeon while fighting alongside the one of strongest Familia in Orario. As Bell struggled to catch up to him, Archer would take another two steps forward away from him.

Was he being naïve?

No. It was what he wanted. More than something like the harems his grandfather kept on adding and pushing into his stories to Bell. He couldn't doubt himself now. He was getting one step closer to the hero he desired to be.

"…Bell!"

"Oi, Bell, what the heck is that?"

Bell looked over toward Saber and Welf and saw that the two of them were staring at him. Looking down at his hand, Bell saw small specs of light no bigger than grains of sand pulsating around his hand. They were emitting small pings like a small chime.

"…This is…" Saber muttered as he adjusted his glasses slightly. "Is this your Skill, Bell?"

"Skill?" Bell repeated.

That's right…Bell now had a skill of his own, didn't he?

A loud roar suddenly echoed through the room, causing the three of them to turn. At the far end of the room at the exit leading deeper into the Dungeon, a massive Monster covered in amber scales stomped out of the fog.

"I-Infant Dragon!?" One of the Adventurers who had passed by Bell's party earlier called out.

Standing only about one and a half meters tall yet over four meters in length walking on all four legs was a dragon. Dragon types were the strongest ones to be encountered within the Dungeon, not counting the Monster Rex. This particular rare species found on the Upper Floors did not have wings so it couldn't fly but its body was covered in scales tougher than any armor Level 1 or 2 Adventurers could afford without the support of a powerful Familia and its powerful muscles could easily crush said Adventurers without a second thought.

"E-everyone get ready!" Another Adventurer calls out. "Forget about the Unwritten Rules! Take it on together!"

Normally Parties were supposed to ignore each other out of courtesy. No one wanted to get into altercations that could spiral into a war between Familias after all. But in a case like this where a powerful monster appeared, it was in the best interests of low leveled Adventurers to band together to beat it and hopefully survive.

But before anyone could move, something else stirred behind it.

Bell felt his blood run cold at the sight of two more Infant Dragons appearing out from behind the first. Considering only four or five dragon roamed the Eleventh and Twelfth Floors at a time…one could say it was an incredible kind of luck that three of them were encountered at the same time…

Then in a trio of roars, the Infant Dragons charged forward.

Saber was the first to react.

Taking his sword back from Welf, Saber sped forward faster than Bell had ever seen him move before. Likewise, the dragons seemed make a beeline for the Servant, throwing the other Adventurers in their path out of the way.

Saber's opening move was surprising but in hindsight, rather expected. He flipped his sword in the air in front of him, took a stance and punched it straight toward the dragons. The blade easily skewered the one in the center and sent it flying backwards a few meters before it landed in a heap, unmoving.

Ignoring their comrade's rather quick demise, the two remaining Infant Dragons charged forward, the first one slamming into Saber headfirst as the Servant pulled out two daggers to block the blow while the other ignored him and charged toward Bell and the others instead.

Lily let out a yelp as Assassin, in a rather surprising show of strength that contrasted with her tiny frame, picked her up and started running the opposite direction.

Bell however, felt his body move on his own.

Lifting his still glowing hand up, he held it toward the Dragon and as if on instinct, uttered a single word.

"FIREBOLT!"

A beam of white cackling light shot out of Bell's hand, cleaving its way across the room and slammed into the Infant Dragon. The beam picked the monster up off the ground and carried it all the way to the other end where it slammed into a wall and collapsed into a heap.

The room fell silent.

Welf was staring at Bell from a gap in his arms, having shielded his face from the bright light.

Saber had severed the head of the second dragon and had been attempting to run back to attack the last dragon from behind before Bell blasted it and was staring at Bell with the biggest look of surprise Bell had ever seen from the man.

Lily, who had been thrown over Assassin's shoulder, was gaping at Bell with the same expression wide-eyed open-mouthed expression as Assassin.

These reactions were mimicked by the other Adventurers around them.

Shock. Awe. Envy. Hostility. Fear.

Multiple emotions were ringing around Bell but he paid them no heed as he pulled his arm close to his chest.

This was his new power.

The desire within him.

His Heroic Desire, Argonaut.


	14. Deep Floors

**Chapter 14: Dragon's Urn**

As Bell's new Party made their way through the Dungeon at their relative leisure, another group had pushed their own way forward before coming to a stop and setting up one more camp on the Fiftieth Floor.

Flying the flag of a cross-legged joker, Loki Familia's top three executives were having a meeting to discuss who would join them moving forward while the rest would remain behind to defend the camp.

"So no objections then?" Finn asked. "The final team will be the three of us, Ais, Tiona, Tione, Bete. Supporters are Raul, Narvi, Alicia, Cruz, and Lefiya. And Tsubaki will come along as our Smith."

"None," Rivieria said with a shake of her head while Gareth seemed to be mulling something over.

"Something on your mind, Gareth?" Finn asked.

"No, just a stupid idea," Gareth admitted while shaking his head.

"I don't mind. Let's hear it."

Gareth opened his eyes as he looked at Finn and Riviera and sighed.

"…Ya think Archer would be able to come down with us as well?"

"I thought about it," Finn admitted without pause. "He is definitely not a normal Level 1…something that he has shown everyone more times than not on the way down here."

"Still a bit shaken seeing him use your spear about as well as you do?" Gareth asked as Finn frowned a bit before nodding.

"It was like looking in a mirror and if I were a human instead of a Pallum," Finn muttered. "It would seem that he can copy the skills of the weapon's owner instead of just the weapon itself."

"…You don't think he's someone like that Revis Creature, do you?" Riveria asked with a frown.

"Honestly, I do not know," Finn said. "And that's what worries me. The Grace of the gods doesn't take into account previous experience when adding points to our Status. There is a possibility Archer…and perhaps the one known as Caster as well…somehow found a way to fight without the falna...maybe they even used the same methods as Revis to gain their power before joining a Familia."

"That doesn't necessarily mean they are allied with one another though," Rivieria pointed out. "In fact, he threw himself more into harms way to protect our Familia than not."

"I know."

Indeed.

Despite supposedly being only Level 1, Archer was constantly moving about the Expedition under Gareth's watchful gaze and assisting wherever monsters appeared in large numbers using a multitude of different weapons.

Swords, spears, maces, hatchets, bows.

All sorts of weapons were created with his near chantless magic and his fighting style changed to suit each new weapon he created.

"I honestly want to believe that he is what he appears to be," Finn muttered with a wry smile. "A good person who wants to help people, no questions asked. However, he is still an 'unnatural' existence in terms of what we know. Loki even said he might not actually be human despite looking like one."

"Hmm…at the very least, he probably ain't a Creature like Revis," Gareth said. "Bete, Ais and Lefiya said that he didn't feel like the ones they fought against. Well…I suppose that means he either isn't one, or he isn't using the same method as they are…by which I mean eating Monsters and their Magic Stones."

Ais and the others had seen Revis tear out the Magic Stone of a Creature, an unknown being that fed on the Magic Stones of Monsters and gained power not unlike that of the Falna, from his chest and devoured it before suddenly increasing in strength like she had undergone a Level Up. Archer on the other hand, ate normal food like regular people…and was a rather good cook on top of it. Revis also held human lives in little regard while Archer did his damndest to make sure no body got hurt, even going so far as to make as many Magic Swords as he could to the point that everyone in the expedition, Hephaistos Familia included, had at least two on their persons.

"But him acting so charitable makes you think he's planning something after making us let our guard down, right?" Gareth asked.

"Everything he does goes against an Adventurer's common sense," Finn pointed out. "I'm starting to think he joined us out of some self issued duty to make sure no one died rather than for the payment."

"True…" Riveria nodded. "He didn't ask for payment for the new Magic Swords and he even showed some of his fake swords to the Hephaistos Smiths."

"Oh, is that why he's always hiding from Tsubaki?" Gareth asked. "I only ever see him at mealtimes when we camp. Really now…when that lad doesn't want to be found, he won't be found."

"I believe he is heading outside the camp to hunt Monsters," Riveria replied. "Lefiya told me that he would occasionally be found comparing two Magic Stones before leaving one behind."

"Probably deciding which ones to carry back home."

"I think we are moving a bit further away from the original topic," Finn said with another wry smile. "…What do you think Rivieria? Should we see ask Archer to come along?"

"I do believe his abilities will be helpful in the lower floors," the high elf nodded. "However, despite his higher skill, he is still a Level 1 and I am reluctant to bring a new Adventurer any lower than this. But if you are worried about his allegiances, then consider bringing him with us so you can keep an eye on him yourself or leave him behind so you do not have to keep looking over your shoulder while expecting a dagger to the back."

"Point taken," Finn replied with a nod. "…Then…let's ask him to come along."

X-x-X-x-X

"…You want me to come along?" Archer asked, still stirring a pot of stew in front of him.

"That's right," Finn nodded, his ever present smile as present as ever. "Having someone with your skill set will make things much easier on us, I think."

"Isn't bringing a Level 1 to a place where Dragons shoot up to the Fifty-Seventh Floor from the Fifty-Eighth the definition of insanity?" Archer asked as he scooped some of the stew into a small plate. "Taste please."

"Is that what the rumor is?" Finn asked with a laugh as he took the plate. "That's completely false. They fire all the way to the Fifty-Second. Hmm…the seasoning is a bit too strong I think."

"…Lily is going to have a heart attack…" Archer muttered as he poured more water into the pot.

"Is that the name of the pallum girl in your Familia?" Finn asked.

"That's right," Archer nodded before his stirring hand stopped and he looked straight at Finn. "…May I ask how old you are?"

"I believe I should be around Forty or so," the youthful looking captain of the Loki Familia replied, still smiling.

"I'm pretty sure that's a crime," Archer deadpanned as Finn laughed, holding his hands up in surrender.

"If such laws existed in Orario we wouldn't have so many Gods loving their children and vice versa," Finn pointed out. "Or elves with other races for that matter. But don't worry. If she or your goddess refuses then that will be the end of it."

There was definitely more to this story than a middle-aged man trying to pick up a teenage girl but Archer felt that it wasn't really his business to pry either way.

"Going back to your request," Archer said, bringing the topic back on course. "If you really think I can make a difference going down with you, then I'll defer to the judgement of a veteran."

"Excellent," Finn replied as he clapped his hands together before his face turned serious. "Oh, before I forget… please be wary of using magic until my say so. There may be more of those New Species from Monsterphilia hanging around and they are attracted to Magic…"

"And we don't want them alerted to our location, got it," Archer understood what Finn was trying to say. "I'll make my blades and arrows beforehand."

"Course there would be no problem with that if we run into them right away…well, aside from the obvious one but you understand."

With a chuckle, Finn left with a wave just as Lefiya came in from the opposite side of the cooking area.

"Was that the Captain just now?" The young elf asked.

"Yeah," Archer nodded. "He asked me to come along with you guys down to the Fifty-Ninth Floor. So take care of me as my senior, Lefiya."

"E-eeeeh!?" Lefiya let out a shout in surprise. "A-are you sure about that? It's not an exaggeration to call everything pass that staircase 'Hell' you know?"

"Have you been down there before?"

"No…but Raul's been telling everyone stories…"

"Geez…if the seniors are all worried, what's a newbie Adventurer like me going to do?" Archer asked with a smirk and a shrug.

"…If you are a newbie where does that leave me…?" Lefiya asked, her shoulders and ears sagging a bit.

"Come now, you have your own specialties and I have mine," Archer said as he put out the flames before standing up and patting her on the shoulder. "Besides, experience in fighting an opponent is always more important than raw stats."

"…Isn't that you just saying you also have a lot more experience in fighting enemies?" Lefiya asked.

"Only human ones," Archer said, noting that Lefiya was a lot sharper than she let on. "Things in the Dungeon surprise me all the time. Especially dragons."

He was far too used to Dragons in human form that the massive lizardlike ones threw him off. Well, it's not like there was going to be one waiting for him back home or anything.

"But still…" Lefia still looked rather unsure of herself, prompting Archer to sigh.

"Think of it this way then," Archer said as he held up a finger. "If you can't trust yourself, then trust that your Captain and Vice-Captain made the right decision in picking you to come along as well. Or are you saying you doubt Riveria's judgment?"

"Of course not!" Lefiya shouted back at him as if she couldn't believe he would suggest such a thing.

"Then there you go," Archer said, giving her a light pat on the back. "She thinks you're up to it so you are up to it. Simple as that."

Lefiya stared at the much taller man before her face broke out out in a smile as she giggled into her hand.

"I suppose it is…" Lefiya nodded. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it. By the way…was there a reason you came here or did you just want to chat?"

Lefiya blinked a few times before her jaw fell open as she clutched the sides of her head in horror.

"I COMPLETELY FORGOT!" She screamed.

On the edge of the camp, near a cliff overlooking the large forest of the Fiftieth Floor, Aiz was sitting on the ground hugging her legs closer to her chest as her stomach rumbled.

"Lefiya is taking a while…" she muttered as she stared up at the ceiling.

X-x-X-x-X

"Is everyone ready?" Finn asked as the selected party that was to head even deeper into the Dungeon was gathered at the entrance to the stairs that led down to the Fifty-First Floor and beyond. "You too Archer…this is your last chance to back out."

"Don't worry," Archer said as he adjusted the quivers around his waist with a bow in hand. "I'll stick with this until the end."

In order to not attract the magic hunting New Species, Archer had projected several arrows, his bow, Kansho and Bakuya before hand and was wearing them on his body in leather quivers and sheathes, also projected. Aside from his combat arrows, he also had prepared arrows with reflective lenses as part of the fletching as the lower floors also had long twisting corridors like a maze where enemies can pop out from behind the corner if not from right through the walls themselves.

Even a second's worth of forewarning was enough to keep these High Class Adventurers safe.

"You better be ready, cuz we ain't stopping to pick up your corpse if you bite it," Bete said with a smirk.

"Perhaps I should strap a dozen Magic Swords on me to make it more appealing to do so like you."

"Humph."

Indeed, all across Bete's body were holsters holding Magic Swords that he could use to imbue his Frosvirt greaves with their magic to give them a bit more kick as it were.

"All right, then," Finn said as he looked back at the entrance, his vice little more than a whisper. "The formation will be as follows. Bete and Tiona will be up front. Aiz and Tione will cover the center with me while Riveria and Gareth will cover the rear. Supporters will be between each line while our two Smiths will stick in the Center, got it?"

There was a round of affirmations before everyone fell silent, awaiting Finn's order for a full speed charge straight through the Dungeon Floors.

"Bete, Tiona…go."

With a simple order, the Werewolf and Amazon duo rushed blitz down the hallway in a flash with the rest following a few seconds later.

Archer and the others had only taken a few steps in but Monsters in the form of massive black colored rhinos walking on two legs were already swarming the staircase with countless more already being born from the walls.

"_So this is what they meant by 'hell,'_" Archer idly noted as he stuck close to Tsubaki.

Compared to the grand cliffs and jungles just a floor above, the Fifty-First floor were made up of graphite ceilings and walls in the form of a maze…one which Finn seemed to have already memorize the route of as he led them down a predetermined path.

Despite preparing his arrows, Archer didn't have time to use them, which was a good thing. If he had to use them it meant things were going badly but Tiona and Bete were clearing the path perfectly while the monsters sprouting from the walls were quickly being dispatch by the center line.

"Archer, mirror!" Finn shouted as Archer nocked a reflective arrow and fired it down the hall.

With his skill he could see something moving down the hall just around the corner.

"Caterpillar monsters!" Archer reported. "The new species? Numbers, 30!"

"Change formation!" Finn said, taking in Archer's information right away. "Ais, Bete!"

Ais switched places with Tiona as she shrouded herself with wind and began charging forward. Running alongside her, Bete's boot absorbed some of the magical winds as they both launched themselves at the Monsters with a thunderous roar.

Corrosive acid was fired from the mouths of the caterpillars but they were deflected by Ais's shroud of wind. With Ais's Desperate and Bete's new Durandal daggers, the two of them were able to block and cut through the monsters without worry of their weapons being melted by the acid the monsters spat out or exploded into when they burst.

From behind, Archer could feel a large amount of magic being gathered as Riveria's chant was finished. For someone without a skill like High Speed Divine Words, it was a rather short chant time and she had been able to gather so much magic while keeping up with the rest of the group. Loki Familia's Aces weren't just for show. Was it a skill from the Falna or was it her natural talent?

"Everyone make room!" Finn shouted as the front and midlines scattered and stuck close to the walls or ducked into a side path, giving Riveria enough room to fire off her magic without fear of friendly-fire.

"_Wynn Fimbulvetr!_"

Three snowy tendrils shrieked through the passageway. Every monster caught in the bluish-white blast froze instantly. The frozen caterpillars and other monsters caught in the blast became a gallery of ice sculptures.

With a single spell, the main path had been turned into a winter wonderland.

"…Full chant magic is as amazing as always," Archer muttered as they ran pass the frozen monsters.

"You got a sword that can do that in your head library, Archer?" Raul asked.

"If you use your own life force to power them perhaps…"

"…I think I'll pass…"

"If they were so commonplace, us Mages will lose their jobs," Riveria added with a chuckle.

The ice magic not only froze their enemies, it also froze over the openings to the other corridors as well as a good portion of the walls, preventing any more enemies from crawling through, allowing the rest of the Fifty-First Floor to be cleared with relative ease.

"From here on, consider replenishing anything but weapons impossible," Finn said as he looked toward Archer who simply smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "So be careful about using potions. Archer, the magic limit will be removed since we'll need everything we can get to survive."

"Got it," Archer nodded.

Though he said he understood, there was a strange tension amongst the Loki Familia Adventurers, prompting Archer to recall what Finn told him last night.

The true hell awaited beyond these stairs.

By Finn's order, the group sped down the Fifty-Second Floor at an even greater speed than the Fifty-First.

"Avoid combat wherever possible! Simply repelling the monsters is fine!"

Just like the previous floor, the layout was the same as was the constant spawning of the Black Rhinoceros Monsters, although no more of the New Species has shown up yet.

As Archer shot a pair of arrows at a Spider trying to jump them from the ceiling, he heard a distant roar of a dragon coming from down below.

"Bete, change course!" Finn ordered and Bete immediately leaped backwards just as the ground he was standing on erupted in a crimson shockwave, spreading red hot flames all across the dungeon floor and obliterated the monsters that had tried to block them off.

"Take the Western Route! Riveria, protection spell, hurry!"

The party immediately changed course into one of the tunnels toward another wide passageway when yet another explosion erupted right behind them.

"How many of them are there!?" Raul shouted as Archer fired an arrow into the blazing inferno and glanced at its reflective sheen.

"Eight!" Archer shouted as Finn nodded.

"I wish I hadn't asked!"

"You keeping cool, old man?" Archer called back toward Gareth.

"Hanging in there!" Gareth called back just as another explosion erupted a few meters behind him. "Damn, that was closer…Raul look out!"

Archer turned toward his right where Raul was just in time to see some spider thread shooting toward the other man's head. Before he could react, Lefiya jumped forward and knocked him out of the way with her body, causing the thread to attach itself to her back and yank her away from the group.

"Lefiya!" Tione let out a scream as the elf girl was soaring through the air towards the jaws of a massive spider that had dug a hole in the Dungeon floor…only for another explosion to erupt right where the monster was, disintegrating it in an instant, leaving Lefiya suspended over a massive hole like she was frozen in time.

Her expression was filled with shock and horror as she blindly reached her hand back toward the group…only to feel someone grab hold of her hand and yank her back.

The sudden force caused her sense of sight to return as she turned to see a man clad in red smiling at her with relief before she landed on the ground and he fell through the hole instead.

"That fucking idiot!" Bete shouted as he ran pass Lefiya and jumped down the hole with Tiona right behind him.

"Hang on, Archer!" Tiona shouted as she jumped in as well.

She was saved.

She had been saved again.

Was this how it always going to be? People getting hurt or killed saving her because she was too weak to save herself?

And that smile.

A smile of sheer relief that she had been saved from that imminent danger.

No.

She wasn't always going to be the one being saved. Especially not by a Level 1 from a different Familia.

With that in mind, she ignored the cries from the others behind her as she gathered her resolve.

X-x-X-x-X

Archer's smile disappeared as he flipped his body around to face the oncoming swarm.

Filling the massive cylinder hole in front of him were countless Wyverns that began closing in on the falling Servant.

"_I am…the bone of my sword,_" he said to himself, not as a chant, but to focus his mind as he reached back and pulled out his favored twin blades from the sheath on his waist.

In a flash, a Wyvern who had tried to have him as an easy snack was instantly decapitated as he fell pass its body. Then, with a flick of his wrists, he sent the two blades flying toward the next wyvern, severing its wings and sending it falling down to the ground.

Immediately, two more blades formed in his hands as he held them across his chest.

"_Trace, Overedge._"

Kansho and Bakuya grew in size, length and strength, making them look like a pair of black and white wings. He swung it down on the next wyvern with all of his might, easily bisecting it in two as the blades shattered and dissolved into light.

"…You're making me feel like a moron for jumping in after you!"

A sharp voice caught Archer's attention as he turned to look over his shoulder to see Bete and Tiona running alongside the walls to catch up to him.

"What happened to 'not picking up my corpse?'" Archer asked with a smirk.

"Shut it!" Bete shouted as he leaped off the wall and sliced off a Wyvern's head and kicked its corpse into another wyvern, sending them both falling toward the ground.

"Really now. Angry one moment and all worried the next, you tsundere werewolf."

"First Loki and now you! What the fuck does that even mean!?"

"It means you can't be honest with yourself…"

"Outta the way! Outta the way!"

Tiona ran past the both of them and jumped in front of a massive fireball, taking it head on while coming out little worse for the wear…save for a bit of fire stuck on her clothing.

"Hot hot hot hot!" She shouted as she patted down her body. "I'll remember this you damn dragons!"

Archer could only stare blankly at the angry Amazon who looked like she only had a slight sunburn from staying out in the sun for too long even though she had taken a fireball that vaporized part of the Dungeon Floor and every single monster in its way not ten seconds ago.

Deciding to chalk it up to the magic of the Falna, he focused on the angry Werewolf beside him.

"By the way, who was the third person to jump in besides you?"

"Huh?"

The two of them plus Tiona turned around to look back up to the top of the hole to see a pink clad elf running along the wall after them.

"What the hell was the point of him saving you if you jump in anyway you moron!?" Bete shouted as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. "You sure picked a hell of a time to stop being a coward!"

"Archer! Bete! Look out!" Tiona shouted just as something flew past the two of them.

"A black colored Wyvern?" Archer asked.

"Damn it, a strengthened species…" Bete snarled as the wyvern turned around for another pass. "Oi!"

"Got it!"

Bete and Archer spun at each other at the same time and kicked at each others' boots, allowing them to launch off each other toward the walls and avoid the wyvern's attacks.

"Think you can hit it, Archer?" Tiona asked as Archer kept pace beside her on the wall.

Archer was about to respond when he turned back up to look at Lefiya.

"…I might not need to," he said as Tiona looked back up as well.

"_Loose your arrows, fairy archers. Pierce, arrow of accuracy…_" Lefiya was chanting her magic as she ran down the side of the wall, gathering up the magical energy within her.

Several Wyverns tried to stop her by pelting her with fireballs but she easily avoided them by kicking off the wall as Bete, Tiona and Archer took care of them.

"_ARCS RAY!_"

In a brilliant flash of light, a single massive magic arrow was launched from Lefiya's staff, blasting through the Wyverns around her before it started chasing down the black Wyvern.

The monster swerved back and forth, trying its best to avoid the magic arrow but it easily homed in on it before crashing into and enveloping the monster in an explosion of light.

"Ain't gonna let you show me up!" Bete shouted with a smirk on his face as he kicked off a wall toward a surviving Wyvern, sliced off a wing with his dagger before kicking it downward to block another fireball from one of the larger dragons below.

Tiona was doing the same, either blocking the incoming fireballs with a wyvern corpse or by taking it straight on with her blades.

"Are you going to be fine if you keep doing that!?" Archer called.

"It hurts like hell!" Tiona called back with wisps of smoke coming from her charred body and clothes. "But better me than one of you guys!"

"Mister Archer!" Lefiya shouted as she caught up with the Servant. "Are you all right?"

"A little singed but I'm all right," Archer nodded as he looked back behind Lefiya for a second before turning back to the Elf. "But what do you know, you can do it if you try."

"Yes!" Lefiya nodded with a smile. "I can't let myself be protected all the time!"

For a moment, it was as if Archer was looking into the determined smiling face of a white-haired boy wanting to be a hero.

"…So similar…" Archer mumbled.

"What was that?" Lefiya asked, tilting her head to the side.

"I said, 'Do you have a landing strategy in mind?'"

The blood slowly drained from Lefiya's face as she looked down and saw the quickly approaching floor where the mass of Wyverns and Valgang Dragons were waiting for them.

"Umm…help?" Lefiya asked as she turned toward Archer who smiled with a small sigh.

Below them, Bete and Tiona were also preparing for the landing.

"Block another one of those fireballs!" Bete shouted. "We're almost at the bottom!"

"I told you that it freaking hurts!" Tiona shouted back.

"Better you than me, right?"

"I'll remember this!" Tiona shouted as she dived further in front of Bete before catching a fireball for him, allowing him to fall through unscathed.

The werewolf withdrew one of his Magic Swords from its holster.

The amber blade atop a golden hilt crackled with an electrical spark as he placed it to his right Frosvirt. The jewel embedded in his long boot absorbed the electrical shock, and the magic dagger crumbled in his hand. With the magic absorbed, the boot was now wrapped in a shroud of lightning.

Taking advantage of the opening Tiona gave him, Bete charged forward like a supercharged bolt of lightning and swung his foot right toward the closest dragon's head.

"Die."

The beast's head exploded. His Frosvirt dug into the dragon's face and discharged the magic stored in his boot, vaporizing the monster's head in an instant, allowing him to land on the Fifty-Eight Floor without any problem.

"I'm back, you dragon bastards…" Bete muttered as he stood up and glared at the remaining seven dragons.

Unlike the previous floors, Fifty-Eighth floor was one wide open room, not unlike a floor with a Monster Rex with the exit easily visible. However, this was not necessarily a good thing as it was also home to hundreds of Wyverns and the Valgang Dragons, all ready to attack Bete at once, to which he could only scoff at them.

"Aaaaaaand…number two!" Tiona landed next to him on the ground of the Fifty-Eighth floor.

"Both of you scatter!"

"_Fall like rain, burn the savages to ash._"

From above their heads came a warning followed by a majestic chant.

Bete and Tiona looked up just in time to see the other appear through the hole in the ceiling, the former holding the latter in his arms while the latter was pointing her staff toward the floor.

The two of them cleared the area immediately, ignoring incoming attacks from the surrounding monsters as the midair spell concluded.

And then.

"_Fusillade Fallarica!_"

A torrential deluge of fire arrows rained down on the Fifty-Eighth floor.

Agonized screams swelled amid the storm of magic. While the red scales of the Valgang Dragons seemed to simply absorb the legion of fire arrows as it pushed them onto the ground, the other monsters weren't so lucky. Pint-size, midsize, and even the giant monsters of the depths found themselves wreathed in flame under the powerful, Mind-heavy area attack that raised the bar when it came to skills.

Tens if not hundreds of monsters turned to ash around them, their carcasses joined by the wyverns falling from the sky with rustling wings. The whole of the Fifty-Eighth floor transformed into a bed of corpses.

Archer hit the ground at a run before releasing Lefiya who stumbled a few steps forward for a moment before collapsing onto the ground.

"W-we're alive…" Lefiya sighed in relief and amazement.

"…That's a bit premature, don't you think?" Archer asked as he stood up and turned around to see the Valgang dragons stand up, dislodging the rubble off of themselves.

"Aww, it would have been nice if you managed to kill them too," Tiona muttered.

"P-please temper your expectations of me!" Lefiya replied quickly.

"Well, you cleared a good portion of the small fry anyway," Bete said. "They already got replaced though."

Lefiya's spell did a good job in clearing the room but the wyverns that were hidden in their nests had crawled out and were eager to avenge their fallen.

"Guess we gotta keep them from blasting Finn and the others?" Archer asked.

"Obviously," Bete said as he took out his Durandal Dual Roland daggers. "You keep yourself alive, Magic Sword copier."

Archer let out a snort at the name before looking up.

"Oh, there he is," Archer muttered as Lefiya and Tiona looked up as well.

A shadow slammed into another dragon's head, crushing it into the ground in a mess of gore.

"Oi Gareth, you're late!" Archer called out.

"I don't wanna hear that from ya!" The old dwarf, carrying two massive axes, shouted back. "Still, I'm happy that yer still alive. I get to knock some sense into ya after this!"

"If a Level 6 did that, I would most likely die…!"

As Gareth started walking over to them, a dragon roared in rage from the death of another of its kin prompted every single monster in the floor to charge at the dwarf.

"Gareth!"

"Move it old man!"

Tiona and Bete called out to Gareth, only for the dwarf to vanish and reappear at the feet of the closest Valgang Dragon and plunged both of his axes into the dragon's foot, sending it crashing to the ground at the same moment it took for the others to breathe.

As the Valgang Dragons only had their wings for their forearms, there was no way for the creature to fight back against something so small at its feet when its main form of close combat was swinging its massive tail around. The other dragons also hesitated in attacking something so close to their kin.

Taking advantage of the Monsters' hesitation, Gareth tossed both of his axes aside and grabbed the tip of the tail of the downed dragon.

"Uh oh…" Archer muttered as he had an idea of what Gareth was planning. And it seemed as though he wasn't the only one.

"You've gotta be shitting me…!" Bete said as well. "Everyone down!"

As the four lower Leveled Adventurers dropped to the ground, the Valgang dragon's body started moving. Keeping his grip on the massive monster's tail, Gareth began to spin, whirling the dragon over his head.

Three times. Four times. Five times. Like a top, Gareth swung the dragon around, crushing the smaller wyverns that tried to get close while also batting away the other Valgang Dragons.

Archer remembered hearing from some of the other Loki Familia Adventurers that Gareth once carried an entire galleon that had been damaged back to the shore all by himself. In terms of pure raw strength, did that mean the dwarf was even stronger than Ottarl? Or was the Level 7 even greater still?

Finally, Gareth released his grip on the unfortunate dragon, sending it flying like a bullet into the wall, unmoving.

"…Wow."

Tiona's rather blunt comment echoed in the minds of the others as Gareth dusted himself off.

"…Couldn't you handle this on your own, Sir Gareth?" Lefiya asked.

"Do you really think I can do that twice?" Gareth asked as he looked over at them. Now that the dust had settled, Archer noted that his body was covered with burns and bruises from the fall down as well as from little spin he took. "Now up and at em! We got work to do…or are you all going to let an old fart like me show you up?"

"Like hell you old geezer," Bete said as he stood up along with Tiona and the rest.

"I definitely won't lose!" Tiona said with a smile.

"I-I'll do my best!" Lefiya said, readying her staff.

"And I'll try not to die," Archer said, waving a hand lazily in the air.

"Stick close to Lefiya while you're at it," Gareth said before looking toward a section in the wall. "Damn…looks like we got something other than dragons to worry about too."

Following his gaze, the others saw that the stairs to the Fifty-Seventh floor had been plugged up by a mass of wiggling caterpillars.

"Oh no…" Lefiya muttered as her face paled. "The pathway…"

"Like this, magic will be dangerous to use…" Gareth muttered, stroking his beard before turning toward Archer with an accusing stare. "And no having them chase after you. It'll be about eight hours before the others get here so we have to keep the Dragons from shooting up at them again. We don't need you tiring yourself out before then!"

Archer raised both his hands up to say that he understood.

"You got a good look on all our Magic Swords, right?" Bete asked, flashing a blue one toward Archer.

"Yeah," Archer nodded as he projected his bow and pulled one of the arrows from his quiver. "Just let me know when you need a top off."

"Humph, only if you're still alive for it."

"Do you want your Urga, Tiona?" Archer asked the amazon.

"Mmm…Keep it on hand," Tiona said as she waved her Durandal sword in front of her.. "I'll still need this if I'm going to charge into those acid bugs! Stay safe you two!"

"Yes! Please be careful!" Lefiya nodded.

"At the very least, the New Species aren't friends with the dragons," Archer noted as the caterpillar monsters burst into the room and started spewing their acid at the closest dragon who roared back and incinerated a large group instantly.

And with that, Gareth, Bete and Tiona rushed toward the monsters while Lefiya and Archer headed the opposite direction to stay out of the way and take on the enemies at at a distance.

The three-way battle between the Adventurers, Dragons and Acidic Monsters had begun.


	15. Spirit vs Spirit

**Chapter 15: Unlimited Blade Works**

"Oww…" Bell groaned as he dragged himself toward the dining table before thumping his head on the table.

He seemed to have been the last one to arrive for breakfast as Saber and Caster had already been seated while Hestia and Lily were handling breakfast with Assassin clinging onto Hestia.

"What is this, so early in the morning?" Caster demanded as he glared at Bell from his seat at the head of the table with one hand on the arm rest propping his head up.

"My body's been aching ever since I woke up…" Bell replied as he looked up. "I think I overdid it in the Dungeon yesterday…maybe I'm also coming down with something. Everything feels hot…"

"Are you sick, Mommy?" Assassin asked as she appeared beside him and pressed a glass of cold water against Bell's cheek, causing the boy to let out a relaxed smile as the cold seeped into his body.

"Ahh…that feels nice…"

"Bell did fire off a massive Firebolt at the end yesterday," Lily pointed out. "Maybe his Mind has not completely recovered?"

"Hoh."

Rather than looking at Bell with annoyance like Bell had expected, Caster suddenly looked rather pensive.

"…You are not to go into the Dungeon today," Caster suddenly ordered, causing Bell to sit up straight and for the others to look at him. "Most likely, Archer is in the middle of a battle and he is expanding much of his own resources to survive."

A loud thunk sounded from the table as Hestia slammed a plate onto it, her face looking rather pale.

"…At this point they should be around the Fiftieth Floor at the least, right?" Hestia muttered. "He's stopped there, right? He didn't go with them all the way down, did he?"

Like a mother worrying about her child running an errand to the grocery store for the first time, Hestia could do nothing but fret at the though of her Second Child all on his own in the Deep Floors where even the legendary Zeus Familia failed to pierce through.

"Dragons are indeed not something one should underestimate," Saber nodded. "But if he truly is a Hero, then he will not be stopped there."

Saber then turned from Hestia to Bell.

"I agree with Caster. We should postpone going into the Dungeon today. You should rest your body so that Archer can fight properly and so you do not suddenly fall unconscious in the Dungeon."

"I will not restrain you to the home," Caster added. "Have the Smith make you some new equipment today instead. Perhaps the longer sword that you wish to use?"

"Oh, that's right…" Bell muttered, recalling the conversation back at Saber's welcoming party.

"If everyone is not going to the Dungeon can Lily request the day off?" Lily asked with a raised hand. "Lily wishes to check on her friend. He's old and works in a pawn shop all by himself so Lily is worried he might be overworking himself again."

"I do not mind," Caster nodded. "I shall use this time to investigate some rumors as well."

"Rumors?" Hestia asked. "Since when did you care about something like rumors?"

"Since they started talking about a Black Minotaur roaming the Lower Floors wearing armor and stealing equipment from Adventurers."

"M-minotaur?" Bell asked as he shivered at the memory from barely a week ago. He turned toward Lily who met his gaze with a similar expression.

"Indeed," Caster nodded. "So the story goes, there is a Black Minotaur that is roaming the Dungeon attacking Adventurers with the intent of taking only their equipment rather than their lives. Blades and armor from the looks of it. So far it has only been encountered around the Twenty-Fifth floor but on the day of the Denatus, I overheard a Second Class Adventurer saying that their Familia member was attacked by a Lizardman which then made off with her shield."

"Not just a Black Minotaur but other monsters are stealing weapons?" Lily asked in confusion. "Lily knows that some monsters would take weapons off of the dead bodies of Adventurers but most Monsters make do with Landform weapons…"

"Landform weapons?" Bell repeated, unfamiliar with the term.

"Remember how sometimes we fight monsters with clubs or axes made entirely out of stone?" Lily asked and Bell nodded. "Those are considered Landforms. Basically, they are natural weapons grown by the Dungeon itself and some Monsters, like Minotaurs or Orcs, are smart enough to pick them up and use them as weapons. And because they are naturally grown by the Dungeon, they will keep regrowing, allowing more and more Monsters to keep using those weapons over and over. The trees on the Tenth to Twelfth floor are a good example. The Dungeon would grow them back immediately for Orcs and the like to use as weapons which is why no one bothers to cut them down anymore."

"Uwwaah…"

Bell let out a shiver at that information.

"That is why a part of any good Adventurer's duty is to destroy any Landform weapon as soon as they see them," Lily said, holding up a finger. "It saves everyone the trouble of fighting a stronger monster in the long run. If Lily sees any of them in the Dungeon, Lily will let everyone know right away."

"Thanks Lily," Bell nodded, once again happy that he had such a knowledgeable person in his Familia.

"Lily can't do much on the frontlines so Lily will make up for it by learning as much as she can about the Dungeon," Lily said, placing her hand on her chest with pride.

"Oh? Are you requesting a change in your training, Arde?" Caster asked with a smirk as Lily froze up a bit. "We should see if you cannot increase your proficiency with your daggers. You have several examples to learn from after all."

"N-no…Lily is fine for now," she replied quickly. "Lily will now quickly excuse herself to visit Mister Bom!"

And with that, Lily grabbed her dishes, deposited them in the sink and ran for the exit.

"Then I'll go let Welf know we're taking the day off," Bell said as he stood up as well.

"What do you want to do, Jackie?" Hestia asked the newest member of the Familia. "Do you want to go with Bell or hang out with me today?"

"Smithies are hot, right?" Assassin asked and Hestia nodded. "Then We'll stick with Mommy Hestia today."

"Taking her to work?" Bell asked and Hestia nodded.

"Yep!" The goddess said with a bright smile. "With two mascots, I'm sure we're going to sell even more today!"

"If you have time to come up with useless ideas for your part-time job then use that thing on your neck that you call your head to design an Emblem for the Familia," Caster said irritably.

"Grk…"

An Emblem, or a flag that the Familia could unite under. Nearly every Familia in Orario had one as it was a display for the city that one was an Adventurer. Hestia had yet to decide one, even though she had been leading a Familia for nearly two months and had several members already.

"I-it's hard to come up with something, okay!" Hestia said defensively. "It's something that will stick with me for my entire life in Gekai!"

"Then why not consider something that would remind you of the time right now?" Saber suggested. "We will not be here with you forever, one way or another after all."

"Guh…uuu…"

Hestia let out a sad whine as she lowered her head.

As a Goddess, Hestia was effectively immortal. Any fatal wound she would suffer down on the Lower World would be healed instantly by her divine power. Even if her head were to be severed from her body or if every bone in her body were to be crushed, her Arcanum would heal her back to perfect health. However, this would mean she would be sent back to Tenkai, never to return to the Lower World or to Bell and the others again.

Barring such things however, Hestia would without a doubt outlive Bell and the others, even the Servants who were tied to Bell will disappear along with him as Hestia alone would not be enough to anchor their existence to the world even with the help of the Grail.

"There is no need to be filled with such sorrow, Goddess Hestia," Saber continued. "The memories you make here and now will become the greatest of your treasures later on in life."

"…Who would have need for such immaterial treasures?" Caster muttered as he glanced to the side while Hestia seemed to have cheered up a bit. "In any case…do not do anything strenuous today. I have not had my fill of this world and I do not need it being cut short because you decided to die early."

"Don't worry Caster," Bell said with a smile. "I'll just be hanging out with Welf. What sort of dangerous things can happen inside a forge?"

No sooner did Bell say that did his body slump over with his head hitting the table with a loud bang, causing everyone to jump up, as his body fell onto the floor, writhing in pain.

"This is…!" Saber began before his body quickly dematerialized.

Assassin quickly looked back and forth between the now invisible Saber and the collapsed Bell before letting out a pained and tearful wail and quickly dematerializing as well.

"Hestia, give him the Mind Potion now!" Caster shouted as he pulled out a bottle and tossed it to Hestia before dematerializing himself.

"R-right!" Hestia nodded as she caught the bottle and ran over to Bell and force the potion down his throat. "Aggh! What a time for Miss Supporter to not be here! I don't know who I'm more worried about! Archer or Bell now!"

With that said, Hestia started dragging Bell's collapsed and burning body out of the kitchen and onto the couch so he could rest before running back into the kitchen to prepare some ice and a fan.

"Ahhh…I hope I don't get fired!" Hestia cried as she placed the bag of ice on Bell's forehead and started fanning his body. "Wait, I know!"

Flipping the still groaning Bell onto his stomach, Hestia carefully pulled off his shirt before running to get a knife. She then pricked her finger and ran her blood across his back.

"I'll keep updating your Status until you wake up. This should help with the strain and…"

Hestia's voice trailed off as she stared at the numbers on Bell's back and Status.

"WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON!?"

X-x-X-x-X

Fifty-Eight levels below the surface, a battle was raging between three different factions.

The Dragons of the Dragon Urn, the unknown New Species and Loki Familia's Adventurers plus one.

"So we agree that these New Species are an anomaly, right?" Archer shouted as he fired an arrow toward the mob of caterpillars which exploded on impact, taking out over a dozen of them in an instant. "This can't be normal!"

"Less talking more Magic Swords!" Bete shouted back as he ran through the caterpillars, slicing them open with his Dual Roland daggers while the ice magic contained in his boots froze the acid before it splashed anywhere near him. The Magic Sword used to enchant them however had already crumbled to dust. "Damn it! I need another one!"

"Fire or Lightning!?"

"Use fire on dragons on your own damn time! Lightning!"

A purple Magic Sword appeared in Archer's hand as he tossed it in front of him with Bete blitzing through the monsters to catch it as he passed before a trail of lightning started tearing its way across one of the Valgang Dragon's stomach.

"I know it's convenient but don't over rely on Archer's swords!" Gareth called out as he slammed his axes into the floor, sending up a line of spikes, knocking over the aforementioned dragon over into the mob of New Species, which immediately began to crawl over it and start devouring it.

"Ugh…" Lefiya groaned as she turned away from the grotesque sight and finished up her chant. "_Fall like rain, burn the savages to ash! Fusillade Fallarica!_"

Under the cover of Archer's watchful eyes, Lefiya's magic shot forward. Although it was not enough to kill any of the Valgang Dragons, it was enough to take out the wyverns and the caterpillars and knock the Valgang Dragons over.

Any caterpillars that changed target toward Lefiya were quickly dealt with by a an angry Amazon.

"Lefiya! Are you doing okay?" Tiona asked.

"Somehow!" Lefiya replied as she started running again.

How long has it been since they fell after Archer?

Lefiya had lost track of her internal time a while ago. Hopefully the others were closing in on them soon.

"Hey Gareth!" Archer called out to the dawrf fighting on his own in the midst of the caterpillars. "Doesn't something feel off?"

"Everything down here is weird!" Bete cut in. "Be more specific!"

"We're being pushed to the center of the room," Gareth replied. "Ever since these the New Species appeared from the entrance, they've been trying to make their way to the exit to the Fifty-Ninth Floor…"

"…What the hell is waiting for us down there?" Bete muttered before being shaken by a massive quake. "What now!?" A section of the Dungeon Wall suddenly burst open and revealed yet another Valgang Dragon. "Of for f-"

"Scatter!" Gareth ordered as the Dragon stomped forward and fired a massive ball of flames toward the caterpillars, incinerating them to dust.

"One thing after another!" Archer cursed as he ran as fast as he could with Lefiya over his shoulder. "You all right?"

"S-sorry!" Lefiya apologized before he tossed her forward and she started running under her own power. "Hopefully the others will be here soon!"

No sooner did Lefiya say that did a mass of crystals made of ice and snow burst through the entrance toward the Fifty-Seventh Floor. The ice froze over all the monsters that had gathered near the entrance as well as the newly spawned Valgang Dragon.

"About damn time!" Bete shouted with a smirk as the new dragon ice sculpture was shattered, a golden-haired, golden-eyed girl having shot through it like an arrow.

"Tiona!"

Tione came busting through the monsters, her halberd slicing through all the monsters in front of her as she made a beeline for her younger sister.

"Celebrate later!" Finn shouted. "Finish off the remaining monsters first! Archer, if you can, replenish our Magic Sword supply!"

"Got it!" Archer nodded as he and Lefiya ran toward Raul and the other Supporters.

"I'm really sorry!" Raul apologized the moment Archer and Lefiya got within earshot of him. "Because of me you two…"

"It's fine," Archer said quickly as he started giving his projected Magic Swords. "We're all alive and no worse for the wear. That's what matters right?"

"Indeed," Riveria nodded as she patted Raul's shoulder. "If you still want some sort of punishment, wait until we are back on the surface."

"Eek!"

Raul let out a shiver before taking the Magic Swords and moved on to support Ais and Bete.

Thanks to the reappearance of the main group, Archer and the others managed to find their second wind and within the hour, the battle was over. All the monsters on the floor had been reduced to corpses or ash with various Drop Items and Magic Stones littering the floor, which Tsubaki was happily running around gathering.

"Are you sure you are all right?" Riveria asked Lefiya who nodded.

"Yes, thanks to the others," Lefiya replied. "My apologizes for worrying you."

Lefiya turned to look toward Archer who was on the ground flat on his back as a rather angry Gareth was lecturing him after having "knocked some sense into him."

"What do you think?" Riveria suddenly asked, causing Lefiya to jump.

"Umm…about what?" Lefiya asked.

"Archer. What do you think about him?"

"Umm…just the usual 'Is he really Level 1?' I suppose. It wouldn't be surprising if he were actually a Level 5 at the least."

"I see. Then, do you think he is the same as Revis and her allies?"

"No."

Lefiya responded to the question so quickly that it surprised even her.

"Someone like Mister Archer would definitely never align himself with people like Revis. In fact, I would even go as far as believe he would challenge them alone if it would keep them from hurting others."

"Is that so?" Riveria asked with a smile. "Then I suppose Finn can rest easy now. Good work."

"Yes?"

"Everyone!" Finn called out from the exit leading to the Fifty-Ninth floor. "We're going to rest for an hour before descending to the next floor. Oh and Tsubaki…leave those Drop Items behind for now. They'll just get in the way. You can grab them on the way back up."

The female smith put on a heartbroken expression as she dropped the fangs and scales she had collected.

"Something wrong, Finn?" Gareth asked, finally releasing Archer from his verbal torture.

"According to the records left behind by Zeus Familia, the Glacial Territories await us beyond that passage…" the parum muttered as he bit at his thumb.

"That's right," Tione nodded. "It's said that glacial streams run across the land, making it hard to advance, and bitterly cold winds make it hard to even move your body…"

"W-we brought plenty of salamander wool! We had to request some from other factions, but we should have just enough for all of us, supporters included." Raul stood up in a hurry, snatching the crimson fabric from his backpack.

Salamander wool was a type of fire-element armor with cold-resistant properties. Like the name implied, the wool was infused with the power of smaller spirits known as Salamanders for Adventurers as they ran through the Dungeon. Though they were rather expensive, even a Third-Class Adventurer could purchase it if they saved enough money.

However Finn didn't move or respond to the other two. His eyes were still fixated on the passage in front of him.

"If the cold is so intense it can freeze even First Class adventurers…why can we not feel it now? Sitting here with the entrance in front of our eyes?" Finn asked, causing everyone to fall silent in worry.

Indeed.

Despite standing right in front of the passage that would lead them to the Fifty-Ninth floor, none of them felt even the slightest breeze of chilled air from the large hole before them. In fact, it felt rather warm and humid instead.

"You saying something's fishy?" Bete asked as he inserted new Magic Swords into his holsters.

"Zeus Familia wasn't the type to exaggerate their findings," Gareth muttered.

"W-what should we do, Captain?" Tione asked.

"…For now we probably won't need the Salamander wool," Finn replied. "Everyone double check the supplies. Those who fell down the Dragon's Urn, make sure you rest properly and take potions as needed."

Everyone nodded and split off to do their own things, either resting or keeping a look out for ay monsters that might spawn out from the Dungeon walls.

As Archer chugged down the Mind potion, Ais suddenly came up to him.

"Hmm? What's up, Sword Princess?" Archer asked.

"I wanted to thank you…for saving Lefiya," Ais said.

"It's fine," Archer waved off the gratitude. "I did it because, as Gareth puts it, I'm an idiot."

"Still…thank you."

Archer simply smiled and shrugged before glancing toward the exit to the Fifty-Ninth Floor again.

"…Do you feel something?" Ais asked.

"Yeah…you too? Like something familiar is calling out?"

Ais nodded as she turned to look at the exit while Archer looked down at his hand as he opened and closed it repeatedly as if he was desperate to grasp onto a blade. He was being uncharacteristically agitated right now.

Something bad was going to happen, that much was obvious.

"Sorry Bell…" Archer muttered under his breath as Ais attached a small crystal to her her loin guard. "It's probably going to be tough in a little bit."

X-x-X-x-X

After the rest period and Archer replenished the Magic Sword stock, they made their way down to the dreaded and mysterious Fifty-Ninth Floor.

"…Who the heck said this was supposed to be cold?" Tiona muttered as she wiped the sweat off her brow. "It's like a freaking…jungle…"

As soon as they exited the staircase, rather than mountains of ice and frozen streams of blue, what they found in front of them were masses of plants and green but not any kind of plant they had seen before. At their feet were a lush green bed of grass and trembling rings of richly colored, poisonous-looking flowers. It was an enclosed room even bigger than the Fifty-Eighth floor with four far-off greenish walls towering high, and all shapes and sizes of flower buds dangled from the greenery.

"This is just like the Twenty-Fourth Floor…" Lefiya muttered as Archer turned to her in curiosity.

"The plant monsters appeared there too?" Archer asked and Lefiya nodded.

"…Does anyone else hear that?" Raul suddenly asked.

It sounded like something chewing. A crumbling noise followed by an occasional high-pitched, trembling voice.

As the mysterious noise continued, obscured deep within that dense jungle, all eyes of the frozen party went to their parum leader.

Spear in hand, Finn gave the order,

"Forward" and the party continued moving immediately.

Bete and Tiona took the lead as they made their way along the jungle's one road, almost like a pathway carved through the trees.

Everyone's eyes shifted back and forth from one tree to the next, keeping watch lest something spring forth lest they lose their minds.

A phosphorescent glow shone down on them from the ceiling some ten meters above their heads. This tiny glimpse of the Dungeon walls peeking out from so much green thickness was all they had to remind them that this strange floor was even in the same labyrinth they'd come to know.

Time passed slowly as they continued through the trees, the ever-loudening sound in front of them drawing them forward.

Then, all of a sudden, the jungle disappeared around them to reveal barren ashland devoid of all green except for the mass of caterpillar monsters, which Archer learned were called Virgas by a tamer that was controlling them that the others met a few floors above, and the plantlike Violas.

Standing in the center of it was _something_ that looked like a feminine blob of fat and tentacles with a giant plantlike lower half in the shape of countless twisting roots.

The Virgas and Violas around it were opening up their mouths and offering up their Magic Stones to the strange creature who fed upon them with vigor, reducing the monsters to ash after they were consumed.

"Oh crap, it's already gobbled up that many monster!?" Tsubaki gasped as Archer realized that all the ash piles around the area wasn't natural and were in fact corpses of the monsters that already had been devoured.

Then, Archer could feel it. The sudden gathering of magic toward a single point in the room.

"_Ah…_"

The faintest noise rose from the creature's grotesque head as it raised its upper body.

Only halfway through its feast on the surrounding monsters, it began to writhe like a worm.

"_Ahhhh_…"

The repulsive-looking upper half still trembling and squirming, its flesh suddenly bulged as the most beautiful woman they'd ever seen was born, emerging from all that ugliness like a butterfly from its cocoon.

"_AhhhhHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!_" came the scream of pleasure.

As the others flinched and slammed their hands over their ears in the face of such a powerful scream, Archer and Ais remained standing as if they couldn't actually hear it, their eyes locked onto the creature.

The creature, having risen from that husk of flesh, bent backward and directed her eyes to the heavens.

Long glossy hair descended along the curve of her back with a gown of brilliant colors covering her supple arms, her curvaceous chest. The gorgeous face of the woman gazing up at the ceiling, still shuddering with pleasure, could rival even a goddess's.

She was green. Every inch of her, from her hair to her skin. Everything apart from her eyes, which were pools of gold that lacked pupils and irises.

It wasn't only her upper, human half that changed, either. Her abnormal lower half also underwent a transformation, now sporting enormous petals and a multitude of tentacles.

"W-what is that thing?" Tiona screamed, still covering her ears.

"..A spirit?" Ais gasped as the creature turned its eyes towards them.

"_Aria…! Aria!_" It spoke in a voice filled with glee.

"A spirit?! That freaky-looking thing?!" Tiona shouted in response to Ais's muttered words.

The group of adventurers couldn't help but tremble as their were locked on the sight of the hauntingly, venomously beautiful creature.

It was almost as if she'd forgotten who she really was, wrapped up in her gown of many colors and residing atop the colossal chassis of a monster. It was a strange combination of repugnant beauty and odious sanctity.

The party found themselves at a loss against the sheer dignity of the corrupted spirit and the overwhelming sense of aversion it engendered.

"Those new species…those Violas and Virgas…were they merely more of that thing's tentacles?" Finn narrowed his eyes at the some ten-meder aberrant standing before them.

It was a good guess, considering how the caterpillars and violas had focused their attacks on other monsters. Perhaps magic itself was the necessary energy for this creature to survive.

Preying on monsters, collecting magic stones, and finally returning her to her true form. They really were nothing but "tentacles," extra appendages doing the spirit's dirty work.

Across from Finn, she continued to laugh. Again and again she called out to them.

"_Aria! Aria!_"

Her voice, almost childlike as if it had trouble forming the proper words.

"_I missed you! I missed you so much!_"

Archer's fists were opening and closing at a rapid speed as Ais's breath hitched.

"_Don't you want to be together forever? Together with me and your Hero?_"

Tiona's and the others' heads turned instantly toward Ais at the words. Lines of tension appeared across their faces as though they already had an idea of where this was heading.

"_Won't you let me eat you both?_"

Instantly, the remaining Virgas and Violas turned toward them with ferocious jerks, setting their sights on the Adventurers, seemingly two of them in particular, as though the Spirit was using them to exert her will.

At the same time, there was a thunderous boom from the direction of the exit as the opening closed up with green flesh.

"Everyone, prepare for battle!" Finn instantly commanded. "Lefiya, aim for that thing! Everyone else, use the Magic Swords against the swarm!"

It was now do or die.

It was enough to stir them despite the confusion, and the party was unwavering despite their lost escape route. As they readied their weapons, Tiona glanced over at Ais and Archer.

"F-Finn, they aren't moving!" Tiona called out as the Pallum wheeled around.

"Ais! Archer! Get your head in the game!" Finn bellowed, causing the two of them to jolt.

Archer held a hand against his face as Ais started clutching her head.

"That thing…that thing…" Ais muttered.

"It's dangerous…" Archer whispered as well. "It's coming!"

Finn stared at them wide eyed before shouting, "Riveria! Hold off your spells!"

"What!?" The High Elf turned at him in shock as Gareth, Tione, Bete and Tsubaki moved to intercept the surge of monsters

"Something made the two of them like this," Finn pointed out without looking at her as he turned back toward the Spirit, his hand shaking. "And my thumb won't stop shaking. We have to be ready for-"

Before he could finish the Spirit…the abnormality smiled a heavenly smile at him and spoke.

"Arise, flames."

No. It chanted.

With those simple words, a blood red light shone from the ground where a massive and ominous magic circle appeared.

A monster was casting a spell. Something that was supposed to run on pure instinct had the capability of thought and the intelligence required for magic.

"Everyone fall back!" Finn ordered immediately. "Riveria, Barrier, now! Everyone else, fire at that thing! Archer! Get a hold of yourself!"

Finn spun around and decked Archer in the face.

The man staggered a bit before clarity seemed to return to his eyes and lightning arced down his arms at the same time as a dozen of Magic Swords appeared on the ground.

As the others regrouped, they all grabbed a Magic Sword as the Supporters aside from Lefiya pulled out their own.

"L-let her have it!" Raul shouted as they all shot their spells forward and Lefiya finished her chant.

"FUSILLADE FALLARICA!"

But the magic never reached the Spirit.

The lower half of the Spirit which contained large growths in the shape of massive flower petals simply curled around it and blocked the magic without any problems

When the petals opened up again, the smile was twisted into an evil sneer.

Not even Lefiya's tremendous firepower which had incinerated the Wyverns in one shot and hammered the Valfang Dragons into the ground could penetrate the Spirit's shield.

"Dance, spirits of the air, keepers of the light!"

"Rage, rage, RAGE! Vortex of fire! The crimson wall! Hellfire's roar!"

Riveria's chant was matched alongside that of the Spirit's.

"Forge thy pledge with the forest's protectors and envelop us in the psalm of the earth! Surround us!"

"May the ardor of the gale plunge the world into grief and misery! The sky shall burn! The earth shall ignite! The seas shall boil! The fonts shall churn! The mountains shall erupt! All life shall turn to ash! May the lives of the great ones serve as atonement for the coming choler and grief—!"

But even though they chanted at the same time, the Spirit ability to chant was twice as fast as Riveria's.

"Your envoy beseeches you, Salamander! Incarnate of fire! Queen of flame—!"

"Materialize, mighty barrier of forest's light, and lend us your protection. Mine name is Alf! Via Shilheim!" With a wave of her hand, Riveria completed her chant and a jade-colored magic circle formed beneath Riveria's feet, the light gleaming before transforming into a dome-like green structure and covered all the Adventurers.

Not a moment later, a small wisp of flame appeared in the Spirit's hands and it moved as if to blow at it like a candle, causing the flame to float outward and fall to the ground.

"Fire Storm!"

A massive inferno raged across the floor burning away everything in sight. The monsters. The jungle plants. All were turned to ash aside from the Adventurers being shielded by Riveria.

But the sound of despair came soon after.

Crack.

A small splinter appeared on the dome that soon began to spread out like a spiderweb as the hellfire raged all around them.

"Gareth! Protect them!" Riveria screamed before the shield shattered and the flames engulfed her.

Alicia, Lefiya and Ais screamed out her name but they were drowned out by Gareth's roar as he leaped forward, two giant shields in hand.

"Gareth!"

"Old man!"

Archer and Bete called out as the Dwarf braced the two shields taken from the Supporters and let out a war cry as he stood against the raging inferno.

Tiona jumped on Archer as he tried to reach out toward the dwarf and tackled him to the ground, the searing heat scorching over them not a second later making Archer feel like he had been shoved head first into an active volcano.

In front of Archer's eyes, the shields began to melt as if they were large sticks of butter within a volcano. Even Gareth's armor and helmet liquified off of him.

With no other choice, Gareth flung out his arms to catch as much of the flames as he could, his Adventurer body which had been given the Grace of the Gods being sturdier than anything else he had on him…or any other Adventurer really.

But even so, his body was not enough to block everything as the world exploded, sending everyone flying back in a sea of red. Again and again Archer tumbled across the ground with Tiona, both of them unconsciously trying to shield the other as the flames scorched their bodies and sent them skidding across the dirt floor.

When the storm finally cleared, it was with Archer on top of Tiona's body as the two of them lifted their heads up.

Nothing on the Dungeon floor remained but ash and the Adventurers' bodies scattered around like corpses.

"Tione? Ais? Lefiya?" Tiona asked as she pushed herself up, grabbing onto Archer as she did to help him up as well.

Around them, everyone else was standing up without a word, aside from Riveria and Gareth who had taken the blunt of the flames.

"They're still alive…" Archer said, his voice dry and hoarse as one he pressed one hand against his waist where a single bottle remained miraculously undamaged in his pocket.

"You will most likely do something foolish down there so do not waste this."

Caster had given him the small bottle shortly after their assault on Freya Familia.

An elixir.

Unimaginably expensive for a normal small Familia, it was powerful enough to heal all wounds and return an Adventurer back to full strength aside from their Mind.

He could use it now…but on who?

Before he could decide, the Spirt sneered at them once more.

"Moan, mighty earth…"

Another chant.

One so soon after that raging inferno, it was already casting a completely new spell, one with a black magic circle this time.

"Rise, rise, RISE! Husk of the earth! Sheen of iron! Hammer of the cosmos! May genesis's pact upheave rock and stone! The sky shall burn! The earth shall split!"

It was another long chant, one just as fast as the previous one, causing Archer to break into a run, straight toward Gareth.

"Archer wait!" Tiona shouted.

"Get Riveria!" Archer shouted back as he slid to a stop between Gareth's unconscious body and the Spirit. "…I'm paying you back old man…"

And he held out his hand toward the Spirit.

"I am…the bone of my sword…"

His magic was swirling, an image formed in his mind. Whether or not it would suffer the same fate as Riveria's shield would be up to Archer's own strength.

Behind Archer, Finn realized what he was trying to do and decided to take that bet.

"Sorry!" Finn let out an apology as he turned to the others. "Grab Riveria! Get behind Archer!"

"The bridge shall rise! Heaven and earth shall become one! May the axes of the ether rain down and bring about calamity's ruin!

Your envoy beseeches you, Gnome! Incarnate of the land! Queen of the earth—!"

"Steel is my body. Fire is my blood. I have created over a thousand blades. Unknown to death, nor known to life!"

Tiona grabbed Riveria and ran with all her might to reach Archer's side as everyone else gathered close as well.

"METEOR SWARM!"

"RHO AIAS!"

The Spirit's magic converged, and thousands upon thousands of meteorites formed in the mass of darkness as a massive shield in the shape of a flower bloomed to meet it.

The meteors came down all over the floor. Most of them didn't even fall close to where Archer and the others were. It was not an attack meant to hit a single enemy but to rush an entire army underfoot. Though the Floor was filled with enough craters to make it look like the surface of the moon, only a few actually landed on the shield.

But even so…

Archer's body burned as he forced himself to remain standing as little by little, the layers of Rho Aias were being stripped away, with the backlash burning his arm and his sleeve being stripped away by the magical backlash.

"This is…" Lefiya gasped as she watched Archer's arm ruin itself from the magic.

"Have withstood pain…to create many weapons…" Archer grunted as the fifth layer shattered like glass.

Then, he felt two pairs of hands behind him, pressing on his back to steady him.

"Archer!"

"Don't lose! You're not alone here!"

Ais and Tiona were right behind him, supporting him.

The sixth layer shattered.

But Archer would not fail.

"Yet, those hands will never hold anything!"

With a massive roar, he forced the final layer to hold out as the storm ended once more…with a single flower blooming in the desolate wasteland.

"…Motherfucker held out…" Bete muttered as all eyes were on Archer as he finally slumped backward into Tiona's arms.

"Archer!" Tiona shouted. "Hang in there!"

"You're…loud…" Archer groaned as his right arm hanged loosely at his side. "Not…over yet…"

As he said, the Spirit was still standing, the smile having faded slightly as it narrowed its eyes at them before it spread its arms out and light began to gather into its body.

"It's…absorbing the magic…" Lefiya realized, her face etched out in fear.

Archer had Tiona help him back to his feet as he glared at the creature in front of him. His left hand dug into his pocket and pulled out the golden bottle he had been entrusted with.

"…Sorry Bell…" Archer said as he opened the top with his teeth and drank the potion. "Hang in there a while longer…"

"Bell?" Tiona repeated as Archer stepped away from her. "Hey…wait a minute!"

Tiona made to grab his hand but he pulled it out of her reach as he strode forward toward the Spirit. He had only took a few steps when he saw Ais walking by his side.

Neither of them knew who made the first move but in the next instant, ignoring Tiona's cry, both of them charged forward toward the Spirit. They had no time to lose. If it managed to absorb the surrounding magic and regain its reserve, there was no hope left.

Seeing them coming in, the Spirit let loose a small melody from its lips as countless Virgas started swarming in from the massive hole behind her, the one leading to the Sixtieth Floor.

They moved pass the Spirit and made a beeline toward the two Adventurers.

Even though they hadn't really fought side by side outside of the single instance against Ottarl, Ais took a half step back, letting Archer take the front as the mass of Virgas swarmed toward them.

Magic surged throughout Archer's body while offering another silent apology to his young Master.

A purple magic sword appeared in his hands its blade altered and extended far beyond normal as he swung it, sending lighting surging forward into the swarm of monsters, turning them to ash in an instant as the blade shattered, only to be replaced by another sword with an azure edge that froze the monsters before they were shattered by a replica of Finn's spear.

"Tempest!"

With the quick chant, Ais then overtook Archer, taking advantage of the hole he had carved through the swarm. As the magical wind surrounded them, the acid from the Virgas did not reach them.

Above them, they could see balls of flame, spears of ice, bolts of lightning and arrows of light shoot from the rest of the party's Magic Swords and Lefiya's Staff toward the Spirit only for a mass of tentacle-like roots to rise up like a massive wall and shield it from the magic.

Finn's spear disappeared from Archer's hands as it was replaced by a black bow and a twisted drill-like arrow, the reshaped sword Caladbolg II.

Doing a flip, Ais sent a burst of wind forward, clearing the firing line for Archer's arrow as well as removing herself out of the way.

The arrow was launched and smashed into the wall, splitting it open, much to the apparent surprise of the Spirit behind it. But it lasted only for a moment as a twisted smile replaced it.

"Rage, rage, RAGE! Vortex of fire! The crimson wall! Hellfire's roar!"

Another blood red circle appeared below it as it prepared its flame spell once more.

However, both of their eyes were only facing forward. The two of them had eyes only for the Spirit as if in a synchronized trance from some outside force.

Thus they were surprised when a small figure barreled past them.

Finn sped forward with speeds faster than both Archer and Ais. His eyes were clouded by madness and strength as if he had willingly robbed himself of all reason with a spell in order to increase his strength tenfold.

It was Finn's magic spell, Hell Finegas, one that sacrificed his mind of a commander for sheer power.

Then Finn jumped.

Gripping his gold-tipped spear and grinding his teeth together, he hurled himself at the spirit like a parum cannonball. Then, with a mighty roar, he hurled his spear forward toward the Spirit, shooting through the air as fast as Archer's arrows through the hole in the wall of tentacles where it reached the Spirit's head before it could close its petals fully like it had done to the first barrage, tearing right through its face before the Spirit detonated in flames.

Ignis Fatuus.

A situation where a spell's chant was interrupted, causing the caster to lose their focus. The magic stored up inside would then rebound upon the caster as it had no where else to go, dealing damage to them.

"You two aren't leaving us behind!" Tiona's voice called out as the two turned around.

Beside them, Tiona, Tione and Bete managed to catch up to them while the rest remained at the rear to protect the downed Riveria and Gareth and the Support them with the Magic Swords.

The spirit's body was charred and blackened from the self-destruction but only for a moment as their head reformed with a rather disgusting frown.

"Pierce, spear of lightning! Your envoy beseeches thee, Tonitrus! Incarnate of thunder! Queen of lightning—!"

A third spell, one with a chant even shorter than that of the previous two.

But it was still too long.

Another spiraled arrow shot forward, crashing into the petals of the Spirit, twisting their form and exploding, causing yet another Ignis Fatuus.

Even with the fired arrow, none of the vanguard stopped moving as they moved to clear the last fifty meters between them and the Spirit.

And that was when Archer and Ais felt it, a swarm of magic gathering behind them all the way in the rear.

The High Elf Queen had awaken. Surrounded by the Supporters and Tsubaki, Riveria, body still charred and burned from the initial spell had been channeling her magic once more, this time as a way to strike back at the Spirit rather than merely defend.

"Fading light, freezing land. Blow with the power of the third harsh winter—advent of the end."

It was supposed to have been a chant for her ice spell, but Riveria did not end it there.

"A blaze shall soon descend. Approaching flames of war from which this is no escape. Battle horns blaring on high, all atrocities and strife shall be engulfed."

Concatenated Chanting.

It was a special magic Skill possessed solely by the high elf queen, Riveria Ljos Alf. A type of chant that could encompass any of the three spells expressed in her Status.

Just as different levels could exist within a single Status, so, too, did three levels of spell exist within her Magic. From ultrashort chants to short chants, from short chants up to long chants, and from long chants all the way up to protracted chants. By connecting the respective levels of chants, one could bolster the total magic output, change the magic's effects, and amplify their destructive power.

"Come crimson pyre, merciless inferno. Become hellfire. Purge the battlefield, end the war. Incinerate, sword of Sutr, Mine name is Alf!" Riveria declared. "REA LAEVATEINN!"

An inferno erupted on the other side of the tentacle wall. This was no unguided bombing. The spell was selective in its targets as it reduced all the surrounding Virgas to ash while leaving the Adventurers untouched from its fury. All the monsters were burned away leaving only the Spirit behind as it let out a roar of rage and raised another wall of vines from below the ground.

Bete, Finn and the Amazons crashed head first into the wall with their weapons but couldn't do anything to it.

Before Archer could prepare another arrow, a roar raged behind him.

"AXE, BOY!"

And instead of an arrow, a massive axe appeared in Archer's hand as he held it out, where it was taken by a roaring and enraged Dwarf Soldier back on his feet and more.

"ARE YOU ALL TALK FINN!?" Gareth shouted as he smashed into the wall with his axe.

"I just knew that you'd show up eventually," Finn said, his voice slightly distorted as his mouth broke into a smile.

With a roar, Gareth ripped a massive hole in the wall, even larger than the hole created by Archer's Caladbolg as Finn Bete, Tiona and Tione shot through first, clashing with several roots that shot toward the dwarf and cutting them down before they could skewer him.

A rain of blades shot forward through the opening created by the others, clearing a path for Ais and Archer.

The two of them were right in front of the Spirit now, only to be met by yet another spell, hidden in the Spirit's mouth. A massive icicle pointed at them.

"Icicle Edge!"

But a single arrow of light, shot from a sole elf girl, appeared in front of them and shattered the icicle before it could be launched.

In a last desperate attempt to keep the Adventurers away, the Spirit brought its arms up to defend itself before a mass of roots shot up from the ground, sending Ais and Archer flying into the air.

But just as they were about to hit the ceiling, his chant was finished.

"So as I pray, Unlimited Blade Works."

The world around them burned once again…and this time, the Spirit, along with Archer and Ais, were gone, leaving only the tentacles behind which slowly started crumbling to ash.

X-x-X-x-X

Ais looked around.

Gone was the barren ashland of the Fifty-Ninth Floor and in its place was a wasteland filled with countless blades embedded into the ground like gravestones. Far above her head were massive spinning gears not unlike the ones she saw in Babel tower. It looked like a dead world. A world of rusted iron.

Around her she could see Tiona's Urga, Tione's Zolas daggers, Finn's Foria Spear and Gareth's Grand Axe planted on the ground. Not only those but her Familia's Durandal Roland series weapons were also scattered about as well as Ais's own Desperate, propped up right in front of her.

Hadn't Archer had told Gareth and Tiona he couldn't create weapons with the Durandal Trait?

Nevertheless, Ais pulled out the false Desperate sword and looked up at the hill in front of her. There she saw Archer, standing tall with his back toward her as a wind blew against him, blowing his waist-coat outward.

For a moment, she thought she saw him standing in front of her again with his red scarf flapping in the wind as he turned his head toward her with a smile.

"Are you ready to finish what we started?" Archer asked, bringing Ais back to the present.

She nodded as she climbed up the hill and saw the Demi Spirit in front of her. It was trembling on the ground, having been separated from its lower half and the majority of its vine-like tentacles. It looked around in fear at the foreign scenery…then its eyes fell on them.

With a scream, what was left of it's tentacled body lashed out but Ais shot forward, both Desperates in hand and batted them away, keeping them from striking at Archer and herself.

Archer held his hand up in the air, bringing up dozens of blades around them, and shot them forward.

Most of them bounced off the vines but they were flung with enough force to blast the vines away. Some blades managed to cut clean through while others froze, burned or simply outright removed the obstacles, clearing the path for Ais to run forward toward the crying face of the Spirit.

"Ari…a…" the Spirit croaked out in desperation as a blade lodged itself into its mouth to keep it from speaking or chanting anything else.

"I am not Aria," Ais said as she drew closer. "I don't know who you are. In the past, there were spirits who helped the mortal races and their heroes, but they were lost in the Dungeon and turned into Monsters."

She was right in front of the Spirit, looking down at its weak body and sickly green face.

"But I do know…that you shouldn't exist."

She raised both blades into the air.

"Li'l Rafaga. LIGHT BURST!"

A massive hurricane erupted from both of Ais's Desperates as she slammed them into the downed Spirit, destroying the remains of its body in a single strike, reducing all trace of the spirit to Ash alongside its Magic Stone.

As she did, the false Desperate in her hand vanished along with the world around her, bringing her and Archer back to the Fifty-Ninth Floor.

There was a loud thud behind her and she wheeled around to see that Archer had collapsed onto his back, unmoving.

She took a step out toward him, only to feel the strength in her arms and legs leave her, sending her crashing to the ground as well.

"_But at the very least_," she thought as she heard the voices of her Familia running over to them. "It was over."

For now at least, they had won.


	16. Magic Swords

**Chapter 16: Welf Crozzo**

He was walking through what looked to be the remains of a city. What was once a metropolis full of towers that seemed to scrape the sky was now nothing more than a graveyard.

All around Him was the shape of twisted metal, crumbling stone and the smell of death and charred corpses.

It was a scene of Hell.

He ran around, desperate to try and find some sign of life but all He could find were the dead and the dying, far too gone to be saved.

The nightmare was beginning to weigh down on Him as He desperately turned the corner to see a small boy struggling to walk down the ruined road.

He ran.

He ran harder and faster than He had ever ran before in His life. His arms outstretched the moment He saw the boy fall backwards.

But the boy's body slipped through His arms like He was a ghost and landed in a thud on the ground, their eyes clouding over as their life was slowly leaving their body.

He was begging…screaming out to the world for someone to save the boy, for someone to do something He could not do.

And then, the boy suddenly stretched their arm toward the sky, not to seek salvation, but to simply try and reach for the sky.

He tried to grab the outstretched hand, if only to reassure the boy that everything would be fine, but his hands once against slipped through the boy's arm as it fell…and was caught by someone else's hands.

A man had grabbed the boy's hand, their face filled with so much joy that they were weeping. The man had found the boy…but it looked as though the man was the one who was saved instead.

"_I wonder…if I could be happy like that too?_" A voice seemed to echo in the world as it began to fade away.

X-x-X-x-X

"…ll…Be…Bell…Bell!"

Bell's eyes struggled to open as he found himself lying on the couch.

When his vision returned to him, he was gazing into the tearful eyes of the goddess Hestia.

"…Goddess?" He managed to croak out.

"Thank goodness…you're finally awake!" Hestia sobbed, tears in her eyes as she grabbed his hand and brought it to her cheek.

"…What happened?"

"You passed out," Saber's voice echoed in the room as the Servant manifested himself beside Hestia.

His reappearance was immediately followed by Caster and then Assassin, the latter of which dived right at Bell's arm and hugged it with all her might as she started crying.

"Mommy! Mommy!" Assassin cried out as she hugged Bell as hard as she could as if afraid he would suddenly disappear.

"I'm all right Jack," Bell said with a smile as Hestia helped him sit up. "I'm sorry to have worried you and the Goddess."

"…Perhaps we were pushing it with Four Servants after all," Caster muttered with a sigh as he produced a Body and Mind Potion from his treasury and held it out to Bell. "Drink."

Bell did so dutifully, the potion going down his parched throat and cleared his mind and seemed to lift heaviness from his body.

"It would seem Archer's battle has come to an end," Caster said. "He will be returning to the surface in the coming days and you should not end up in such a sorry state again."

Though his voice was harsh and cold as usual, Caster's expression was uncharacteristically soft as he explained the situation to Bell.

From what he gathered, Archer was stuck in a situation that required him to use all his reserves. Doing so however taxed Bell's body, already providing the upkeep for three other Servants, to the limit and gave him the rather "novel" experience of Mind Down.

However, thanks to the Mind Potions and Hestia constantly updating Bell's Status to cope with the strain, Bell's body was able to adapt and his life was no longer in danger. His Magic Status grew rather exponentially in the meantime though.

"Really now…" Caster let out a long sigh. "Had you taken the Mage Development Ability, you would not need to have suffered so."

"I'm sorry…" Bell apologized while lowering his head.

"Hey Caster…can you go easy on him right now?" Hestia asked. "I think we're all a bit shaken up from this."

Caster scoffed at Hestia's request but held his tongue nonetheless as he turned to the side and walked away toward the kitchen.

"I will head to the meeting place to let Welf know what happened," Saber said. "We have kept him waiting for a while."

"Sorry about that," Bell apologize again but Saber shook his head. "Give my apologies to Welf too."

"Do not worry, Master. Simply rest for now."

"Oh, and can you drop by the Hostess to let Syr know as well?"

"Of course. Please excuse me."

And with that, Saber left as well.

"Are you okay?" Assassin asked again as she moved her face close to Bell's. "Mommy looks pale…"

"I…think I had a nightmare…" Bell replied as he rubbed his eyes. "I was…I don't really remember actually…"

"Don't think about it too hard," Hestia said as she handed him a glass of water. "Just relax today. No leaving the house, understand?"

"Yes, Goddess."

He wasn't exactly feeling up to moving around either way.

"Good. Then Jackie, I'll leave your other Mommy to you and Caster. I have to get to work and apologize for being late!"

"Okay!" Assassin nodded. "Bye bye Mommy Hestia!"

Grabbing her coat from the nearby armchair, Hestia said her goodbyes and gave Assassin a kiss on her cheek before bolting for the door.

Once she was gone, Assassin hopped off the couch Bell was sitting on and ran up the stairs while Bell's gaze followed her. A few minutes later, she came back down carrying a large blanket which she forcefully threw on top of Bell before squeezing in with him.

"Rest!" She said with a bright smile that seemed to melt away all of Bell's stress and worries.

"Yeah, thanks," Bell said, returning the smile.

Being an only child, Bell wondered if this was what having a younger sister was like. He knew that he occasionally treated Lily like she was younger than him but he knew he relied on her in the Dungeon more than anyone else in the Familia to really consider her like a younger sister. So having a cute smaller girl try to pamper him like this made him unbelievably happy.

Caster came out of the kitchen holding a steaming mug of milk in his hands. He stopped and stared at the couch for a moment as Bell felt his cheeks light up in embarrassment before the king gave an amused snort and disappeared up the stairs to return to his office.

For a moment Bell thought Caster was going to hand Bell the cup of milk before chuckling to himself. There was no way a king would serve someone like that.

"Hmm? When did that get there?"

Assassin's words caused Bell to look at the table in front of the couch where two steaming mugs of milk were sitting there untouched.

Bell then remembered something Archer said to Caster several weeks ago.

"_It really would kill you to be honest, huh?_"

"Thank you my king," Bell gave his quiet thanks to Caster before Assassin slipped out from under the blanket and handed Bell the mug while taking the other for herself.

The milk was good and warmed Bell's body up to the point that he felt he was overly comfortable and could simply just melt away.

Come to think of it, he wondered where the milk came from. Lately there was always a large container of it bearing the Familia Emblem of two cow horns on the ends of a horseshoe in the storage but he and Lily never think to buy it when they shop for dinner and Hestia tended to only bring back leftovers from her stand for food. It was possible Archer had bought some before he left on the expedition but any that he would have bought before the Loki Familia Expedition would have gone sour already.

That left…

"…It can't be…right?" Bell muttered as he took another sip of his drink.

X-x-X-x-X

Lily came home around dinnertime, having spent the day taking care of her friend who had caught a cold from not drying himself off properly after a bath.

She apologized profusely to Bell for not being around to help but Bell didn't mind. Her friend had fallen ill as well after all. And since they were an older person living alone, it would have been even more dangerous if Lily hadn't been there to help him.

"Still…" Lily muttered as Bell waved off her apology.

"Well, what's done is done," Bell said as a sleeping Assassin had her head against Bell's shoulder. "Did you eat yet? Although I'm not sure if we have any food lying around since the goddess hasn't returned yet."

"Lily already ate when she cooked dinner for Mr Bom so she's not hungry either," Lily replied as she sat down on the couch beside Bell as well. "Did Lord Caster eat yet?"

"I think he left to go investigate those rumors earlier," Bell replied. "At the very least, I don't think he's home right now."

"Is that so?"

A comfortable silence fell between the two with the only sounds being Assassin soft snoring.

"Is…Master Archer all right?" Lily asked.

"I don't know," Bell replied as he rubbed a hand over his chest before staring down at his feet. "But at the very least, I still feel a presence somewhere below us. I'm still connected to Archer and the others after all."

Bell looked at the back of his left hand where two of the remaining Command Spells could still be seen.

"Those are what makes Bell a 'Master' right?" Lily asked as Bell nodded. Lily then took off her glove on her left hand and stared at the back of her hand. "Lily wonders if she could become one too."

"Oh, did you want to summon Heroes too?" Bell asked but Lily shook her head.

"If Lily could take over the upkeep of one of the Servants for Bell then something like his won't happen again, right?" Lily pointed out. "Lily is supposed to be your Supporter so she should at least help support the Servants as well."

"Well, my Magic is growing twice as fast as my other Status so it shouldn't be as bad again unless everyone goes at full strength, something that shouldn't happen so long as we're still on the Upper Floors."

"Lily suppose so…" Lily muttered as she looked to the side. "The Monsters on the surface are all weaker than the Orcs on Floor Eleven as well. Outside of the One-Eyed Black Dragon anyway."

"The last of the three Grand Quests…" Bell said thoughtfully. "I don't suppose Saber could take it on? He did slay a powerful dragon in his Legend."

"Lily thinks sending a single person, Servant or not, to fight that dragon alone is like sending a child without a Falna to fight a Minotaur…"

"Ahaha, I suppose you have a point there. Even fighting a Floor Boss alone is insanity."

And Ais Wallenstein, the Sword Princess, did just that. And a Floor Boss that spawned other monsters to help it fight at that.

She was only a few years older than Bell and yet she could do something like that already. She was already someone who could stand beside Archer and the others. What could Bell do to hurry and catch up to his dream?

Thinking back to some of the old legends his grandfather told him about, he recalled more than a few heroes studied under teachers…perhaps he could find one for himself? No…he already had one in the form of Archer and possibly Saber later on. There was no need to hire an outsider for it.

There was no shortcut to being a hero. Bell would have to find the path himself.

"Come to think of it, where is Master Saber?" Lily asked.

"He went to let Welf know a bit of what happened but he hasn't returned yet."

"Lily wonders if Master Welf is going to ask to look at Master Saber's sword more closely. Lord Caster mentioned that he had the original blade in his treasury didn't he?"

"Huh? He did?"

"Well, not in those words but he was rather upset at how Master Saber called his sword 'Gram' remember?"

Bell did. Caster seemed angry that Saber's sword looked the way it did which meant that Caster knew what the sword 'Gram' looked like before it was reforged to look like that. It most likely meant he had it in his possession or something.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang, causing Lily and Bell to look at each other.

"…None of us invited any guests, right?" Bell asked as Lily shook her head.

The bell rang again, causing Assassin to let out a noise of annoyance as she shifted on the couch.

"Lily will go see who it is," Lily said as she hopped off the couch and ran toward the front door.

A minute later, Lily came in with a familiar face in tow.

"Miss Ryuu?" Bell asked in surprise to see the elf waitress from the Hostess of Fertility coming in with a basket in her hand.

"Good evening Mister Cranel," Ryuu said with a bow. "On behalf of Syr, I've brought some dinner for you. Syr would have come herself but she couldn't leave work."

"Oh no! You didn't have to do that!" Bell said quickly as he stood up, only to falter a bit as a bout of dizziness overcame him, causing him to sit back down. "U-uuu…"

"Please do not get up on my account," Ryuu replied. "And it was no trouble at all. Today was my day off from work so I lose nothing from doing this delivery."

"Is that so…? Ah!" Bell asked before quickly turning to his left, having forgotten that Assassin was sleeping against him, only to see that she was still sound asleep, having fallen over on the other side.

"Hmm? Did you have a little sister?" Ryuu asked, looking at Assassin curiously.

"Well, she is family," Lily said with a smile. "Her name is Jack and she joined yesterday."

"I see," Ryuu nodded with a smile. "It's a good feeling when your Familia grows, isn't it?"

"Yes," Bell nodded as he draped the blanket back over Assassin.

As Lily took the food into the Kitchen, Bell offered Ryuu a seat to which she accepted and sat down on an armchair beside the couch.

"Are you feeling better?" Ryuu asked. "I could leave if you think you are straining yourself."

"No, I've been sleeping most of the day so I'm a bit restless right now," Bell admitted with a laugh.

"I see, but are you all right? It's rather rare for Adventurers to catch colds."

"I don't think I've been poisoned or anything but I think I overdid it yesterday in the Dungeon and got Mind Down today. Three Infant Dragons showed up on the Eleventh Floor so it was pretty hectic."

"Three of them!?" Ryuu repeated, her eyes widening. "At the same time? That's…rather unbelievably unlucky…"

"You're telling me…" Bell said with another chuckle. "If Saber hadn't been there I think everyone would have been in a lot of trouble."

Ryuu nodded her head as she stroked her chin in thought.

"You mentioned it to the Guild when you returned, correct?" Ryuu asked and Bell nodded.

"Yeah. Miss Eina, my Advisor, was rather frantic…especially since we just had that Minotaur appear on the Ninth Floor…" Bell muttered before trailing off as Ryuu gave another nod.

"Yes…the Dungeon tends to be unpredictable but this is well beyond anything natural…did someone lure the dragons I wonder…?"

Ryuu suddenly fell silent as she covered her mouth with her hand, deep in thought.

Luring the dragons…Bell couldn't think of anything that could do that…except perhaps a Dragon Slayer…?

Did Saber attract dragons just by being near them? Perhaps between flight and fight, dragons chose to fight in the presence of a Dragon Slayer?

"I'm sorry but I have to check on something," Ryuu suddenly said as she stood up. "Please get well soon, Mister Cranel."

"Huh? Uh…sure. Take care, Miss Ryuu."

As Ryuu stood up and moved to leave, she suddenly stopped and turned back to Bell.

"Mr Cranel," she began. "I have some advice, if you would have it?"

"Hmm? Of course."

Bell wasn't stupid enough to not listen to advice from someone who was obviously a former Adventurer. Especially not when it was freely given.

"The Dungeon is a dangerous existence," Ryuu began. "Each incident that happens there may be small in of itself but they will add up over time. It is a beast that excels at hunting its prey. Whether by striking when their guard its down or by wearing it down physically and mentally before sinking its fangs in. So please be careful."

"…I understand. Thank you."

With that, the elf girl gave Bell a quick bow before leaving.

"Hmm? Did she leave already?" Lily asked as she came back into the living area. "Lily thought she was going to talk with Bell for a while or at least stay for dinner."

"She must have remembered an errand," Bell said as Assassin slowly sat up and started rubbing her eyes.

"…Something smells yummy…" Assassin mumbled.

"I guess it's about time to eat, huh?" Bell asked. "That means it's about time for-"

"I'M HOME!"

"For the loudmouth goddess to come back," Lily finished for Bell as the door was kicked open and for Hestia to rush into the living room and dive toward Bell and Assassin. "I missed you two so much! Oh and you too, Miss Supporter."

Rather than get angry, Lily simply sighed with a wry smile on her face as Hestia hugged Bell and Assassin in her arms.

"Welcome back, Mommy Hestia!"

"Welcome back, Goddess. Did you get in trouble for being late?"

"My boss was really understanding and it wasn't the busy time yet so everything is a-okay! I didn't get paid for the missed hour though…ugh…I'll never pay Caster back like this."

"Lily doesn't think it would ever be possible for Lady Hestia to pay back that kind of debt in Bell's lifetime…" Lily pointed out. "Lord Caster probably doesn't expect to be paid back and is just holding that debt over Lady Hestia so she doesn't just sit around all day snacking while reading books."

"Oh, he definitely is…" Hestia grumbled before sniffing the air. "I smell food. Did you buy something, Miss Supporter?"

"No, one of the waitresses at the pub gave it to us," Bell replied.

"Hmm…is that so…" Hestia grumbled before shrugging her shoulders. "Well, food is food, so let's get to eating!"

Taking Assassin by the hand, Hestia led them to the dining room as Lily let out another long sigh before she and Bell followed her.

X-x-X-x-X

Come the next morning, Bell felt much more refreshed and rested when he came down to breakfast and found Saber sitting at the table.

"Good morning, Bell," Saber greeted him as he lowered his head a bit. "My apologies for coming home late yesterday."

"It's fine," Bell replied with a smile and a wave. "Were you with Welf all day yesterday?"

"Yes. He wished to examine my blades and I saw no reason to decline as it would only benefit you in the long run as well if your personal blacksmith learned another trick or two."

"And what is your professional opinion on him as a blacksmith?"

Bell turned around and stepped to the side as Caster came in as well.

"He has potential but he is holding himself back," Saber replied as Caster sat down in his seat at the head of the table while Bell sat down as well.

"Oh?"

"It feels as though he is avoiding the use of certain techniques known by the mortals of this world and it is the reason he is ostracized in his own Familia for it."

"It's because he can make Magic Swords!"

An interruption came in the form of Hestia as she came down with Assassin and Lily behind her.

"Magic Swords?" Bell asked. "You mean those super expensive blades that hold spells inside them?"

"That's right," Hestia said as she and Assassin sat down beside each other while Lily sat down beside Bell. "I heard about your new party member from Lily. Crozzo's Magic Swords are rather famous in Gekai though I don't know much about the family itself outside the usual rumors and legends. Hephaistos said that they are mostly true though."

"You mean how they can burn the seas?" Lily asked.

"Yep, though the family lost that power for some reason," Hestia said as she folded her arms and tilted her head to the side. "I think it has something to do with the fact that their Magic Swords were always being used in Rakia's war and conquest and ended up burning down the Forests of the Elves and so the Spirits abandoned them or something. Welf however, somehow kept his ability to make those powerful Magic Swords."

"Hoh…to think that there would be another interesting mongrel in this city of mediocrity," Caster said with an interested look.

"Wait…I thought Magic Swords can only be made after you get the Development Ability Blacksmith…" Bell said. "At least, that's what Miss Eina told me during one of our lessons…"

"That's normally the case," Hestia nodded. "But Welf can do so regardless. It must be his family's bloodline or a Skill that's passed down through the family somehow…"

Hestia then quickly shook her head as she was going off topic.

"In any case, even though his family can no longer make them for some reason or another, Welf can. But for some reason, he doesn't want to make them. If he did, his name would be famous and clients would be knocking at his door, but he doesn't. He's so stubborn that he even turned down a chair at the High Smiths' table."

Hephaistos's High Smiths were Smiths who had reached Level 2 and were able to make creations that passed muster from the Goddess and a panel of executives. If it passed, they were allowed to use Hephaistos's signature "Hφαιστος" on their weapon, a very high honor for a Smith.

"I see…" Caster said with a sigh. "What a waste of talent."

And just like that, Caster seemed to lose all interest in Welf.

"I've no need for someone who refuses their own nature and calling. If he wishes to live in the mud instead of somewhere appropriate of his station, then it is his failing."

"Lily can't understand why someone wouldn't want to use everything they have to make money…" Lily muttered. "Lily agrees with Lord Caster…it's such a waste…"

"I see…" Bell muttered.

He finally understood why Welf was acting the way he did the other way. He had the potential to easily join the High Smiths and make all the money he wanted just because he's a descendant of the Crozzo family and squandered it. From the perspective of someone who valued exceptional talent like Caster and someone as heavily money conscious as Lily, it certainly would seem like a waste.

"Well, it's up to you whether or not you want to keep him in the party," Hestia said. "Everyone has a secret or two hidden from others after all."

"…What do you think Lily?" Bell asked, not wanting to make the decision by himself again.

"…Lily thinks that while Master Welf is insane for not wanting to make hundreds of thousands of Valis with a single Magic Sword, Lily thinks that he is at least competent in the Dungeon and Bell could leave the weaker monsters to him."

"And another person to keep Lily safe!" Assassin chimed in for the first time since she arrived as Lily puffed her cheeks at her.

"In any case, shall we enter the Dungeon today?" Saber asked.

"Yeah, we should make up for lost time," Bell said with a nod.

With the meeting done, the Hestia Familia Adventurers stood up, bid goodbye to their Captain and Goddess and headed out to the meeting place.

There, they found Welf waiting for them as usual with a second large sword by his side.

"Yo Bell!" Welf called out. "Feeling better?"

"Yeah, sorry to worry you," Bell said as he rubbed the back of his head.

"No problem, I got a lot done thanks to Saber's help yesterday," Welf said as the knight gave a small bow in acknowledgement. "Oh and I got a little something for you."

Welf then handed the wrapped up sword to Bell who took it with a bright smile.

"Ohh, a sword!" Bell said as he examined the large white blade.

"Saber said that you were looking for something with a little more reach and weight to it. It was a thing I made a while back but couldn't sell but…"

"That's fine!" Bell said happily as he returned it to his sheath before Lily took it and hooked it onto her bag. "I'll take it! Ah, do you need any payment?"

"Nah, like I said, it's basically surplus goods. Better it be used than broken down or collecting dust. You're actually doing me a favor taking it. Besides, our contract, remember?"

"Ohhh, right."

"Then, that should be everything right?" Lily asked as she stood back up with her backpack behind her.

"Do you not have any Magic Swords?" Assassin suddenly asked causing Bell and Lily to whirl around at the girl innocently bellyflopping onto what was clearly a landmine for Welf. "Mommy Hestia was talking about how you can make all sorts of cool magic swords!"

"Ahh…" Welf let out a strange sound. "Right…our goddesses were friends, weren't they?"

Bell was worried that Welf might get angry but either because he expected such a question or because Assassin looked to be still rather young that he didn't seem to get angry, simply resigned.

"Well…it's because I don't like them," Welf said honestly.

"Oh," Assassin replied simply. "Okay then."

"…That's it?"

"Yep! Why should you make something you don't like? Right?"

Assassin ended her statement with a nod and a question before tilting her head to the side as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Welf stared at her for a moment before throwing his head back out in laughter as if he didn't expect such a response.

"Yeah…it really should be that simple, shouldn't it?" Welf muttered as he scratched the back of his head. "…What about you, Bell?"

"Umm…I won't claim to understand completely why you don't want to make Magic Swords," Bell admitted as he and Lily shared a glance. "But if you don't want to then like Jack said, there's no reason to try and make you, right?"

"Lily would like a little more reason than that but she won't pry deeper if Master Welf doesn't want to talk about it," Lily said as well.

"Hmm…guess that's fair…" Welf nodded. "Basically…you know how Magic Swords break after a few uses, right?"

"Yes. That's a reason why it makes them so rare."

"Well, that's pretty much the biggest reason. Swords…and all equipment really, shouldn't be something you just use and discard when you're done. They should be something that stays with you as long as possible. Truth be told, although I put out things like that armor and sword out in the shop all the time, even though they don't sell, I still get people coming to me as clients."

"…They do not care for the items you wish to make but are instead after your Magic Swords," Saber said, not as a question but as a statement to which Welf nodded.

"Yep. One after another. It's always Magic Sword this or Magic Sword that…actually… Bell…you were the first person to buy one of my armors and actually come back to request more of it…so…not to get all sappy and all but it made me really happy."

"Hmm? Bell wasn't your first customer period?" Lily asked as Bell looked embarrassed at Welf's words.

"Well…someone bought one of my blades but returned it soon after," Welf answered with a bitter face. "Probably thought it was a Magic Sword or something…"

"I see…" Saber nodded. "But…how did your bloodline come across such a power in the first place? The usual answer would be that you have some non-mortal blood in you like a Spirit or a Dragon."

Bell felt that Saber was speaking from experience, considering one of his skills but Welf let out a dry laugh.

"Got it in one…" he said with a sigh. "The legend passed down in our family is that our great ancestor saved the life of a Spirit at nearly the cost of his own. The Spirit then gave some of its own blood to him as it desperately tried to save his life."

"Then…your Ancestor became a hero?" Bell asked unable to keep his excitement in check.

"Nope. He just got healed and the two went their separate ways in thanks of the other until the old man had a family and died of age. The Spirit's blood remained though as it passed through his descendants…and then to me. Though the blood didn't really do anything until the Gods came down and blessed us with the Falna."

"I see…" Saber nodded. "So it became a Skill after all."

"Nothing gets passed your eyes, do they?" Welf said with a wry grin as Saber responded by adjusting his glasses slightly. "But yeah. Thanks to that we could make those super-charged Magic Swords…until we suddenly couldn't then it all went downhill just like Lil'Ly said. After the swords burned down the forests of the elves I guess the Spirit who initially blessed our bloodline got pissed cuz nearly every single Magic Sword we ever made…ones on the battlefield, ones in a vault, ones fresh out of the forge, they all started crumbling to dust."

It was said that some Spirits were especially in-tune with nature and thus made them friends with the various elven people who made the forests their home.

"Then how come Master Welf could suddenly make them?" Lily asked.

"Hell if I know. All I know is that one day, the Skill appeared and I could suddenly make them, then the old man wanted me to make them and restore our family name. 'Make a _tool_ the king would appreciate,' was what he said but not in so many words. Weapons aren't like that, not even close. Weapons become part of their wielder, something they can rely on. Who can rely on something like a Magic Sword that might break when you need it most…? Who needs something that will guarantee break before its wielder?"

Bell understood now. It was basically a matter of Welf's philosophy.

"Lily understands," Lily said with a nod. "But Lily thinks that Master Welf should at least consider making at least one to keep on hand."

"Why is that?"

"Does Master Welf not remember what happened two days ago? Three Infant Dragons came at us. If there was not a veteran like Master Saber with us, how many people would have died there? It's not as though Bell can fire off spells with that strength in rapid succession and Lily knows that he would not accept running away and leaving everyone else to fight."

Welf doesn't say anything as he glanced over at Saber and Bell.

"Lily isn't saying that Master Welf should throw away his way his ideals, but Master Welf should consider situations where a Magic Sword can be the only thing standing between life and death."

Bell knew that Lily took the dangers of the Dungeon very seriously, probably even more than Eina did. The encounter with the minotaur and the Infant Dragons would no doubt reinforce such thoughts. The idea that they could have something that would allow them to possibly stand against an enemy that would normally be impossible to defeat or one they could only run away from was probably too tempting for her to be silent.

It wasn't as though Bell was completely uninterested either, but…

"Lily, if Welf doesn't want to make them then we shouldn't force him," Bell said.

"Lily understands," she said with a nod toward Bell. "It's the same reason Lily hasn't begged Lord Caster for anything more than her ring." She then turned back to Welf. "But please keep it in mind for the future. The Upper Levels are still fine but it is not unusual for the Middle Floors to have mass spawns in each room."

"…I'll think about it," Welf gave in after a long bout of silence as Assassin raised a hand.

"Umm…do Magic Swords always break?" She asked. "Can't you make a sword that doesn't break?"

Welf opened his mouth to respond before slowly shutting it as he covered it with his mouth, his eyes moving from the Hestia Knife on Bell's waist to the sword on Saber's back as if trying to come up with an idea.

"A question for another time," Saber said as he walked toward Welf and patted him on the shoulder. "For now, the Dungeon awaits."

"Right," Welf nodded suddenly looking much happier, like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. "Can't make anything without any Drop Items after all."

And so, Bell's party of Adventurers entered the Dungeon once more.


	17. Middle Floors

**Chapter 17: A Hero's Truth**

A week had past since the impromptu meeting with Welf and the rest of Hestia Familia. The group had been going into the Dungeon each day and Welf was extremely satisfied with the amount of Drop Items they were getting. They even managed to reach the staircase of the Thirteenth Floor, which led into the areas known as the Mid Floors.

However, because of Lily's advice Bell decided not to go any further because starting from the Thirteenth Floor, monster spawned by the dozens and often traveled in swarms and there were Hell Hounds who attacked with fire magic as well as their fangs and claws. The lack of misty weather also meant that Assassin's stealth while fighting monsters was also diminished but that wouldn't be as important as Assassin was even faster than Bell when she wanted to be.

But…an Adventurer must go on an Adventure if they wished to continue their legend.

X-x-X-x-X

In the early morning hours of Orario while the early morning dew had yet to settle, the sounds of steel clashing against steel could be heard in front yard of the Familia Home of one of Orario's newest Familias.

A young boy was defending against a taller man wearing a black mask with the visage of a dragon while striking at him with two silver daggers.

Each blow felt as though they carried the weight of a dragon behind them with the boy being sent flying from each strike more often than not, but each time he was knocked back, he managed to land on his feet, or failing that, he was able to flip back up almost immediately.

"You are hesitating too much," Saber said as he charged forward again, filling Bell's vision with flashes of steel. "It is fine to be afraid of your opponent, but you must be confident in your own actions."

"Yes!" Bell shouted back as he jerked back and Saber's blade just narrowly missed his hair.

"Pay attention to your opponent. Keep track of everything they do to find a tell for their attacks. Their position, their stance, their eyes...figure out what you can use to take control of the battle and turn the tide."

Easier said than done as Saber's mask was covering his entire face and his movements were just one step too quick for Bell to see.

"If you cannot defend, dodge. If you cannot dodge, defend! If you cannot do either, then prepare yourself to take it and minimize the damage!"

Saber's leg struck out, catching Bell in the side, sending him flying toward a wall. But Bell was able to flip around and land on the wall with his feet before kicking off it and launching himself toward Saber like a black and silver bullet.

"Excellent," Saber said as he released his grip on his daggers, letting them fall to the ground as he reached out and grabbed Bell's arms out of the air before slamming him to the ground. "But not enough!"

"Ugghh…" Bell groaned for a moment before flipping over onto his back with a bright smile. "I thought that would work…"

"It was certainly a new tactic," Saber nodded. "Against a lesser opponent it may have caught them unawares."

The knight then extended his hand toward his Master and helped him to his feet.

Saber then thrust his hand into the air behind him, catching a surprised squeak as Assassin appeared with both her arms and legs wrapped around his long arm.

"Good morning, Jack," Saber said.

"Good morning, Mister Saber, Mommy," Assassin replied as she dropped down and moved to hug Bell, only to bang her head against his breastplate. "Owie…"

"Ahaha…good morning Jack," Bell said as he rubbed the spot on her forehead.

"Are you done playing?" Assassin asked as she shook off Bell's hand. "Can We play with you next?"

"Umm…we're not exactly playing but working," Bell said as he lowered himself slightly to speaker to her face to face. "We'll be going to the Dungeon later so you can 'play' with the Monsters then, okay?"

"Okay!" Assassin nodded with a cheerful smile before disappearing back inside the house.

"…Is it bad that I kind of understand how to handle her now?" Bell asked Saber who shut his eyes before answering.

"I believe being able to handle and understand the personalities of all your Servants prove that you are a very capable Master," Saber said diplomatically. "Keeping someone like Jack happy and under control is crucial for their development. A child that has no qualms about killing people is dangerous after all."

"Yeah…" Bell admitted as he rubbed his stomach. "Hey Saber?"

"Yes?"

"…The Grail is supposed to summon Heroes, right?" Bell asked. "Then why did Jack show up? Serial killer or not…she's just a little kid, right? Truth be told, I'm not even sure I believe that she's actually a killer…"

Saber didn't respond to the question for a while as he slowly raised his hand and adjusted his glasses for a moment.

"First off…what do you consider a 'Hero,' Bell?" Saber asked.

"Huh? Umm…someone who fights monsters and saves people?"

"True, but how do you know that someone is a hero?"

"Umm…because bards and the like tell stories about them?"

"Exactly," Saber nodded. "We Heroic Spirits are enshrined in the Throne of Heroes after achieving deeds worthy of being spread to the point that even we Heroes from before and even after their eras have heard of them. The villains of the stories you know would also count as they are part of that Hero's legend. "

"So even the giant enemy the Hero David defeated in his legend?" Bell asked and Saber nodded.

"Yes. Even if a Hero's rival had no mention in any other legend or had any legend of their own outside of being 'someone who could fight this hero' can be considered for the throne. It is not the deed itself that is important, but how many people know of the person or the deed."

"Then…why Jack?"

"The killings of the one labeled as Jack the Ripper were unique and extraordinary to the people at the time. Their…legend was spread far and wide and the people in the country where the legend began were interested in it as the killer was never known or found. Thus the Grail chose something suitable for a vessel…in this case, a child that did similar killings for reasons known only to her."

"I see…so that's why Jack said she didn't know if she was the one the legends were referring to…" Bell muttered and Saber nodded.

Bell would have to ask Jack for her reasons for doing so but…he felt afraid to do so…as it might change the way he saw her. If he became afraid of her afterward…

"It is not unusual for legends to change depending on who tells it, right?" Saber asked, unaware of Bell's dilemma.

"Yeah…" Bell admitted. "Grandpa hams up his stories every so often as well. Like the one about Albert the Great. Grandpa said that one of his lovers was the great Hight Elf Queen Celdia…but in elven legends, they say that Queen Celdia remained pure and never had any children and their noble line came from the queen's younger sister."

"It is only natural to take well known stories and put ones own spin on them. My own legend was changed when told by people in a different country as well. To the point that even the dragon I defeated was different in everything but name."

"Yeah, the different races would change the race of heroes to their own as well," Bell nodded. "Though I don't think Grandpa changed any…he told me stories of all sorts of different races…"

"…Your grandfather…he was the one who filled your head with tales of rescuing maidens and forming harems?"

"Grk…"

Despite Bell's goal of reaching the level of Hero, deep down, he wasn't completely sure that he truly gave up his dream of meeting a girl in the Dungeon…even if it was rather shameful.

"Harems aside…I do not think it is necessarily wrong to wish to meet the love of your life during one of your adventures," Saber said with a chuckle.

"Ahahaha…please don't tease me like that," Bell begged him as he scratched his cheek.

"By the way…what exactly was your original plan?"

"Err…promise not to laugh?"

"You have my word."

"Well…Grandpa always said that the best way to find romance was to save a girl…and when you do you should love her, settle down and marry her."

Bell felt his face heat up as he spoke while Saber stared at him.

"Kuku…"

"AH!" Bell shouted as Saber turned his head to the side and brought a hand up to his mask. "You laughed! You promised you wouldn't!"

"My apologies," Saber replied as all signs of mirth vanished from his face. "I was simply wondering why you hadn't done so already."

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"Save a girl, love her, then marry her. You already saved one, haven't you?"

"…I have?"

"Have you already forgotten? You saved Lily from a Minotaur, did you not? If you were to follow your grandfather's words, should you not settle down and marry her already?"

"Master Saber, Bell! Breakfast is ready!"

"Ahh! Ababab! Ababa!"

As soon as Saber finished talking, Lily poked her head out of the front door to call them back inside, causing Bell to yelp and babble nonsense in an attempt to drown out Saber's words.

"What are you doing, Bell?" Lily asked, having not heard Saber's words. "Did Master Saber hit you too hard in the head?"

"N-nothing! Nothing's wrong with me!" Bell said rather hysterically as Lily tilted her head to the side while Saber chuckled into his hand again. "Saaaaabeeeeer…!"

"Apologies Bell. I shall not mention it again."

"If the two of you are done, come inside for some breakfast," Lily said before stepping back inside while Bell slapped his cheeks to try and get his emotions under control.

"But still…you take the words of your late grandfather seriously, do you not?" Saber asked Bell quietly as the boy turned back to him with a smile and a nod.

"Yes," Bell said. "He was my first hero after all. Before I came to Orario, I wanted to be like him when I grew up…but he told me that I was aiming too low and should aim higher than that. I wonder…if I managed to make him proud."

As Bell lowered his head while he talked, he suddenly felt a hand brush up against his hair.

"Do not worry, Master," Saber said as he gently patted Bell's head. "I am positive that your grandfather…and the parents who brought you into this world but were unfortunately unable to raise you themselves…could not be any more proud of the young man you are today. That is why you should hold your chin up and keep moving forward. After all…"

Saber removed his hand from Bell's head and extended his hand out toward him.

"…We await you at the end of the path that you seek."

A rather goofy smile appeared on Bell's face as he tried not to cry at Saber's words as he took the hero's hand and the two of them returned to the house for breakfast.

X-x-X-x-X

"I shall assign a new goal for your Party," Caster said from his seat at the head of the table as everyone else was eating. "You are to make your way to the end of the Sixteenth Floor and reach the entrance to the Seventeenth Floor."

"You think we're ready for the Middle Floors now?" Bell asked, looking up from his breakfast.

"Whether or not you are is for you to decide," Caster said simply. "Those are simply my expectations of you."

Hearing those words caused Bell to wiggle happily in his chair.

"Does Lord Caster mean to challenge the Floor Boss Goliath?" Lily asked.

"That is indeed a plan for the future. When Archer returns, we shall make an attempt against the Floor Boss."

"'We' you say?" Hestia asked with a large smile on her face. "Are you finally counting yourself as part of the Familia, Caster?"

"I am not. You are merely my followers."

"Geez, still so dishonest with yourself, Gil. Still so tsunde-GAH!"

As Hestia ducked under the table to avoid an arrow of light flying over her head which was neutralized by a lazy bolt of flame from Saber.

Excitement welled up in Bell's stomach. Like a hero in the legends his grandfather told him, he was being given a quest by a king to slay a giant monster! Honestly, the only thing missing from this was marrying a princess after the deed was done but Bell didn't think Caster had one in his treasury.

"In _any_ case," Caster continued as Hesita poked her head up from underneath the table. "You and Arde will attempt to make your way to the Seventeenth Floor with Saber and Assassin. Once Archer returns, he will join you in your dives. Once you reach the Seventeenth Floor, _do not_ engage the Monster Rex if it is there. Do you hear me?"

"Y-yes!"

"I will not accept another foolish attempt like the minotaur. Do not forget that it is not simply your existence that disappears should you die."

"Aww, you do care," Hestia said again before quickly ducking under the table again before Caster could retaliate.

"Umm," Lily began as Caster retracted his wands and sat back down in his seat. "What about Master Welf?"

"The Smith?" Caster asked and Lily nodded. "What about him? If he wishes to latch onto us like a remora then he is free to do so if he dares."

"So it's okay if we invite him?" Bell asked. "We've been in a Party for about a week already so I think it would be a bit sad to leave him out of something like this."

"Do as you wish. This is your prerogative as Master."

"A Monster Rex often requires a small army to defeat," Saber said as he adjusted his glasses with a finger. "Would it be safe for Bell, Lily and Welf to come along?"

"It will be up to them to survive."

"Uuu…Lily suddenly feels sick…" Lily muttered as she slumped in her chair.

"Is a Monster Rex that scary?" Assassin asked as she turned to Hestia who finally returned to her seat now that she was sure that Caster wouldn't try to attack her again.

"It's very big and scary," Hestia nodded as she started cuddling Assassin. "But it's definitely no match for Saber so you don't have to worry about a thing."

"I cannot judge the accuracy of that statement without seeing the Monster Rex for myself first but I have no intention of being defeated," Saber replied.

"Arde," Caster said simply as Lily nodded.

"Yes!" She began, understanding that he was asking her to to explain what she knew about the Monster Rex. "The Floor Boss on the Seventeenth Floor is known as the Goliath. It doesn't have any particular special abilities outside of its massive size and strength. Of course, being a monster that stands over seven meters tall and made of pure muscle, Goliath has a lot of physical strength and natural armor and is considered a Level 4 monster. It's Drop Item is its hide which can be sold for a lot of money since it is often used for higher tier armor and that's before taking into account its massive Magic Stone-"

"Your greed is showing, Miss Supporter," Hestia said with a smile as Caster let out cough to tell Lily to get back on topic.

"A-anyway…it doesn't have any spells or other abilities and is often cleared by the Under Resort Adventurers in order to keep the road clear to Rivira who are Level 3 at best. The main dangers would be its massive strength and size and that Monsters may come down from the Sixteenth Floor to interrupt the fight."

"Under Resort…Rivira?" Bell asked.

"It's a town that exists in the Dungeon," Lily explained. "Made by Adventurers, for Adventurers. It is completely separate from the Guild so they have no presence there. They sell items at rip off prices and buy them at lower than Guild standard prices too!"

"…Did you get cheated, Lily?" Bell asked.

"Who on earth would sell a backpack at that cost!? It was ten times more expensive than one on the surface! They also don't accept money but trade in Magic Stones and Drop Items. They also take IOUs in the form of receipts and Familia Emblems which they collect from the Familia home back on the surface."

"It is the nature of such places that are on the frontier," Saber said. "Material goods are more valuable than gold in a place where replenishment is not guarantee."

"Lily understands that Master Saber! It is the principle of the matter! They are Adventurers through and through!"

Bell felt that Lily's way of saying "Adventurer" sounded a lot more like "Scammer" than anything else.

"In any case, most Adventurers who plan to dive deeper than the Eighteenth Floor will either rest in the town's inn or camp out on the floor as for some reason Monsters do not spawn on the floor. Lily thinks that if we want to fight the Goliath, we should camp out there as well so we can fight it at full strength rather than waste time and energy going down Eighteen Floors again.

Caster nodded before turning toward Bell with a smirk.

"Do you understand, Boy?" Caster asked. "Your growth has been…explosive as usual. That is why I have considered this goal. Well? Does it tickle your fancy?"

"Yes!" Bell nodded, filled to the brim with excitement. "I won't let you down."

"My expectations are higher than when you first summoned me. See that you do not."

X-x-X-x-X

"…Fight a Floor Boss?" Welf asked looking rather surprised. "With you guys?"

"That's right," Bell nodded. "Our Captain has decided that that will be our next Familia Goal. He said that if you think you are up to it, you can come join us."

"That's…wow," Welf looked rather flattered and seemed like he was at a lost for words. "I don't know what to say."

"You only need to answer 'Yes' or 'No,' Master Welf," Lily pointed out with a smirk as Welf chuckled, not falling for her teasing.

"Well, taking part in a fight against a Floor Boss would definitely help with Leveling Up…wait…he's not expecting me to bring a Magic Sword along, is he?"

"Umm…actually…" Bell began.

"For better or worse…Lord Caster doesn't care about Master Welf at all," Lily replied bluntly. "Lord Caster was disappointed that Master Welf didn't want to make Magic Swords when Master Welf wishes to be a great blacksmith. 'A Smith that refuses to use a skill just because he doesn't like it for his craft is the same as a chef who refuses to use an ingredient in his dish just because he doesn't like it…' Is how he put it."

"Well…that's a new one…" Welf muttered as he scratched his head with a frown.

"There is no need to do anything you do not want to do, Welf," Saber spoke up. "A Hero's prerogative to do as he wishes after all, something our Captain will agree with no matter what he says."

"Yeah, I'm no Hero," Welf said with a smirk.

"On the contrary, your Spirit Blood and freedom from your family 'curse' is the very definition of a 'Hero.'"

Welf could only let out a snort at that.

"Well, I'll think about coming along," he said as he pulled out a small red dagger and held it out to Bell. "Here. I finished the knife I promised ya."

"So that's what Bell did with the Minotaur Horn?" Lily asked as Bell received the knife with starstruck eyes.

Compared to the silver knife he got from Archer and the Black one he got from Hestia, the new dagger made from the minotaur horn was a deep red color and seemed to boast a powerful cutting edge compared to the other daggers that were made with precision strikes in mind.

"…Aren't horns bones?" Assassin asked as she popped her head up between Bell's arms to look at the knife, causing Bell to yelp. "Why does it look like metal?"

"Glad you asked, Jackie!" Welf said, sounding rather enthusiastic about the topic. "You see, there's this metal called Adamantite and it can only be found in the Dungeon. Every so often, it's spawned from the wall just like a monster and people can get rich finding some of the pure stuff…though it's mostly only from the lower floors."

"…And since Monsters are also born form the walls…some of them have bits of Adamantite inside them?" Bell asked.

"Got it in one. That's why Drop Items like hides, bones, claws and horns are so important as they can be made into weapons and armor. Course, it's not as good as the pure stuff."

"Is that so?" Assassin asked as she tilted her hand to the side. "So…if we get Monsters to drop their body parts as much as possible then it will help?"

"W-well that's the basic idea," Bell nodded.

"Okay! Then we'll help Mommy as best as we can!"

As Assassin trotted over toward Lily to get onto her backpack again, much to the other girl's annoyance, Welf leaned over to whisper to Bell.

"You know…I tried to ignore it as much as I could but…why does Jackie call you 'Mommy?'" Welf asked.

"I honestly have no idea…" Bell replied as he let out a dry laugh. "She was an orphan so I guess she wanted a mother. Saber thinks it's because 'I brought her into our Familia' so I'm her mother."

"Ehhh…well…so long as she's happy right?" Welf asked with a shrug and a smile. "Well, that's enough chatter! Let's get going!"

"""Ohhh!"""

X-x-X-x-X

As usual, Saber escorted them to the Tenth Floor before Bell and the others made it to the entrance to the Thirteenth Floor once more.

"Now then, we should prepare for the Middle Floors," Lily said as she set her bag down and started rummaging through it, pulling out several red robes and handed them to Bell and Welf. "These cloaks are made from Salamander Wool and have the blessings of the Salamander Lesser Spirits. They can help protect us against the cold as well as the magic of the Hellhounds below. Lord Caster gave Lily the funds to purchase them and they cost a lot so everyone should do their best not to get them torn up too badly that it can't be reused."

"…How much…?" Bell asked as he draped the cloak around his neck.

"Five zeroes."

"Grk…"

"I'll uh…pay you back somehow," Welf said as he accepted the wool as well.

"Lily also prepared one for Master Saber but…" Lily began as Bell removed Assassin's black cloak and replaced it with the Salamander Wool.

Saber received the wool and held it up in front of his face as he adjusted his glasses a bit.

"I see…so that's how it works," he muttered before draping around his neck. "Thank you, Lily. I shall use it."

"Damn it…I'm gonna make something way better than this soon, just you watch…" Welf muttered under his breath as he gave a few practice swings with his sword before adjusting his cloak a bit. "I'll become the first High Smith to do so!"

It looked as though he was feeling a bit competitive when it came to making anti-flame equipment. Even anti-element equipment made from High Smiths would pale in the face of the material that was made with the abilities of Lesser Spirits such as Salamanders, Undines, Sylphs and Gnomes. Lesser Spirits were often called "Fairies" by the mortal races.

"Where did you get them?" Bell asked.

"Bell knows of Lily's friend, Mr Bom, right? Mr Bom is a Gnome and he helped Lily buy them!"

"Heh…you got friends in high places, doncha?" Welf asked as he rested his sword on his shoulder.

"Connections are the backbone of any good Adventurer!" Lily said with a smile as she closed her pack. "Now then, Lily will begin the briefing for the monsters that can be found on the 'Mid Levels.'"

"Hellhounds, right?" Assassin asked. "Doggies that breathe fire?"

"Exactly," Lily nodded as she extended her hand out and patted Assassin's head. "Hellhounds are black wolf like creatures that can attack with their claws, fangs and fire magic. After that there are Al Miraj, monsters that look like large white rabbits with red eyes and are as big as Lily that often carry Landform Weapons in the shape of hatchets and swords. They also throw them often so please be careful. Like Imps, they travel in packs and while a Level 1 Adventurer can beat them one-one-one they are very fast so please don't underestimate them." Lily then turned her head toward Bell who returned the look with a confused face. "Basically, consider them like a Monster Bell."

"Hey!" Bell shouted indignantly as Welf let out a snort and started coughing as he turned his head to the side. "You too Welf!"

"Anything else?" Saber asked, ignoring the commotion.

"Yes, please be prepared for any of the monsters from the upper floors as well. They often wander down there looking for food, which tends to be the occasional stray Al Miraj that get separated from the pack. Also…"

Lily trailed off as she glanced toward Bell's belt.

"Minotaurs…" Bell muttered, realizing that Lily was looking at his new red dagger.

"Yes. Minotaurs wander the Mid Levels beginning from the Fifteenth Floor…but they can go up on occasion so…"

"Got it."

"And the 'boss monster' of the Mid Floors on the level of an Infant Dragon would be a Lygerfang. It is a large tiger with fur that is as hard as armor so it would be best to run or let Master Saber handle it if we see one. Lily would suggest waiting until everyone else is Level 2 before taking it on."

Bell and Welf nodded their heads as Assassin turned to look at the staircase again.

"We don't see any mist down there," Assassin pointed out.

"Yes. The Middle Floors are different compared to the Tenth to Twelfth Floors. The layout is similar to the Floors before that in that it's a bunch of stone maze-like rooms. There are also a bunch of holes everywhere that can drop you down several floors, so please…do not fall down. We may never see you again."

Assassin nodded her head to show that she understood.

"Then that is everything Lily knows about the Middle Floors," Lily said as they all stood up. "We can head down when you are ready, Bell."

"Then, let's go!" Bell said as Welf nodded and started heading down first as the Vanguard with Bell and Assassin following behind him and Saber and Lily taking up the rear.

The first few minutes were met with nothing. Not a single Monster showed itself as they anxiously walked down the main path, accompanied only by the sound of their echoing footsteps.

"It's actually scarier when you're expecting something and nothing shows up, huh?" Welf muttered as Lily and Bell nodded their heads in agreement.

"We can scout ahead if Mommy wants," Assassin offered.

"No that's okay," Bell replied. "We only just got to this floor so you don't have to do that yet."

Though he said that, they traveled for another ten minutes without meeting anything or anyone else.

Until…

"Something is up ahead," Saber said from the rear.

"Oh my-finally!" Welf let out a strained voice as a pair of Hellhounds appeared over a slight slope in the path. The two wolf-like creatures were pitch black in color and were the size of a small cow. "Plan?"

"The Hellhound's range is pretty far so be careful!" Lily called out.

"Then we charge!"

Hoisting his sword over his shoulder, Welf sped toward the Monsters with Bell right behind him. The two Monsters let out a roar before charging at the two as well.

The two pairs met in the center as Bell overtook Welf and struck first. Jumping back in a somersault, Bell delivered a kick right into the lower jaw of the closest Monster, sending it flying upward and allowing Welf to cleave it in two with his blade. The second Hellhound stopped and leaped backward, gathering flames in its mouth in a magical attack, only to be interrupted by a silver arrow to the eye, allowing Welf to move forward and strike it down as well.

"Nice assist, Lil'ly!" Welf called back.

"Please be careful!" Lily shouted as she and the Servants ran up to them. "Our Party doesn't have much in the way of range after all!"

"In any case, it seems as though the two of you are a match for the Hellhounds," Saber said as Assassin was looking around. "There should be no problems further-is there something wrong, Jack?"

"There's another Mommy behind us," Assassin replied as she pointed behind Saber, causing them all to wheel around to see-a large rabbit with white and yellow fur and a large horn sticking out of its head.

"Oh! It is!" Lily added with wide eyes.

"It's an Al-Miraj!" Bell shouted indignantly.

"Looks like Monster Bell's up next!" Welf said with a serious expression but his mouth was quivering.

Four more Al-Miraj pop up behind the first and stare at the Party with their large red eyes.

"A whole bunch of Mommies appeared!" Jack shouted as they hopped over to a large rock and stomped on it, scattering rubble in the shape of hatchets which they all picked up.

"Be careful, Master has picked up Landform Weapons," Saber said.

"You guys are mean!" Bell shouted as they got back into formation to fight the incoming Monsters.

"But they're so cute…" Assassin muttered as she pulled out her cleaver and smashed it against the Landform Weapon the Al-Miraj was holding, crushing it and splitting the Monster in two. "Sorry Monster Mommy!"

"Jack! Please stop!" Bell begged as he jumped back to avoid a swing from the rabbit Monster before throwing his silver dagger forward into its face.

"Sorry real Mommy!"

"You know…this is the first time I've ever felt bad killing a Monster," Welf said as he simply batted the Al-Miraj away with his sword, sending it flying into a wall.

"Indeed," Saber nodded with an Al-Miraj hanging limply in his hand before slamming it into the ground. "What a dreadful Monster. Using its cuteness as a weapon against Adventurers."

"Lily thinks everyone is taking this too easily," Lily muttered as she used her dagger to lock the stone hatchet in place before aiming her small crossbow into the Al-Miraj's face and shoot it.

"Well, it can't be helped," Saber said with his arms folded. "It was Bell after all."

"Guuuuuys!" Bell let out a whine before looking around. "Anyway! Was that the last of them?"

At Bell's question, several squeaks echoed around them about two dozens rabbit heads popped out from the holes.

"…This…might be bad," Welf muttered.

"Everyone make a break for the corridor!" Bell called out. "Get out of this wide room! Saber, up front!"

"Understood!" Saber nodded as he drew Gram and charged forward, making wide slashes through the crowd of Monsters towards a narrower corridor.

Welf and Bell followed close behind with Lily and Assassin taking up the rear.

Assassin was the last one to the corridor before she turned around and drew out two of her daggers.

"Massacre time, start!" She declared as she used the corridor entrance to funnel the Monsters into range of her attacks. One of the Al-Miraj tried attacking with a Landform but the hatchet was destroyed before it even came close to cutting Assassin. In a matter of minutes, all the monsters were dead and a blood stained Assassin remained.

"Mommy, they're all dead!" Assassin called out cheerfully as Bell and Welf poked their heads out from another corridor.

"There are _seriously_ just some things a kid that little shouldn't be doing…" Welf muttered as Bell let out a dry laugh.

"Sorry Lily," Jack said as Lily walked over and picked up a Magic Stone. "We broke some of the stones."

"Don't worry," Lily said as she adjusted her gloves and started wading into the pile of corpses. "Most of them are still okay. Good job, Jack."

"Ehee, We got praised~"

"That was a good call, Bell," Saber said.

"It reminded me of the time Lily and I got attacked by a swarm of Killer Ants," Bell replied. "Though Jack managed to get them all before we needed to rely on a magic spell."

"I see."

"Man, you really have some kind of bad luck in the Dungeon, don't you?" Welf asked. "Swarm of Killer Ants, Minotaurs, Infant Dragons, and now Al-Miraj."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Bell agreed with another laugh. "Let's let Lily do her thing first then we'll find a new room."

"Oh! Bell left behind a lot of Drop Items!"

"LILY!"

X-x-X-x-X

As the dive went on, they ran across a few more close calls including one Al-Miraj trying to hit Lily by throwing its hatchet, which flew just over her head and a Hellhound dropping down from the ceiling of all places on to Saber's back.

Currently, the found a relatively safe spot at a dead end with only one entrance so no Monster could wander in without them noticing and decided to rest a bit and take inventory.

"Lily has never been so happy to be short," Lily muttered as she pulled back her hood and rubbed her hair to calm herself down. "Is Master Saber, okay?"

"Yes, I was careless," Saber nodded as he patted his back. "The Salamander wool protected me from the flames."

"Still, we got quite the haul today," Welf said as he pulled out several Al-Miraj furs and Hellhound Fangs. "Quite a few furs…I can get to work on a new coat with this…"

"Should we head back then?" Lily asked Bell who was feeding Assassin a bit of his lunch from Syr.

"Hmm…what do you think, Welf?" Bell asked as Assassin bit into the sandwich in Bell's hand and pulled it out of his grip. "Do you have enough to keep yourself busy?"

"Hmm…if we get a bit more, I can try making something for Jackie or Lily too," Welf said. "A few more fangs wouldn't hurt either…"

"Then…let's try one more room," Bell decided. "Then we'll call it a day."

With the plan of action decided, everyone checked their belongings and headed back toward the main path.

As they walked forward with Saber in front, the man suddenly held his hand up to tell them to stop.

"There are sounds of fighting ahead," Saber reported. "Metal against stone…most likely another Party is fighting against some more Al-Miraj."

"What do you want to do, Bell?" Welf asked. "This is the only path."

"Hmm…let's take a look and see if we can't squeeze around them," Bell replied.

With a nod, Saber continued down the path. Entering the next room, they found themselves on top of a cliff with a trail leading downward into the a large pit with the exit of the room located across from them within the pit itself.

Also within the pit was another party of three men and three women that had been surrounded by a swarm of Al-Miraj.

Bell quickly turned toward Lily who bit her tongue before she could say anything.

"There seems to be enough room to get pass them without incident," Saber noted. "But we may pull some unseen monsters out of the crevices there. Shall we still move to the next room or return to the surface?"

Before Bell could answer, a scream came out from the other Party and Bell saw one of the girls fall over, having been hit by a Landform thrown by one of the Al-Miraj.

"Ah…bad luck there," Welf muttered as the rest of the party scrambled. "Just barely missed that archer and hit her instead. We should probably get back then. Come back another time."

"Eh?"

"Huh?"

Bell and Welf looked at each other in surprise.

"Wait, you're not thinking of helping them are you?" Welf asked, pointing down into the pit. "It's none of our business."

"Lily agrees with Master Welf," Lily chimed in. "There is a lot of risk for no real gain if we try and help…there is also a chance that they will run the moment we step in, leaving us with the Monsters."

At that moment, the walls around the other Party began to crack as several Al-Miraj and Hellhounds began crawling their way out of the walls.

A mass birth event. A Monster Party.

Bell knew that they were right. As a Party Leader, he can't risk the lives of his Party for his own selfishness. He could try jumping in on his own, but he knew Lily and Welf well enough at this point that they would follow him as well if he did.

Bell glanced over at Saber but the knight had clasped his hands behind his back with his eyes closed. He was not going to offer any advice or his own opinion on the matter this time.

Bell then turned to Assassin but the girl simply cocked her head to the side as she returned his gaze with a smile. She didn't seem to care one way or the other about the other Adventurers.

As Bell opened his mouth to speak, he thought he saw something…or someone standing at the edge of the cliff.

A man standing a few heads taller than Bell himself, wearing a red mantle over black and white armor with his back toward him. Seeing that back Bell felt comfort, warmth and safe. The goal he desperately wanted to reach.

The man turned his head slightly to look over his shoulder toward Bell and gave him a small smile.

"_Can you keep up with me?_" He seemed to be saying before taking a step off the ledge and disappearing from sight.

Seeing that, Bell's hand balled up into a fist as shame and self-loathing burned in his body. He cursed himself for his indecision and hesitation. Was this the limit of his dream? Was this all it took for him to flee?

A Hero can't hesitate to save people.

That was the truth Bell came to believe in.

"Sorry, Welf, Lily…" Bell spoke up as he raised his head. "I won't ask you to follow me, but I'm going to help them."

"Ahhhh…like I thought…" Welf said with a sigh but he seemed to have a resigned smile on his face. "Guess we're doing this after all."

"As expected of Bell," Lily said with a smile on her own. "He does not fall short of expectations."

"That doesn't sound like a compliment when you put it that way…"

"In any case, your orders, Master?" Saber asked, eyes open and ready for combat.

"Saber, Jack," Bell began as Assassin also got ready. "Please clear the path toward the other Party."

"Understood."

"Let's go!"

As Assassin launched herself off the cliff, Saber unhooked his smaller daggers and tossed them in the air in front of him before smashing his fist into them and shooting them toward the group of Monsters.

The daggers crashed into spots where the Monsters were most clumped up together. The daggers lit up and exploded on impact, blowing back the monsters to give the other Party some breathing room and caused them to turn toward their direction.

"Welf, Lily, keep the exit clear!" Bell said as he leaped after Assassin with Saber jumping in after him as well.

"Yes!" Lily nodded as she prepared her crossbow while Welf kept an eye on the exit to make sure nothing spawned behind them.

"Is this a bad habit of his?" Welf asked Lily with a tired smile.

"'Bad' implies it isn't something Lily likes about Bell," Lily replied with a smile before she loaded her bolts and began firing at the feet of the Monsters in front of Assassin, causing the monsters to flinch when they missed or pin their feet into the ground when they hit, allowing Assassin, Saber and Bell to cut them down without worry.

"Jack, give us some cover!" Bell called out.

"_This is the beginning of Hell!_" Assassin chanted as she jumped well above the monsters and landed in the center of the other Party. "_We shall be the flame. We shall be the rain._ _We shall be the power._ _Shroud Us and Burn Us._ _Let Us begin the Slaughter_."

"A chant?" The one who looked like the Party Leader asked in surprise as he was carrying the injured girl in his arms.

"_Darkened Misty Metropolis:_ _The Mist!_"

At that, a thick and heavy fog shrouded them, causing shrieks of pain and fear to rise up from the monsters.

Assassin's spell created a heavy fog in the area that could hide Allies from sight while damaging and disorientating enemies within it. It wasn't perfect however as Caster had showed once by using a wand that let out a burst of air which cleared the mist in an instant when Assassin had been practicing it outside one morning.

But as it was, it allowed Bell to reach the confused Party without fear.

"Are you okay?" Bell asked as the fog faded a bit around him so that he and the other Party could see each other.

"You are…the Record Holder?" A woman with long black hair asked, her body covered in sweat from the fighting.

"Introductions later!" Bell shouted. "We cleared a path! Follow me!"

The woman turned to look at her Party Leader who nodded as Bell ran back through the fog with the Party right behind him.

As Bell moved, the fog thinned out so he wouldn't get lost, allowing Bell to cleave through the writhing and poisoned Monsters that were in his way.

Within seconds, they were out of the fog and near the steps leading out of the room.

"Go go go!" Bell shouted as he waved the other party pass him.

"Thank you!" The black haired swordswoman said as she ran pass, followed by her Leader and the others.

"Jack! Saber!"

"Jack, you first!"

"Okay!"

A small red blur shot out of the fog as it started to disappear, showing a red blade shining through as it cleaved the monsters around it.

Once he was sure Jack was a good distance away, Saber fell back as well.

"Fall back to the corridor!" Bell said. "We'll funnel them in like before! Keep an eye out for the Hellhounds!"

"Mikoto! Tasuke! Help them out!" The Leader ordered as the swordswoman and man holding a bow nodded.

""Yes!""

Mikoto and Tasuke moved toward the front where Welf and was while Lily moved to the rear with Saber and Bell.

"The Monsters themselves are no problem but there are a lot of them," Saber said to Bell as Gram flashed in front of him, cleaving the Monsters before they could enter the corridor. "Bell, please give me permission to release my Noble Phantasm."

Noble Phantasm.

Bell was told that it was the crystallization of a Servant's legend but he really didn't understand what that meant. What he did understand though, was that it was usually a Servant's "trump card." Something that could turn the tide of battle instantly if used correctly.

And from what he heard, Saber's Noble Phantasm would definitely be able to clear out the Monsters instantly.

"Do it!" Bell called out.

"_Command acknowledged. Noble Phantasm, Release._"

"Everyone, give him some room!"

Assassin and Bell jumped back as the members of the other Party scattered.

"_Demonic Sword, preparation complete,_" Saber reported as Gram started shining in the darkness. "_Allow me to show you the manifestation of mysteries._"

"What is he-" Welf began as Saber launched himself forward and thrust the blade into the frontmost Hellhound.

"_This is the dawn of destruction! Heaven's Wheel of Destruction! Bölverk Gram!_"

As he slammed his fist into the pommel of the blade, the blade erupted in an explosion of red light, blasting through the corridor and vaporizing all that was in its way.

All the Adventurers fell silent as the entire corridor was suddenly clear of monsters save for Assassin who was clapping at the display.

"…That's a…Magic Sword?" Welf asked as Saber returned the blade back to his back.

"Incorrect, it is a Demonic Sword," Saber replied. "Unlike the Magic Swords that you are used to, this Gram does not simply fire an inbuilt spell. It uses my own Magic to channel and fire my technique."

Welf just stared at the blade awestruck before place he seemed to realize something and placed a hand over his mouth and started muttering to himself.

"Umm…"

Bell turned from Welf toward the voice and saw Mikoto and the other Party Leader standing in front of him.

"Thank you very much for helping us," the leader said as he and Mikoto bowed their heads.

"We are in your debt," Mikoto added.

"Oh, no it's all right," Bell said quickly. "Y-you just looked like you were in over your head so…"

Inwardly Bell cursed himself for flubbing the line before he quickly cleared his throat.

"I just saved you for my own personal satisfaction and got my friends involved in it," Bell said as he turned toward Lily and the others.

Lily had wandered over toward Saber only to sigh as all the Magic Stones and possible Drop Items from the monsters had been vaporized as Saber lowered his head in apology while Jack had jumped onto Welf's back again and was patting the young man's head but he was ignoring her in favor of his own mutterings.

"Still, we can't thank you enough," Mikoto said as she turned her head to her injured comrade who was being administered a potion after they removed the hatchet that was lodged into her collar bone.

"It's fine, it's fine," Bell said with a smile. "Umm, how about some introductions? You are… Zetsu Ei, Yamato Mikoto, right?"

"Yes," Mikoto nodded with a smile. "And you're Moonlit Dawn, Bell Cranel correct?"

Bell nodded, completely unaware that his goddess had suddenly doubled over with her hands over her heart in pain thirteen floors above.

"I see, so that makes you the Takemikazuchi Familia," Saber said as he walked up beside Bell. "Then it was fortunate that we managed to assist you. Our gods are friends after all."

"Your Goddess is Lady Hestia, right?" The other man asked. "Oh right…Kashima Ouka, Captain of the Takemikazuchi Familia. Are you the Captain of the Hestia Familia, Mister…?"

"I go by the name of Saber," Saber replied. "And I am not. Our Captain, Caster, is currently back at our home taking care of logistics."

"Captain Ouka."

As Ouka nodded his head, a young woman wearing a white tunic and a cloth headdress came up to them.

"Sorry to interrupt but we should probably get Chigusa back up to the surface," she said. "Naoki said we're running low on potions as well."

"Got it, Asuka," Ouka nodded as Bell turned toward Welf.

"Should we head back up as well?" Bell asked.

"Yeah," Welf nodded. "Got a flash of inspiration just now…want to see if I what I came up with works or not…though I'd probably need to be Level 2 first…"

"Guess we're going back up as well," Bell said with a smile as Mikoto and Ouka exchanged looks. "Mind if we join you?"

"The more the merrier I guess," Ouka said as Mikoto lowered her head in thanks again.

As Saber took the vanguard position, Bell lagged behind a bit as he looked back down the path to where the Takemikazuchi Familia had been fighting.

Honestly, Bell would like nothing further to keep on going all the way down to the Eighteenth Floor.

Not to see what Rivira was like but to simply wait there in hopes of reuniting with Archer even a day sooner.

"Well, there's no point in being impatient I suppose," Bell said with a soft smile.

"Bell! You're falling behind!" Lily called out to him.

"Sorry!" Bell called back before running up toward Lily.

Their reunion will come soon enough.


	18. Eighteenth Floor

**Chapter 18: Reunion**

"I see, so you ended up meeting and saving Take's kids," Hestia muttered at dinner the same day they returned from the Thirteenth Floor. "On his behalf, thank you, Bell."

"No…it's just my selfishness," Bell repeated, shrinking a bit underneath the glare of Caster.

They had parted ways with Takemikazuchi Familia once they reached the surface. Ouka had promised to return the favor some day and Saber had accepted it in Bell's place before the boy could say anything.

"It would seem that you cannot be trusted to not do something unbelievably foolish," Caster said as he glanced toward Saber and Assassin. "The fact that you are followed by enablers only encourages such behavior."

"Lily apologizes for being unable to stop him…" Lily quickly said but Caster waved his hand.

"You do not have the strength to physically restrain him in any case," Caster pointed out. "And he has constantly proven that he will not listen to reason."

"Ahahaha…" Bell let out a dry laugh as he sank underneath the table.

"How did you come to be acquainted with the God Takemikazuchi?" Saber asked. "The Hearth and War are rather separate things, are they not?"

"There's nothing special to it, we just know each other from our time in Tenkai and are friends," Hestia replied with a smile and a nod. "Well, we run competing Jagamaru-kun stands but it's all under the same owner so it's just a friendly rivalry. Of course, our stand's business is way better than his since I'm there after all."

"As expected of a mascot character," Caster muttered dryly as he looked to the side. "For a goddess to be treated as such…I can no longer tell if I find amusement or exasperation toward it."

"By the way, Caster," Hestia began. "What the heck is with those giant stone statues in the corner of the yard? When did they get there?"

"Think nothing of them. They are merely décor."

"I know you well enough by now that there is no way that they are 'merely' décor," Hestia countered as Caster responded with a simple smirk.

"Have no fear, they are simply my own touches to the manor," Caster continued, still ignoring the question much to Hestia's dismay. "In any case, regarding the Dungeon Dives…it would seem that your impulses need to be properly reigned in."

"You're coming with us?" Bell asked.

"Do you plan on jumping into every situation where you can enact your selfish desires?" Caster asked back.

"…Selfish or not…I don't think that they are wrong," Bell replied, his hands shaking on his lap as he looked Caster in the eye and did his damndest not to look away as the king's dark red eyes boor into Bell's own.

"Humph, just as well," Caster said with a nod, surprising Bell. "The reason I have decided to join you is because the respawn time for the Goliath is fast approaching and the Loki Familia should be reaching the Eighteenth Floor as well where they will no doubt slay the Monster Rex on their way back up. Unless we have to wait another two weeks, we will move now and reunite with your precious Archer in the meantime."

"…Does that mean you won't be coming home for a few days?" Hestia asked as she reached over and pulled Assassin to her in a hug.

"That depends solely on them," Caster replied as he looked toward Bell and Lily. "If they cannot make it to the Eighteenth Floor on their on power then we will have no choice but to accept the delay."

"Uuu…this is something I just have to deal with huh?" Hestia mumbled as she ruffled Assassin's hair, causing her to giggle. "Ugh…I've gotten so spoiled lately. I had no problem waiting for Bell to come home alone the first two weeks…"

"Lily thinks its because Lady Hestia is a kind goddess," Lily spoke up with a smile.

"I don't think I'm that kind," Hestia said with a bashful smile before finally releasing Assassin. "All right then! I'll spend my time coming up with an Emblem then!"

"You should have done so weeks ago," Caster countered, causing Hestia to groan again. "In any case…the two of you should prepare yourself for the journey. We shall not spend much time gathering the Drop Items and Magic Stones so be prepared to stand on the front as well, Arde."

"Yes!" Lily nodded, looking a bit nervous.

"Is there a need to rush though?" Saber asked. "There is nothing wrong in taking our time and let the two move through the Dungeon at their own pace."

"If they cannot reach the destination then they cannot reach it," Caster simply with a shrug. "However, a little extra motivation and proper guidance can go a long way."

Saber did not look convinced.

"Are you not doing this for your own entertainment?" Saber accused Caster who simply laughed.

"Everything I do is for my own benefit," Caster confirmed without a care in the world. "What is the point of remaining in this lacking Familia otherwise?"

"Uuu…sorry for not getting any new recruits…" Hestia mumbled.

"Don't worry about it Goddess," Bell said as he clenched his fist. "Once we beat the Floor Boss, our Familia will definitely become popular enough for more recruits!"

"How would we split the work load though?" Lily asked. "A new Level 1 wouldn't survive long in the Mid Floors and Lily doesn't think any Level 2 would want to leave their more established Familia to join ours, no matter how famous we might become."

"We would simply have Assassin become a Supporter for any new members," Caster said, turning to the girl who cocked her said to the side at being mentioned. "You know how to remove the Magic Stones, correct?"

"Uh huh!" Assassin nodded. "We watched Lily do it a lot! It's just like removing a heart from a Monster."

"Well…that's not exactly wrong…" Lily muttered.

"So we would have Jack accompany any new members into the Dungeon while I, and Archer when he returns, continue to accompany Bell, Lily and Welf?"

"Indeed. Any objections or questions?" Caster asked but no one spoke up. "Very well. Saber, be sure to visit the Smith and tell him to prepare for a trip to the Eighteenth Floor. If he is unable to, then we shall leave him behind."

"Understood. Then I shall do so immediately."

Having finished his meal, Saber stood up first.

"Then, Bell…Lady Hestia…I bid you good night," the knight said with a bow.

"Uh huh, good night, Saber," Hestia replied with a nod. "Try not to stay out too late."

"Good night, Saber," Bell said as well.

Saber nodded before dematerializing and disappearing from sight.

"Then I shall be preparing as well," Caster said as he stood up and turned to Lily and Bell. "Be sure to be well rested. The trip will be a long one with very few opportunities to rest."

""Yes!""

X-x-X-x-X

Saber touched down in Orario's Northeastern district, also known as the Industrial District.

It was a spot just off the path of the main street, amongst buildings made of stone.

A compact one-story building covered in soot and various burn marks with a smokestack spewing out ash and smoke to the sounds of a hammer beating against metal.

Saber walked up to the door and simply knocked.

The hammering stopped and the door creaked open just a crack so the owner could peer outside.

"Oh…Saber," Welf said as he opened the door all the way. "What's up? Coming here so late."

"My apologies for the visit," Saber said as he adjusted his glasses. "But I came to inform you that our Familia Captain will be joining us tomorrow in the Dungeon."

"Oh, so your mysterious Captain finally shows his face?" Welf asked with a smile. "Been wondering if I was ever going to meet him…but that can't be the only reason you're here, right?"

"Indeed," Saber nodded. "We will be making our way to the Eighteenth Floor in earnest tomorrow. Should we make it, we will not return to the surface until we face the Monster Rex."

"…Moving a bit fast, aren't ya?" Welf asked, looking rather surprised. "I mean, Bell only reached Level 2 the other day, right?"

"Our Captain has a plan that he is not sharing," Saber said with a sigh. "The invitation to join us still stands but if it would cut into your time smithing, then there is no need to force yourself."

Welf was silent before turning to look at a red blade resting against the wall of his forge.

"Good thing I asked to take that with me…" Welf muttered.

"Is that a new work?" Saber asked.

"No, that's something I made when I first joined the Hephaistos Familia. We all make one piece and show it to Lady Hephaistos as an initiation test."

"I see…so you made that to prove your Crozzo Blood," Saber muttered as Welf grimaced and nodded.

"Yeah…" Welf replied. "Thought I could use it as a reference for a new project…but…"

Welf fell silent again as he scratched the back of his head.

"…Are Lily's words bothering you?" Saber asked softly.

"She's not wrong…" Welf admitted although it looked like it was a rather bitter pill to swallow. "First three Infant Dragons then two almost back to back Monster Parties…"

Welf took a step back from the door way and walked toward the red sword against the wall.

Looking around for a moment, Saber took a step inside and closed the door behind him.

"What Jackie asked the other day and seeing what you did today got me thinking," Welf said as he picked up the sword. "I hate Magic Swords because they always break, leaving their user behind no matter what. But then you showed me that it's possible for a sword to shoot magic out yet not break…at least not in the way Magic Swords do."

"Is there a difference?" Saber asked as he unhooked a dagger and flipped it around in his hand. "Gram was reforged by me after all."

"Magic Swords crumble to dust when they're spent," Welf replied. "It's impossible to gather up the shards and remake it like you did. Like this shoddy thing. It's got one shot at best before crumbling…even if the spell is on par with what you showed."

"That is quite the boast, Welf."

"Yeah, you're right," Welf admitted with a chuckle. "What's the point if it breaks in one shot anyway? Nearly all of the Crozzo swords are like that. The more powerful they are, the less shots they got."

Welf then turned toward Saber who lobbed the dagger over to Welf. The smith caught it by the handle and held it up to the light in the ceiling. The silver blade shined a weak red as if reacting to Welf's Crozzo Blood or the young man's own magic.

"But you found a way around it…even if you 'merely' reforged it, you still managed to capture the spell or technique or whatever it is inside it."

Welf walked over and held the dagger back to Saber.

"I won't ask you how you did it," Welf continued as Saber took the dagger back. "There's no point to it if I don't figure it out myself. Just knowing that it can be done is all I need."

"I see…" Saber said as he closed his eyes. "Then I shall look forward to when you Level Up and continue your progress."

"You damn well better," Welf said. "That's why I'm coming along to the Floor Boss. I won't hold you back. I promise."

"Then please be prepared for the trip."

"Got it. Maintenance materials, portable furnace…I'll be ready."

"Very well. Good night."

"Yeah. Night."

Welf returned to his work in front of the furnace as Saber let himself out, silently wishing the young man luck as he tried to find his own path forward.

X-x-X-x-X

Dawn arrived sooner than Bell would have liked as he opened his eyes while still lying on his bed. Lifting his hand over his eyes, Bell stared at his calloused and blistered hand before clenching it into a fist.

"Today…we make it to Floor Eighteen," he muttered. "…Has Archer made it back there? Did he go on an Adventure?"

Bell felt his mouth stretch into a wry smile as he let his arm fall over his eyes.

He was jealous.

Not of Archer for going on an Adventure without him, but of Loki Familia for being able to go with him on one. What Bell considered an Adventure and what Archer would consider one were as different as the sun and the moon.

"I want to get stronger…" Bell whispered to himself.

He was happy that Caster was giving him an opportunity to do so and was interested in rushing his growth a bit as well.

Bell also wanted more Familia members outside of Lily and the Servants. His Servants were tied to him after all. If something were to happen to him then Hestia and Lily would be all alone. If he was honest with himself, he would like another Mage in the Familia.

Lily often mentioned their lack of power in the Rear. Although that would end when Archer returned, the Servants were not supposed to interfere in their trips to the Dungeon aside from Assassin in any case.

So having a Mage support from the rear would definitely help in the long run.

"Though if we do get one…the goddess would probably be looking for a girl, haha…" Bell laughed before sitting up. "All right…time to get ready."

Bell got dressed, brushed his teeth and washed his face. After making sure his armor and weapons were all secure, he made his way downstairs where Hestia was waiting for him.

"Good morning, Bell!" Hestia called out with her usual smile.

"Good morning Goddess!" Bell greeted Hestia as he heard movement behind him. Turning around, he saw Lily coming down, carrying a pack about half the size of her usual one. "Good morning, Lily."

"Good morning Bell, Lady Hestia," Lily greeted with a low bow. "Lily has prepared as much as she could for the trip."

Lily then pulled back her sleeve to show her wrist mounted crossbow before patting her waist where a dagger was carefully held in a sheath. Bell's longsword was also attached to the side of Lily's backpack which was filled with basic necessities as well as potions as usual.

"Lily doesn't know what to do about food though," Lily muttered as Hestia waved her hand.

"Don't worry about that," the goddess said. "Caster left just a bit earlier to get more potions and some rations."

"…Caster went to buy things on his own instead of making someone else do t?" Bell asked as Lily looked dumbstruck.

"_Right!?_" Hestia asked with a nod. "Now you just need to wait for the other two…aha!"

"Uuu…sleepy…"

"Pay attention or you'll fall down the stairs."

Saber was walking down the stairs, leading a half-asleep Assassin by the hand.

"Good morning," Saber said simply. "It seems we are the last ones."

"Don't worry, they're not going to leave without you," Hestia said with a smile before pulling Assassin in for a big hug. "Uuu…please keep yourself and Bell safe, Jackie!"

"Uh huh," Assassin nodded.

"Now then, it's only reheated Jagamaru-kuns, but it's at least something to start your days," Hestia said as she passed a small bag full of potato puffs to Lily. "You're probably going to be moving non-stop if Caster gets his way so eat on the go!"

"T-thank you very much, Lady Hestia…" Lily said as she stepped back.

Hestia then turned toward Bell and quickly wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Dowah! G-Goddess?" Bell shouted, blushing at the sudden contact.

"Promise me…" Hestia said softly as she tightened her grip around Bell. "Promise me that you'll all come home safe."

"…I promise," Bell responded as he slowly brought his arms around Hestia. "So…please wait for us, Goddess."

With a tearful nod, Hestia released Bell and watched her Familia leave with one last round of goodbyes.

Hestia watched from the doorway as the five of them exited the front gate and disappeared down the street.

The goddess then shut the front door and turned around to look at the now empty house behind her.

"…At least I have work today…" she muttered as she went over to the couch to pick up her coat. "…Wonder if I can get a shift tomorrow too…"

And with that, Hestia left, locking the door behind her, leaving the Manor completely empty.

X-x-X-x-X

Before heading toward Babel Tower, Bell led the others down West Main toward the Hostess of Fertility where Syr was waiting for them as usual.

"Good morning, Bell!" The silver haired waitress said as she held out the usual lunch to him. "Here you go."

"Thank you as always," Bell said as he accepted it. "Oh…right, I wanted to say that I probably won't need one tomorrow."

"Oh? Why not?"

"The Familia is planning to head down to the Eighteenth Floor today," Bell replied. "We're planning to spend a few days down there if we make it."

"The Eighteenth Floor!?" Syr repeated in surprise. "But…didn't you only make it to Level 2 the other day?"

"You don't need to worry about me, I have reliable Familia Members."

"If you say so…" Syr muttered before placing a hand on her chin as if considering something. "Umm please be careful, okay?"

"Don't worry. We're always careful in the Dungeon."

"That's not what I mean. Yesterday, a god was asking around for information about you," Syr said. "He was definitely up to no good so we kicked him out."

"What else is new…" Bell replied with a dry laugh before wincing a bit. "Sorry, that might have came out harsher than I'd meant."

"Hee hee, it's all right," Syr giggled. "It just means you're becoming more famous and popular. Though I think you're doing the best where you are now so don't fall for any bad god or goddess's trick and leave your Familia, okay?"

"Ahaha…I'll do my best."

"Then, good luck…and please stay safe."

"I will. See you again soon!"

With that simple farewell, Bell returned to the others as they made their way toward Babel Tower and the Dungeon.

"…Lord Caster will definitely not be happy…" Lily muttered when Bell mentioned the warning Syr gave him.

"I suppose it was only a matter of time before the other gods attempt to take you for themselves," Saber muttered. "We must be extra vigilant in the Dungeon today."

"Right," Bell nodded.

Short of Hestia being sent back to Tenkai, nothing will ever make Bell leave the Familia willingly. He still remembered when he first arrived in the city almost two months ago now. Every single Familia he attempted to join turned him away without even giving him a chance. It wasn't as though he only looked at joining the big Familias like Freya, Loki or Ganesha but even the smaller ones wouldn't give him the time of day…most likely due to his age. Hestia was the only one to give him a chance and that is why he was here now.

A Level 2 with the ability to recall Heroic Spirts of the past and give them corporeal form.

If it weren't for Hestia, he can't even imagine where his life would have been now.

"…Mommy is mad?" Assassin asked, jolting Bell from his thoughts.

"Umm…just a bit," Bell admitted.

"Someone might be trying to take your mommy away from you," Lily whispered into Assassin's ear causing the girl's eyes to widen. "So it's Jack and everyone else's job to make sure that that doesn't happen."

"Okay!" Assassin nodded. "We'll protect Mommy!"

"Ahaha…thanks, Jack."

They finally made it to the plaza in front of Babel Tower where Welf was waiting for them as usual.

"Mornin'" Welf called out as he stood up from his seat at the fountain. "Hmm? Don't see anyone new…your Captain not here yet?"

"Caster went shopping for some extra things first," Bell explained as he looked around. "He should be…ah."

Caster was making his way through the crowd from the North Western area of Orario.

"Good, you have all arrived," Caster nodded before turned to look at Welf. "So you're the Smith?"

"That's me, Welf Crozzo," Welf nodded as he extended his hand toward Caster who simply glanced down at it for a second before back up at Welf's face, causing the young man to pull it back and awkwardly scratch the back of his head.

"You are a part of this Party at Cranel's request," Caster continued as he handed a case depicting the emblem of Dian Cecht Familia to Lily. "I shall see whether or not such an arrangement is worth the effort of maintaining. I trust you are at least capable of pulling your weight?"

"Yeah, I won't get in your way," Welf nodded with a resolute expression.

"We shall see," Caster scoffed before walking ahead toward the Dungeon's entrance with Lily trotting after him.

"…He's kinda hard to deal with, isn't he?" Welf whispered to Bell and Saber.

""We know,"" the two replied at the same time, causing Welf to chuckle.

"Right…before I forget…here ya go, Bell."

Welf held up a small buckler for Bell. It wasn't particularly anything special. Just a small shield that Bell could attach to his forearm without weighing him down too much or get in the way of his knife. A simple sturdy shield more focused on function than form.

"Having a knife in your offhand is good and all but I think it's better for my piece of mind if you used this instead," Welf said.

"Thanks, I'll take it," Bell nodded with a smile. "By the way…what is that other sword you have there?"

Still resting by the fountain was a blade wrapped in white cloth.

"Ah…that?" Welf asked, looking a bit uncomfortable as he picked it up and tied it on his back. "It's just a good luck charm. Don't worry about it."

Bell turned back toward Saber who simply shook his head as if to ask Bell not to question it.

"What are you lazing around for?" Caster shouted causing Bell to jump. "Get a move on!"

"Y-yes!" Bell called back, quickly equipping his new shield as they all ran to catch up to Caster and Lily.

X-x-X-x-X

"…Lily's backpack is too small and Welf's sword is in the way…" Assassin muttered. "We can't ride on anything today!"

"Jack is already old enough to walk on her own!" Lily pointed out. "So do so!"

"Ehhh…but that's boring…"

As Lily and Jack had their usual fun arguing with each other, Saber was clearing the front as usual while Bell, Welf and Caster were in the rear.

As it was still only the First Floor, no one was particularly on their guard.

"I see…" Caster muttered after Bell repeated the warning Syr gave him. "I suppose it was only a matter of time."

"That's really unlucky, man," Welf said sympathetically. "I mean, I got a few of those annoying people myself but they never did anything since they can't really go against Lady Hephaistos."

The protection of a big name Familia couldn't be overstated, especially not one like Hephaistos Familia who, along with Goibniu Familia, controlled most of the high end weapon and armor production in Orario.

Getting on their bad side by trying to poach one of their members was the equivalent of signing your own death warrant in the Dungeon, or at the very least the end of your progression.

"Regardless, we shall push on," Caster decided, glancing over his shoulder for a moment before turning back to the front.. "Hestia Familia as a whole needs its name in the minds of all of Orario's people. Annihilating the Floor Boss with only so many members will be the first step in achieving that goal."

"…You sure it's okay for me to come along then?" Welf asked.

"I care not to repeat what has been constantly bored into your head by your Familia leaders and your would be customers," Caster began, causing Welf to put on a bitter face. "But I will not squander the opportunity to increase the quality of the boy's equipment. But whether you actually survive the battle will be based on your own merits. Do not count on me to expend any effort on you."

"I hear ya," Welf nodded with a challenging glare. "I'll make you eat those words too!"

"Humph, we shall see won't we?"

Bell could only glance between the two as sparks flew between the two and he hoped Welf didn't lose himself to Caster's overly hostile words and do something reckless.

For the first time in months, Bell felt afraid of the Dungeon…and it was due to his own Party members.

X-x-X-x-X

Despite not having entered the Dungeon in well over a month, Caster showed none of the interest he had in the Dungeon since he had first entered after he was summoned.

Caster did not lift a finger to fight any of the monsters even once as they traveled through the Dungeon and eventually hit the Fourteenth Floor.

"Whew, no Monster Party this time," Welf said as he rotated his shoulders in relief.

"No sign of Takemikazuchi Familia either," Bell noted. "I wonder if they're taking a break after what happened yesterday"

"One of their members nearly died and they were nearly overwhelmed," Lily pointed out. "Lily would be surprised if they decided to jump back into the Dungeon after only a day."

The three of them were in the front, chatting as they walked down the stairs to the Fourteenth Floor. Caster was just behind them, walking down with a map in his hands while Assassin was taking her time by jumping down a few steps at a time with Saber taking up the rear.

"Halt," Caster said simply causing Lily to stop immediately and for Bell to nearly knock her over from behind.

"What is it?" Welf asked as Caster walked past them. A moment later, a familiar roar echoed down the hall, causing Bell and Lily's shoulders to hunch up.

"Minotaurs…" Lily said, her voice barely above a whisper as Welf turned toward her, eyes wide. "W-wait, Lord Caster!"

Caster had walked all the way down the stairs and stopped, prompting Bell to jump down the last of the steps and stand beside his Captain.

Bell's breath was suddenly caught in his throat.

In front of them were the scattered and broken bodies of another Party. An elf's corpse was lying on top of his comrade's, their bodies crushed by a heavy weight. Either he was trying to cover her or he had fallen over her and were killed at the same time. On the other end of the room was another corpse with their head caved in…and at the exit…

Three Minotaurs devouring another body.

"…!"

Bell's vision turned red as he launched himself at the Minotaurs, only to feel someone grab his shoulder and fling him backwards toward the steps.

"Calm yourself, mongrel," Caster said he lowered his hand to his side. "Acting on your emotions here will only get yourself killed."

However, the noise attracted the attention of the Minotaurs and they charged Caster with a roar.

"Do not interrupt me, fodder."

Caster held up his hand and drew a circle in front of him, punctuating certain points with a poke of his finger. At these points a golden portal appeared and a different magic stave poked out of each of them.

"Rejoice mongrels…and burn."

A raging inferno shot forward, engulfing the minotaurs in a massive pillar of fire.

When the flames died out, there was nothing left of the Monsters aside from a black wisp as their corpses returned to the Dungeon.

"…So that's why he's your Captain…" Welf muttered with his jaw hanging open.

"Are you okay, Mommy?" Assassin asked as she helped him to his feet.

"…No," Bell replied with a grimace as he looked at the corpses of the other Adventurers.

"Such a thing happens every hour of every day in the Dungeon," Caster said simply as he picked up what was left of an arm of the body that the Minotaurs had been feasting on. "If you have time to shed tears over every dead fool then you shall be crying until the end of time."

Saber walked over to the two bodies which still had their heads intact and looked into the empty eyes still showing the expression of horror and despair of their last moments before quietly closing them with his hands as he offered them a silent prayer.

"…Not much to bring back up even if we wanted to, huh?" Welf asked as he was covering Assassin's eyes, to the girl's confusion.

"…Can't we do _anything_?" Bell asked desperately. "It feels…wrong to just leave them here."

"Mongrel."

Bell turned his head toward Caster only to quickly raise his hand and catch something thrown his way. A balled up cloth wrapped around a rock.

Unfurling the cloth, Bell saw that it was an emblem of their Familia.

"If you wish to take news up then bring up their Emblem," Caster said. "Give them to that Advisor of yours and the Guild will send word to their God."

"…Thank you, Caster…" Bell said as Lily nodded toward Caster and carefully moved over to the third corpse and used her knife to carefully cut out the emblem showing on the sleeve.

At the very least…their Familia could have some closure.

"Bell."

Lily's quiet voice caught Bell's attention as she tugged on his sleeve.

"Don't let it get to you," Lily said as she pushed the emblem she cut out into his hand. "…Like Lord Caster said…this…happens all the time. It's normal."

"…It shouldn't be…" Bell muttered as Lily slowly nodded her head in agreement.

"Bell."

Saber walked up to Bell and held out two bloodied emblems.

Bell took the emblems and carefully stored them in the bag around his waist.

"Let us move on," Caster said as he walked out of the entrance room first with everyone else slowly funneling out as well.

Although they had been chatting without a care barely five minutes ago, everyone was walking in somber silence.

Bell thought he was completely aware of how dangerous the Dungeon really was thanks to Eina beating it in to his head almost daily but seeing the dead Adventurers seemed to have really hammered it home.

"_The Dungeon hates mortals._"

It was a phrase passed around Orario between the gods and mortals alike. It was common knowledge.

From the look of things, Bell thought that that Party must have been ambushed. Minotaurs usually didn't go above the Fifteenth Floor and it looked as though those ones had been lying in wait for an unsuspecting Party to come by. They must have been cheerfully chatting with each other like Bell and the others had been before disaster struck.

They probably died only just realizing what was happening.

"Don't worry about it."

Welf suddenly leaned forward and grabbed both Bell and Lily with his arms and brought them close.

"That definitely won't happen to us," Welf said with a smile. "So cheer up. We're not going to beat any Floor Boss if you guys make such faces."

"Welf…" Bell called out his friend's name before his face relaxed into a smile. "Thanks."

"Lily is annoyed that she has to be cheered up by Master Welf," Lily muttered with a pout. "But Lily thanks Master Welf all the same."

"Come on, can't you just take it as it is?" Welf asked with a laugh as Assassin walked up to Bell and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"We'll protect Mommy and Lily too, so please cheer up," she said as she looked up at Bell.

"…I will, thanks Jack."

Bell returned the hug as Assassin squeezed him a bit harder before letting him go.

Behind them, Saber closed his eyes with a nod, no doubt smiling under his mask while Caster let out a quiet huff as he turned back around.

"If you are quite finished, then prepare yourselves," Caster said as portals appeared around him.

No sooner did he say that did cracks start appearing in the walls around them with Al-Miraj poking their heads out. It would have been cute had they not been looking at Bell and the others with bloody murder in their eyes.

"Not a word!" Bell preempted any jokes as Lily and Welf clicked their tongues while Assassin giggled.

"At least they're back to normal," Saber muttered with a smile as he drew out his daggers.

"I grow weary of fighting these things," Caster said. "We are moving through them! Forget about the Stones and Drop Items and cut your way through!"

"Yes!" Lily said as she prepared her crossbow and dagger.

"It's butchering time!" Assassin said, pulling out her cleavers and leaping head first into the mob of Monsters.

"Hey, get in line Jackie!" Welf called out as he ran after her. "I'm the Vanguard, remember?"

"Welf is too slow!"

As Bell charged forward as well, he was thankful for the distraction as well of Welf's cheerful nature.

There was no point in thinking about heavy things until the Goliath was beaten. For now, Bell decided to focus on his Adventure.

X-x-X-x-X

On Caster's command, Bell's Party ran through the Dungeon, ignoring most of the monsters that they came across and those that tried to get in their way were blasted into oblivion thanks to Caster's magic.

"Uuu…all those Magic Stones left behind…" Lily groaned as she looked over her shoulder toward the dozen Stones lying on the ground.

They were making their way through the Sixteenth Floor now and the Magic Stones were immensely valuable down here for a Familia of their size. Each one could easily fetch four or five digit prices and they were just leaving them behind.

"If you wish to gather them, feel free to do so and make your way back to us later," Caster said with a smirk as Lily quickly shook her head.

"Lily is fine! Lily doesn't need them that badly!"

"Oh no, far be it from me to stop you," Caster continued before holding his hand to signal them all to stop again as his brows declined ever so slightly.

In front of them was yet another Minotaur, one wielding a massive Landform Weapon in the shape of a large sword.

"Caster!" Bell ran up to the front, drawing his own longsword from Lily's backpack. "Please."

Bell didn't elaborate what he meant by that. He felt that he didn't have to.

"Again!?" Lily shouted as she walked forward. "Why does Bell always want to-"

"…You have one minute," Caster said as he placed a hand in front of Lily to quiet her.

"Oi oi…I don't think one minute is enough to-" Welf began but Bell had already charged forward, sword in hand.

Bell's roar echoed in the corridor as he smashed into the Minotaur before Lily or Welf could even blink.

The two blades clashed…but the Minotaur was the one reeling back as its arms shook from the violent blow. However, the monster quickly recovered as it pushed Bell back, sending the sword flying from his hands. No, Bell had released the sword himself, letting it serve as a distraction as he had already crouched down below the Minotaur with his daggers out.

In a flash of red, Bell's newest dagger shot out, carving a red line across the monster's wrist, forcing it to drop its weapon.

With another roar, Bell struck again and again. Countless violet and crimson lines crisscrossed the Minotaur's body. Each strike forced the monster to step back in pain, unable to counterattack at all. With each strike, Bell was also moving faster and faster before he dropped his daggers and picked up the dropped Landform and swung it across the Minotaur's waist, cleaving it in two and letting the two halves fall to the ground.

Then, ignoring the corpse, Bell turned down the path, weapon at the ready as small sparkles of light appeared around Bell's hands. Two more Minotaurs stumbled out of the darkness, heads lowered with their horns pointing at the boy, ready to gore him with them.

As they charged, the chiming sound that accompanied the lights around Bell's hands grew louder as he lunged forward, swinging the Landform down on the Minotaurs.

Just like the time with the Infant Dragon, a bright light exploded in the corridor where Bell swung his weapon down, vaporizing the two Minotaurs and a bit of the tunnel without any fanfare.

Lily and Welf could only stare at Bell in quiet shock as the boy lifted his head up and stared at the ceiling, letting out a long sigh as the Landform shattered into tiny shards, having been unable to withstand the power of Bell's Skill.

He then turned around and lowered his head toward Caster.

"I'm sorry for my selfishness."

And apologized to his king.

"…That was two minutes, mongrel," Caster said as he walked toward the first minotaur's corpse that hadn't been vaporized by Bell's Skill and flexed his gauntleted hand before he drove it into the monster's chest and wrenched out the Magic Stone, causing the blood and the corpse to vanish back into the Dungeon. He then tossed it toward Bell. "Do not waste our time like this again."

As Caster continued down the path, Welf and Lily walked forward, the former picking up the discarded longsword.

"Geez, if you keep doing this it'll make me think that you prefer Landforms over my stuff," Welf said with a smirk.

"I'm sorry," Bell said with a smile. "I guess I kinda…lost it there."

"Is Bell feeling better now?" Lily asked as she took the Magic Stone from Bell.

"Yeah…I just…I just needed to vent a bit."

"Still…guess those rumors of you beating a Minotaur wasn't just hot air…" Welf said as he wrapped an arm around Bell's shoulder. "One Minotaur solo at Level 1 and then two of them in one blow at Level 2 with a third being hacked to death with your daggers. What's going to happen at Level 3 I wonder?"

As Bell let out a dry laugh at Welf's teasing Caster called out to them.

"Enough tomfoolery! We are almost there."

The Party ran forward to catch up to Caster, only to find him standing beside a descending staircase.

"…Beyond here is the Floor Boss area…" Welf muttered with a gulp.

"Do not fret," Caster said. "The Monster Rex has not spawned just yet. You will rest on the Eighteenth Floor while we wait for-hmm?"

Caster turned toward the stairs before taking a step back from it, prompting everyone else to do so as well. A moment later, someone came flying up from it.

"Wha!?"

A rather familiar Adventurer appeared and landed beside him.

"You are…Vanagrand?" Caster asked as the Werewolf turned his eyes at Caster and swept them across the party before they stopped on Bell and Lily.

"…You lot are Archer's Familia?" Bete asked as his ears twitched slightly. "How the hell did you get down here?"

"Umm…like usual?" Bell answered as Bete's eyes narrowed.

"Whatever, I don't have time for this," Bete said as he started walking but Caster held out a hand in front of him. "What do you want?"

"Arde, the case," Caster said simply.

"R-right!" Lily nodded as she set her bag down and pulled out the case and handed it to Caster who opened it up in front of Bete, causing the Werewolf to raise an eyebrow.

Inside the case were several dozen high rank antidotes and elixirs.

"This is what you are after, correct?" Caster asked with a smirk.

"…What's your game?" Bete demanded as he looked from the potions to Caster.

"Do not think of it as mere charity," Caster replied as he shut the case and held it out to Bete. "I fully expect to recuperate the cost plus extra from your leaders. Of course, you are free to make the run back up to the surface yourself. But who can say if Dian Cecht Familia will have replenished their stock by then."

"Tch…whatever, I ain't got the time to argue," Bete growled as he carefully took the case with two hands. "…Those weaklings will be thankful for this."

"Humph."

For a moment, Bell wondered if Caster was going to demand at least a word of gratitude before releasing the case but Caster let Bete have it without another word.

As Bete turned around to descend the stairs, he looked over his shoulder toward Bell with a frown before disappearing without another word.

"…What was that about?" Welf asked, scratching his head.

"He was there when Bell beat the Minotaur on the Ninth Floor," Lily explained. "Maybe he was curious?"

"But…if he's here…then that means…" Bell began as his eyes started shining. "Archer has to be there too, right!?"

Lily's eyes widened in realization as well as the two of them turned to Caster.

"If he has not perished down in the Deep Floors then he would naturally still be with Loki Familia, would he not?" Caster pointed out.

Lily and Bell turned to look at each other as Caster proceeded to walk down the stairs to the Seventeenth Floor with the two of them close behind.

"Guess this 'Archer' guy is important to them," Welf said as Assassin hurried up to walk beside Bell as well.

"Indeed," Saber nodded. "I joined the Familia after he had already left on the Expedition with Loki Familia thus have not had the opportunity to be introduced yet. This will be both of our first times meeting him."

The two of them quickly moved to catch up with the others and the Party came dow to the Seventeenth Floor where a strange scene met them.

Unlike the drab stone walls that had accompanied them all they way from the Thirteenth Floor, the Seventeenth Floor contained a single room about two hundred meters long from the entrance to the exit. It was also another one hundred meters wide and twenty meters tall. A perfect arena to fight a massive creature like a Monster Rex.

The walls and ceiling were covered in many layers of jagged rocks aside for the one to the left of the entrance, which was completely smooth to the point that it looked unnatural.

"The Great Wall of Sorrows…" Bell muttered, naming the mysterious wall.

The ones who gave it such a name were Adventurers who came down here when the Monster Rex was active. For behind the wall was where the Monster Rex slept as it waited to be reborn into the Dungeon. When it did, the wall would shatter like an egg shell, and the massive monster would smash its way out, bringing despair to those who ventured here unprepared.

The resting place for one of the King of Monsters, the Goliath. The massive wall that separated the High Class Adventurers from the rabble.

"It's so big!" Assassin shouted as she stared at the wall that held the target of their Expedition.

"Lily feels…exceptionally small right now…" Lily whimpered as she shrunk down slightly in the face of the Great Wall.

"Hold your head up high, Arde," Caster said as he boldly strode forward. "You cannot hope to stand alongside us if you cower at the face of a rock."

"Y-yes…" Lily nodded as she closed her eyes and trailed behind Caster.

"…You don't think there's more than one Goliath behind that thing, do you?" Welf asked.

"I ask that you do not say such ominous things," Saber said as he tapped Bell and Assassin's shoulders to get them to move as well. "Let us continue, you two."

"R-right…" Bell nodded as he took Assassin's hand and started walking.

Bell knew that the Goliath was supposed to be a massive Monster but the fact that he was now in the room where the Monster Rex was supposed to be fought in made him realize that he didn't have any idea just _how_ big eight meters truly was if it needed this much room to fight in.

A new feeling appeared in Bell's gut.

Fear? Anticipation? Dread? Excitement? Worry? Eagerness?

He wasn't sure which word was right even if they all were more or less the same as the other. At the same time, there was a feeling that he just couldn't shake. The feeling that something bad was about to happen.

Shaking his head, he picked up the pace, wanting to get out of the arena as soon as possible.

Once he reached the stairs to the Eighteenth Floor, Bell was finally able to breathe easy.

"Ugh, finally out of there…" Welf muttered from behind Bell as well.

It seemed as though only the Servants were unaffected with the heavy atmosphere of the room. Probably because Caster and Saber had already dealt with massive titans in their respective legends while Assassin…

"Hmm?"

Assassin cocked her head to the side as Bell stared at her before smiling at Bell. She probably didn't even notice anything to be stressed or worried about.

As they left the stairway, a splendid sight appeared in Bell's eyes.

The first thing Bell noticed was…that it was bright. The Dungeon was never pitch black thanks to tiny glowing crystals embedded in the walls to illuminate the path no matter what time of day it was but right now it was as though they had returned to the surface while the sun was high in the sky.

The next was that there were crystals everywhere. Some barely the size of Bell's foot, others were even larger than the Minotaurs they had fought earlier. In the very center of the Floor was a massive tree that stretched all the way to the ceiling that stood even higher than the one on the Seventeenth Floor and was covered with even more crystals and were the source of light for the entire Floor. The largest ones in the center were a bright white color, mimicking the sun, while the smaller ones around it were light blue like the sky.

"…Is this really the Dungeon?" Welf asked as he looked around. "I feel like I got transported to an Elf Forest or something…"

"This is the Under Resort…" Lily muttered as they continued walking. "Lily heard that some nobles outside of Orario would hire High Class Adventurers to take them here just for the view."

"What an amazing use of money…" Bell muttered with a laugh.

"We will not be staying in the town," Caster said with a smile. "No doubt they will attempt to charge some outlandish price. Let us indulge in the hospitality of Loki Familia instead."

"Are they nearby?" Assassin asked as her head moved back and forth like it was on a swivel as she took in as much of the forest around them as she could.

"Why don't you ask your 'mother' Assassin?" Caster asked with a smirk as Bell blushed slightly. "You should know, right?"

That's right…if Archer was really here then.

Bell closed his eyes as he placed a hand on his chest, expanding his senses out. He felt a small pull against his heart, telling him that _he_ was moving toward them as he opened his eyes and looked to his right.

No sooner did he do so did a pair of feet land there.

"…I don't believe it. Bete was right."

Standing there was Bell's first Servant and Knight of the Bow, looking just as he did when he left some two weeks prior.

"Aren't you all a sight for sore eyes," Archer asked with a smile.

"Archer!"

"Master Archer!"

Bell and Lily ran up toward the man, the latter dropping her pack so she could move faster before jumping into his arms.

"Whoa there," Archer said as he caught them and steadied himself. "Looks like you both are doing well…especially you, Bell."

"Yes," Bell nodded, having not seen Archer since the Minotaur Incident. "Archer…I'm Level 2 now."

"Is that so?" Archer asked as he set them down and placed a hand on Bell's head. "Good work."

Bell had no idea how much he had wanted to hear those words of acknowledgement until now. But he had them now…and Bell truly believed he had taken one step closer to his dream.


	19. Hey World!

**Chapter 19: Melancholy of a Goddess**

Whenever Hestia returned home she would always throw open the door and call out "I'm home!" at the top of her lungs.

Then one of two responses would come.

"_I told you each and every day not to throw the door open! I can hear you just fine!_" The "oldest" member of her Familia would shout from either the balcony or from the living room depending if he was working or taking a break.

Or if she returned a bit later than usual.

"_Welcome home Mommy Hestia!_"

"_Welcome home, Goddess!_"

A much more warm welcome greeted her in the form of the two "youngest" members but it was much more rare so she still preferred the cold greeting from her Captain as it was some normal, something she heard nearly every day, a daily part of her routine.

Which was why she was now standing just in front of the front gate, dreading from stepping inside to her now empty home. She was spoiled, she knew that. Ever since Hephaistos gave her the boot, Hestia had spent her days alone and even when she created her Familia with Bell, she would usually come home before him and spend time alone in the first place. Then two weeks after that Bell found the Holy Grail and everything changed.

She became a proper Familia Goddess almost overnight and became used to the feeling of one of her children being close by when she came home. And now…she could tell that not a single one of them was waiting for her inside. The thought was enough to break her heart to the point that she didn't want to go inside.

"Maybe I can invite Take or Miach out for dinner…no…they're probably still working right now…" Hestia mumbled before she opened the gate and heard the sound of running footsteps behind her.

"Heeeeeeyyy!" A goddess with red hair called out to her as they ran down the street while waving at her while clutching a basket in her other hand. "Hey Chibi!"

"Geh…"

Hestia made a face as Loki slid to a stop just in front of her, not unlike how she did back during the Banquet of the Gods. And just like at the banquet, Hestia was not exactly jumping for joy to see her.

"What do you want, Loki?" Hestia asked with a tired glare.

"Just seeing how you're holding up," Loki replied with a smile. "Heard from a little birdy that your kids are going on an expedition of your own so I came to hang out!"

Birdy?

"…Aren't you just after Caster's wine?"

"Course not. I know how lonely it'll be seeing your kids off for the first time like this," Loki said with a frown as if she was insulted by the insinuation before breaking out into a smile. "But I won't say no if you're offerin'!"

"Do your children even know you're here?"

"Eh, probably."

Hestia let out a sigh, feeling empathetic to the Loki Familia Adventurers for having to deal with such a goddess every hour of every day.

Hestia did not want to play host to the Trickster Goddess right now but she also did not want to be alone in the manor either.

"…Come in," Hestia relented as she opened the gate wide for Loki.

"Woohoo!" Loki cheered. "Ah, but don't worry about food, I brought some with me."

"So you aren't just planning on mooching."

"Nah. I'm not like you after all."

"Ngh…"

Hestia, who had spent the first several months of her life in Genkai mooching off of Hephaistos's kindness, had no response to that.

Nevertheless, Hestia invited her hated enemy into her home just so she had some form of company for the night.

The two of them sat across from each other at the dining table where Loki piled out some sandwiches from her basket and Hestia brought out two bottles of wine. One in a dull green bottle and the other in a golden one.

"Hmm? Whazzat?" Loki asked as she looked at the green wine bottle.

"Just regular cheap wine," Hestia said as she poured the contents of the golden bottle into a cup and placed it in front of Loki while filling the green bottled wine in her own cup. "Caster's stuff is good and all but it scares me to drink it too much of it at once."

"Once poor always poor, huh?" Loki joked as she accepted the good wine first. "Though it's not like I don't get it. It's a waste if you drain it all at once."

Loki then picked up the golden bottle and gave it a shake and saw that barely a quarter of it had been drunk.

"He ever tell ya where he got this stuff?" Loki asked as she took a sip.

"Nope," Hestia shook her head. "He doesn't talk much about himself to anyone. I think only my Supporter and I really talk to him and that's only because I bug him in his office when I have a day off or work the afternoon shift. By the way, thank Wallen-whatshername for me for always stopping by and buying a lot."

"Geh, so it's your stand she keeps buying from, huh?" Loki muttered sounding annoyed. "And it's Wallenstein. Try remembering the name of my favorite girl at least. I remember yours! Bell Cranel, right?"

"…Fine, I'll make a token effort," Hestia said as she helped herself to a sandwich.

Loki rolled her eyes and took a bite out of her own sandwich.

"By the way…I've been wonderin' for a while now but…why do ya call them 'Archer' and 'Caster?'" Loki asked as she swallowed. "Some kinda hobby?"

"Well, I suppose you can call it that," Hestia shrugged. "Caster's a king of some country or another so he's all protective of his true name…well it's more like he doesn't consider anyone worthy of knowing his true name. Archer…gave up on his name for some reason he hasn't shared yet so we just call him that at his request."

"Well, I guess everyone's got their own secrets and quirks," Loki accepted with a shrug. "My kids have their own share of problems too."

"Course the grace tells them to me anyway so I do know their real names. I use it when I wanna tease them a bit."

"Pfft…and Goldy just takes it lying down?"

"When he can't be bothered to get angry at least."

Of course, she knew better than to push her luck when he's not in the mood.

"So is it his idea to go on this impromptu expedition of yours?" Loki asked, looking from over her cup.

"Yeah, he was in a real rush for some reason," Hestia noted.

"Maybe he made a bet with someone?" Loki suggested. "Make a bet that he can take out a Floor Boss and then get a crap ton of cash from it?"

"Eehhh…he's quite the gambler but I don't think he's the type to gamble on his own abilities."

She could hear Caster's voice now.

"_My abilities are already obvious. Why should I bother with someone who does not understand that?_"

Barely two months and she already got a handle on that child. Hestia felt that she should be praised for her big heart and understanding.

But first…

"So?" Hestia asked as she set down her glass. "What's the real reason you came over for?"

"Hmm?" Loki asked with a smile. "Can't I just come over to laugh at someone I hate being lonely since all her kids have left the house?"

Hestia simply stared at her with half opened eyes. Someone coming to laugh at another person wouldn't bring over dinner as well. Well, Loki might be such a person in any case.

"I told you already, didn't I?" Hestia asked making a guess at what Loki wanted. "I don't want to get involved in whatever it is you're trying to investigate."

"Ehhh? But you have three kids with High Class Skills and equipment…and I feel like I've seen that glasses kid of yours."

"Hah? Where and how?"

"Dunno…feels like he was one of Odin's kids or something."

"Can't be…he didn't have the Grace when I met him," Hestia said, shaking her head. "Mine was the first one he received."

"Yeesh, and I thought Finn training with monks before my Blessing was over doing it…" Loki muttered shaking her head in disbelief. "Some of these kids are just…"

Hestia kept quiet. There was no reason to tell her the entire truth. Normally Spirits were as obvious as Gods in terms of what they were but if the Heroic Spirits were presences closer to mortals then that was all the better. Though it looked as though the Servants could tell each another apart from the rest of the mortal races by sight alone.

They were nearly done with the food and once the sandwiches were gone, Hestia was going to make her leave. But, as much as she did not want to admit it, she needed some advice.

"…How do you do it?" Hestia found herself asking.

"Hmm? Do what?" Loki asked halfway through pouring herself another glass from Caster's wine bottle.

"Let your children go off for days on end without any word?" Hestia replied. "And all the way down to the Deep Floors at that."

"Ah, that…?" Loki muttered, taking a long sip of her drink as she thought how to respond. "You might as well ask how I let a bird fly in the sky or a let fish swim. That's just what Adventurers do."

It was an answer Hestia already knew but did not want to hear.

"But…what if they don't come back?"

"I told you back at the Banquet, right? Shit just happens. That's why when they're around you do whatever you want, when you want with them. That way, you have as few regrets as possible when one day they just…don't come home. Ya just have to trust that they will."

Honest words with no trace of mockery or foolishness in them. At this point, Hestia would have preferred that Loki make fun of her for being a mother hen as she had expected Loki would do. Then again, those words were probably also Loki's justification for her constant sexual harassment of the female members of her Familia.

But still, it wasn't as though Hestia was unique in this regard. The majority of the Deities with a Familia treated their children as if they were actual children. The ones who did't care about them, like Soma before he turned things around, were few and far in between. Then again, quite a few also only considered them as interesting possessions or pets. Like a project that they invested considerable time and money into and would be crushed or annoyed if they lost it.

On the third hand, it wasn't as though Hestia _didn't_ have such things she wanted to do with Bell either…but to do such things with him would ruin her standing in the eyes of the Servants…especially when she made a big deal of not having so many men in her Familia.

"Well don't worry about it," Loki said as she leaned back on her chair with her feet on the table, making Hestia's eyebrow twitch. "You got a Level 2 in your team and it doesn't look like Goldy's someone that's going to drop dead on the Middle Floors if your Archer boy can seemingly handle the Deep Floors."

"Which I am _still_ not happy about by the way," Hestia muttered as Loki just waved her comment off.

"Yeah yeah, but we're paying you at the same rate as Phae's Smiths so deal don't complain about it so much."

Hestia let out a sharp breath through her nose in response.

"Well, I guess what I'm trying ta say is: 'You gotta learn to accept it.' Children grow up and leave their parents. That's just how mortal life works after all."

Hestia didn't say much after that.

Once the food was gone, Hestia gave what was left of Caster's wine to Loki as thanks for the information to which the Trickster Goddess happily accepted before disappearing into the night and leaving Hestia home alone for the first time in two months.

X-x-X-x-X

The next morning, the Goddess of the Hearth, Hestia, was lying curled up on her bed under the covers, not wanting to get out from underneath them.

For the first time since she formed her Familia, she slept all alone in her own home. She had taken for granted just how nice it was to simply know that there was always someone just behind a door waiting for her.

But she couldn't just stay in bed all day even if she did have the day off.

"I didn't spend all night just crying after all!" She said as she rubbed her swollen eyes. "I came up with a great emblem that would surely knock Gil's socks off."

Putting aside that Caster didn't wear any to begin with of course.

Throwing off her blanket, Hestia ran toward her dresser and pulled out some parchment and ink. She then drew the idea she had down that was based on her Falna's mark and what she considered to be the most important detail of her Familia.

"I feel a bit bad for Miss Supporter but this will have to do," Hestia nodded as she set the parchment aside for the ink to dry. "…But then now what do I do?"

Planting her feet on her desk, she leaned back a bit on her chair as she looked outside the window. Today was her day off from work and she had made no plans since she didn't want to think about being all alone. And if she didn't want to be alone that only meant one thing!

"…Right."

It was a nice day outside. A perfect day to go hunting for new Familia members! Hestia couldn't keep relying on Servants to fill the ranks forever. After all, they could end up being more men, and while that meant Hestia wouldn't have any rivals within the Familia in regards to Bell's affections she couldn't have a massive amount men in her Familia. She had a reputation to uphold after all!

"I'd like at least two more girls to balance things out," she muttered. "Miss Supporter's been worried about the rear line so maybe someone who can be a mage? But it's not like anyone other than Spirits or Elves have a high chance to have Magic at Level 1 without doing something dumb like Bell and that Grimoire…no wait, that never happened. NEVER."

Pushing that thought out of her mind, Hestia shook her head and stood up.

"All right! Today's goal: Find a cute Elf girl to join my Familia!" Hestia said as she pumped her fist before slumping forward looking rather horrified at herself. "Great now…I sound like Loki…"

It was rather well known that Loki not only preferred cute girls but she especially loved Elf girls. Then again, she also heard the other gods whispering that Hestia herself had a type for White haired people.

That was merely a coincidence! Sure she loved white haired children but that's only because the one she loved, Bell, had white hair! It was merely a side thing!

Hestia quickly changed into her best day clothes, a white one piece dress with an ocean blue wavy design at its fringe. She also wrapped her favorite ribbon around her and tied her hair up as usual with her precious flower clips that Bell had bought her with his own money long ago.

"All right!" She said as she looked herself over in the mirror. "Hey world! Here comes Hestia!"

X-x-X-x-X

Of course, Hestia didn't expect it to go smoothly.

Most of the Elves she met were already in a Familia. She knew that even before asking them as they had their Familia emblems somewhere on their clothes.

"Muu…it really looks cool after all," she muttered as she watched a male elf walk while arguing with a gruff male dwarf. "I really should have gotten it done sooner so I could show off Bell and the others more."

She shook her head as she walked through the entrance into the Guild.

Once there, she scanned the line of receptionist until she found one matching the description of Bell's usual Advisor.

"You are Eina Tulle, right?" Hestia asked as she walked up to the Half-Elf's station.

"Yes," Eina replied with a professional smile. "How may I help you, Lady Goddess?"

"I was just wondering if I can place a notice that my Familia is seeking new members here or not," Hestia explained.

Honestly, she should have tried this first rather than going around accosting people one by one.

"Yes," Eina nodded as she fished out a small sheet with various numbers on it. "Although there is a fee depending on how much advertisement you want for your Familia. We offer such services ranging from notices on the bulletin board and direct referrals of any hopefuls to you when they ask."

"Hmm…as expected some of it's pretty pricey…" Hestia mumbled as she mulled it over.

With the allowance she got from Caster and her own pocket money from her job, she could afford a few things but she shouldn't spend all her money on this as there was no telling when Bell and the others would come back. She had to live for at most a week off this money after all.

"I apologize for not asking sooner but…may I have your name Lady Goddess?" Eina asked.

"Hmm? Oh, it's Hestia."

"Ah, then you are Bell's Goddess?" Eina asked as Hestia threw her chest out with a proud nod. "I haven't seen him in a while. Is he doing all right?"

"Yeah. He's headed down to fight the Monster Rex Goliath," Hestia replied absentmindedly as she turned her gaze back to the price sheet.

"HE WHAAAT!?"

Eina's scream caused Hestia to reel her head back in pain and for most of the people in the Guild to stare.

"I-I'm sorry for raising my voice!" Eina said as she leaned forward toward Hestia. "But you said he's gone to fight a Floor Boss? But it hasn't even been two weeks since he Leveled Up!"

"Well…Caster's being rather ambitious…" Hestia muttered as she rubbed her ear. "And Bell's growth is explosive as of late so he wants to take advantage of it."

Eina didn't look satisfied at all with that answer as she rubbed her forehead with an exhausted look.

"Thank you for worrying about my child, Miss Advisor," Hestia said with a smile. "But he's in good hands with Caster and Saber looking after him. With luck, they probably met up with Archer as well."

"Uuuu…don't remind me about that…" Eina muttered, clearly having not been too enthusiastic about the fact that Loki Familia had taken one of her Advisee Adventurers all the way down to the Fiftieth Floor just because he had a useful magic. "…Although I suppose you must be more worried about that than I am."

"I am," Hestia nodded with a smile. "But as Caster keeps telling me, I just have to trust that they will be all right. So you should do the same, okay, Miss Advisor? Bell defeated a Minotaur on his own at Level 1 and then blew away an Infant Dragon in one blow too. If nothing else, he should be able to run away from the Goliath if things go badly."

"…I suppose you're right," Eina agreed with a smile of her own. "In any case…back to your request for an advertisement?"

"Ahh…let's just go with this one."

Hestia decided on the ad one spot above the "word of mouth" advertisement.

It allowed her a few flyers as well as a corner spot on one of the bulletin boards.

It wasn't anything grand but it was cheap and she could spend her time actively seeking out members on her own.

"Certainly," Eina nodded as she began processing the request. "Are there any specific requirements you'd like on the flyers?"

"I'm looking for female Adventurers preferably but men are welcomed too," Hestia began. "It'd be nice if they were an Elf or someone that can use magic though."

"Understood. Is there anything else? Such as age or experience?"

"Nope. I don't care about experience. If I did, I would't have found Bell after all. Besides, we're still new so I might as well welcome any new hopeful Adventurer that comes along. Though it might mean more work for you, Miss Advisor."

"It probably won't be much more since Bell doesn't seem to need my advice lately," Eina answered with a lonely looking smile.

"Don't say that, he came to ask about his Development Ability, right? It goes to show you that he still holds your word in high regard, more than Caster's and almost as much as mine!"

"Fufu…thank you, Goddess Hestia."

After that, the two of them finalized the flyers which detailed that the Hestia Familia was seeking new members and that everyone was welcome regardless of experience. With a more specific call for mages and women under it.

"Well, I don't really expect much to come out of it but it shouldn't hurt," Hestia said as she left the Guild building. "Let's see…it's about noon so let's get some lunch…ah, I know!"

With a destination in mind, Hestia made her way to the market.

X-x-X-x-X

"Take! I came to visit!"

"Oh, Hestia! Welcome!"

Hestia had made her way to the Potato Puff stand operated by her friend and fellow god, Takemikazuchi.

"Good timing," Takemikazuchi said as he lowered his head. "I wanted to thank your children for saving mine the other day."

"It's fine, it's fine," Hestia said with a smile. "Though my Captain wasn't happy about it since it was super risky but everything went well so it's fine."

"Your Captain didn't go into the Dungeon with the rest of your children?" Takemikazuchi asked, looking surprised.

"Yeah, he does a lot of other things instead but it's thanks to that we're no longer hurting on money."

Hestia then held up five fingers and Takemikazuchi packed away five puffs into a bag for her.

"So how are your children doing?" Hestia asked as she took the bag from him.

"Chigusa's still resting today while the others are going to remain on the Upper Levels," Takemikazuchi replied with a slight frown. "My Captain, Ouka, seems to be taking it pretty hard though."

"Sounds like a pretty serious child you got there."

"Indeed…he takes things a bit too seriously and it worries me a bit…"

"I completely understand," Hestia nodded with one hand on her hip and the other carefully holding her bag. "My Shirou is the same way."

"'Shirou' huh?" Takemikazuchi muttered. "You got a child from the Far East?"

"I think so," Hestia nodded. "His facial features match a bit but his hair's already turned white so you wouldn't be able to tell otherwise."

"Well, it's not like all the children there have black hair. It's just the most common."

The two of them shared a laugh before Hestia decided to get going.

"Oh if your children need any help in the Dungeon, feel free to ask me," Hestia said. "With the rest of my children coming home in a few days they might have some free time if I don't get any new members."

Though if Bell someone miraculously Levels Up again there might be some more Servants added in the mix too.

"No no, I can't ask that much of you," Takemikazuchi said quickly. "We'll keep doing things our own way."

"All right then, but the offer is always open," Hestia said as she bid goodbye to Takemikazuchi and headed on her way.

X-x-X-x-X

As she expected though, the first day of her Familia hunting came up with nothing.

That wasn't so bad as it was just more of the usual.

Coming home to an empty, quiet, and completely dark house for the second day in a row though? The pain was excruciating.

She didn't understand just how she became so needy for companionship.

Not bothering to eat in the dining room, she walked all the way up to the top floor. The only rooms up here were her own along with Caster's. Their two "offices" were here as well with Caster's office being connected to his room so that one would have to cross it before entering his room proper.

Placing a hand on the doorknob, Hestia tried turning it but found that it was locked.

For all his insistence on his dislike of gods, he had never locked his door when he was at home and Hestia often spent her previous days off or time before an afternoon shift just slacking off, usually with a book, on the sofa in the office as he worked.

And boy did Caster work on a lot of things at once. There wasn't ever a time Hestia was in the office that there wasn't a stack of papers or slabs on his desk. She had no idea what he was doing but it probably had to do with his investigations on the Dungeon and probably various things of the city as well.

The stone slabs were probably his personal records of various things written in a language not known in Orario but as a Goddess, Hestia would have no problem reading them if she cared to. She peeked at it once before when she brought food to Caster and saw mostly numbers so he was probably balancing the books or something.

But as it was, she couldn't get inside with the door locked so there was no point standing here.

She made her way back to her room and slumped over on her desk.

"…Maybe I should ask for more hours until they come home?" Hestia muttered as with a sob as she munched on her potato puff. "Though I bet that the moment I do, they'll come home that day, haha…"

And she didn't want to waste a moment in indulging herself with either Bell or Assassin's presence. And after letting him rest, she would ask Archer to cook up a big celebration meal too. She would help of course. If it was peeling veggies like potatoes, she was already a pro at that and it would free up his hands.

Not that she couldn't cook normally of course (_ONE _single accident notwithstanding). As the Goddess of the Hearth, she had a few personal recipes under her belt and did the cooking when she was home before the others, a duty she shared with Lily since Archer wasn't here. It's just that she enjoyed eating other people's cooking more than her own.

"Tomorrow will be a better day," Hestia muttered as she went to the washroom to brush her teeth. "One day sooner everyone comes home and one less day of being home alone!"

With that optimistic thought in mind, Hestia finished her evening ritual and ducked under the covers for the night.

Tomorrow will be a better day.

X-x-X-x-X

Today was an awful day.

Hestia stared out into the street with an annoyed face as she watched the rain drops patter onto the street and the people who were quickly running for shelter.

At least the stand was connected to a building so she was still dry…and had the foresight to bring an umbrella with her.

"E-excuse us!"

"This rain came out of nowhere!"

Hestia turned toward the voices and saw two girls that had ducked into the stand for some shelter.

The first was a human girl with pink hair and pink eyes wearing a pink and red tunic over a red skirt. She seemed to be going for a theme or something. Her hair was cut rather short with two accessories at the side of her head. Though she was a bit shorter than Bell, she looked to be a bit older than him.

The second was blonde Elf girl with a dark blue and purple dress and had her hair tied up in twin tails by blue ribbons. She was only a little bit taller than Hestia herself and looked rather young. Not that it really meant much for a long lived raced like Elves but even so, she was probably younger than Bell.

"Ahh…this day is just awful…" the elf muttered, echoing Hestia's thoughts as she started wringing water out of her hair.

"We haven't been having much luck, have we?" the human asked as she pulled out a handkerchief and wiped her head. "Ah please excuse us, Lady Goddess."

As all deities had a divine aura around them, mortals could tell who they were right away. Some among their number could hide their aura to the point that they would pass just as another mortal but Hestia couldn't do it that well just yet so the girl could tell Hestia was a goddess with a simple glance.

"Don't worry about it, and welcome~" Hestia said with a cheerful business smile. "Would you like to buy a Jagamaru-kun while you wait for the rain to die down? There's a special for two with azuki cream for only 80 valis."

At her words the elf's stomach started to growl as she lowered her head burning cheeks.

"Umm…" the human girl pulled out her purse with a strained smile as she checked her contents. "Maybe just two regular ones please."

"Coming right up," Hestia said.

"Y-you don't have to do that, Miss Flores…"

"Don't worry about it, Primo. I'm hungry too."

Hestia had a name!

The human was Flores and the elf was Primo. Now she had to find out if those were first names or surnames.

"Are the two of you Adventurers?" Hestia asked, making conversation as the manager was out and she was alone in managing the stall right now.

"That's right!" Primo said sticking her tiny chest out. "I'm going to be the next great Mage that can stand alongside Lady Rivera herself!"

"Ohh, that's a splendid goal," Hestia said as she handed the two of them their snack. "Which Familia are you in then?"

At Hestia's question, Primo faltered and her shoulders sank. Even her ears were drooping.

"Ahh…"

It reminded Hestia of Bell's expression when she unintentionally saw him getting rejected by a Familia before he joined hers.

"I-is that so…?" Hestia said as she tried to find the words. "Umm…do you have any idea why they might not want you?"

"She's ten years old," Flores said as Primo made a small whimpering noise.

"Oh."

Hestia didn't know what to say to that. She knew that some Familias would even have babies join in as their parents were already part of the Familia but accepting a ten year old into the Familia from outside was a big gamble for small time Familias and the big time ones wouldn't even bother.

"Ah I don't have one either," Flores spoke up, not wanting the silence to go on for too long. Or just not wanting Primo to "suffer" alone.

"I see," Hestia began. "Did the two of you come here together?"

"No. We only just met each other yesterday. Oh, my apologies, my name is Emma Flores."

Hestia now had a first name! Success!

"I'm Primo Libera…" Primo added with a sniff as she munched on the puff.

"It's nice to meet you both. I'm Hestia."

"Hestia?" Primo asked as her eyes shot open. "As in Hestia Familia? Moonlit Dawn's Familia? The Record Holder?"

Hestia did her damndest to make sure her smile remained on her face despite the crippling pain that was delivered into her heart.

"Y-yes, that's my Bell," Hestia nodded, doing her best to keep her smile from twitching.

She was failing horribly.

"Record Holder?" Emma repeated as she looked at Primo.

"You haven't heard?" Primo asked. "Moonlit Dawn managed to reach Level 2 in only a month and a half. Most Adventurers spend their entire lives trying to Level Up and he managed to do so so quickly!"

"I see…so Moonlit Dawn is a big deal then?"

"The biggest!"

Hestia wanted to preen and take in compliments for Bell but the use of his Alias was dealing her more damage than she could take.

"T-thank you for your compliments…" Hestia managed to squeeze out. "He's our Familia's rising star after all."

Primo quickly stuffed her potato puff into her mouth and swallowed before running around the stand and grabbing Hestia by the hands.

"Please Lady Hestia, please let me join your Familia!" Primo begged. "I know that I'm still young but I promise that you won't regret it!"

"Heh? Eh?"

The thought of inviting them did occur to Hestia but she didn't think Primo would ask to join on her own accord. Heck, she never expected anyone to _beg_ to join her Familia so she had absolutely no idea how to handle it.

Honestly, ten years old was a bit young to go into the Dungeon but Assassin was a good ten centimeters shorter than Primo was. Then again, Assassin was also a Servant that was already faster and stronger than Bell by default.

"Please! I'll work hard as a Supporter at first if I have to!" Primo continued.

"Umm…you certainly are eager…" Hestia said with a strained laugh. "But all of my children are currently on an expedition right now and won't be home for a few days. Since you sound like you want to be a Mage, if you did join my Familia, I wouldn't feel right if I had you go into the Dungeon alone."

"Then take Miss Flores as well!" Primo said.

"Do I get a say in this?" Emma asked with a wry smile as she scratched her cheek. "Well…it's not like I've had much luck either…so…if you would have me?"

…Was it really this easy?

She already got what she was looking for. A (possible) Mage and two new girls for her Familia without even trying.

"_What has all my effort the last few months been for?_" Hestia thought to herself.

No no, she should consider this a reward for all her hard work. That's right, she was doing a good job now both as a part-timer and as a goddess of a Familia. This was her reward! It meant she was finally getting somewhere!

…It also meant she had to go to the Guild and take down the advertisement.

"Hmm…" Hestia mumbled, pretending to mull it over as she looked back into Primo's hopeful eyes. "Well…I can't say that you'll be going into the Dungeon when our Captain gets home without him seeing what you can do but I wouldn't mind if either of you wanted to join."

"Yes! Thank you!"

"I'll try not to let you down, Lady Hestia."

Primo and Emma both lowered their heads to Hestia as she smiled at them in return.

X-x-X-x-X

The manager decided to close up shop early because of the rain so Hestia was able to take the girls home under the cover of her umbrella, which Emma had to hold due to being the tallest of the three.

"Welcome to our Familia Home, the Hearthstone Manor!" Hestia said when they arrived in front of the house after stopping by the inn the girls had been staying at to get their luggage. "We have a lot of rooms here so feel free to pick any empty ones."

""Yes!""

The two of them nodded at the same time as Hestia unlocked the front gate and strode on in with the girls right behind her. The two of them had stopped and stared at the strange statues sitting at the corners of the walls but quickly hurried after Hestia when she opened the front door.f

"Now then…" Hestia began as they sat in the living room. "Let's begin shall we? Who wants to go first?"

"Me!" Primo volunteered immediately with a raised hand as Emma gave a wry smile and gestured toward the elf.

"All right then come over and lie down on the couch," Hestia said as she patted the seat. "Oh and show me your back."

Primo obeyed and laid down on her stomach with her back exposed to Hestia.

"Umm…is this going to hurt?" Primo asked, eyes widening as Hestia retrieved her silver knife.

"It shouldn't," Hestia replied as she pricked her finger with the blade. "Now hold still. I don't want to make a mistake."

"Y-yes…"

Hestia stuck her tongue out between her teeth as she drew her symbol onto Primo's back, the young elf doing her best not to twitch at Hestia's finger's movements.

"Ticklish?" Hestia asked as she poked Primo in the side.

"Y-yes…" Primo admitted, her ears turning red as they twitched a bit.

"Ahh, you really are cute. Let's see now…oh! Congratulations, Primo!"

"Huh? What? What?"

Hestia got off of Primo's back as the girl quickly pulled her dress up and Hestia handed Primo the sheet that contained her Status.

_**Primo Libera**_

**Level 1**

**Strength**: I0

**Defense**: I0

**Dexterity**: I0

**Agility**: I0

**Magic**: I0

**Magic**:

**Lumine Pleiades**: Wide range bombardment magic

_Glittering stars crossing the night sky._

_Hear my naïve prayer and guide these falling lights._

_Descend o starry tears!_

_Blast away these hapless rejects!_

_Lumine Pleiades!_

**Skills**:

None

"Magic…" Primo said before her eyes lit up and she started jumping up and down, clutching the sheet to her chest. "I have magic! I knew it! I knew I was a genius!"

"Now now," Hestia said as she calmed down the excited girl. "To be a proper Mage you need to be able to recite your chant perfectly and without fail…or you're going to blow up due to an Ignis Fatuus."

"Y-yes," Primo nodded seriously but she was still all smiles. "I'll get to memorizing this right away! Umm…out of curiosity…does anyone else in the Familia have Magic?"

"Hmm? Hmmmm…" Hestia raised her head for a moment and folded her arms as she tried to remember the others' Status before answering with a smile, "Everyone does."

"Grk…I won't lose…" Primo muttered as she trained her eyes on the sheet, not reacting as Hestia steered her into an armchair.

"Now then, you next, Emma."

"Yes," Emma nodded as she removed her tunic and laid down on the couch as well.

Repeating the same process, Hestia drew her symbol on the human's back with a smile. Of course, she remembered to "lock" the Falna so that it was not visible without her blood to others.

"All right, you're done," Hestia said as she patted Emma's back and the girl sat up, holding her tunic to her chest. "Sorry to say but you don't have any Magic."

"Is that so?" Emma asked, looking just a bit disappointed.

"Don't worry, Bell didn't have one either when he started out," Hestia said, deciding not to mention just how Bell _did not_ get his magic. It never happened after all. "You do have an open slot though so you might get one eventually the more you hang out with the Familia. Oh you do have a strange Skill though."

"Skill?"

Hestia handed Emma's Status sheet to her and the girl looked it over with curious eyes.

_**Emma Flores**_

**Level 1**

**Strength**: I0

**Defense**: I0

**Dexterity**: I0

**Agility**: I0

**Magic**: I0

**Magic**:

(Open)

**Skills**:

**Rein Amur – Beloved Blooming**: Causes a _Rhapsodia _among those with the same Falna for a short time.

"_Rein Amur_?" Emma read as she looked up at Hestia who shook her head with a shrug.

"I have no idea," Hestia said with a smile. "That's part of the 'fun' when it comes to some Skills like these. You have to find out what it does on your own. But 'Rhapsodia' can mean 'collection' or a 'really good feeling' so it might be a skill that boosts you or people around you under certain conditions. You'll have to test it out when you eventually go into the Dungeon. Bell has a similar skill that boosts his attacks' power too."

"I see…" Emma nodded in understanding as she looked back down at her Status. "And what are those conditions?"

"He said he has to think of a 'Hero,'" Hesita said with a sly grin. "Isn't that precious? Well it can't be helped after all. His heroes are all members of the Familia so he's always being influenced by them. So my advice would be to think about what motivates you and maybe that will activate it."

"What motivates me…" Emma repeated.

"Well if you can't do it on your own you can ask for help with me or Primo," Hestia continued. "Not to mention the others when they return. We're all family now so there's no use trying to do things on your own. That goes for you too, okay, Primo?"

""Yes!"" The girls nodded in unison causing Hestia to smile. It was just like the time with Bell all over again.

"Hmm…let's see now…" she muttered as she looked at the clock. "It's a bit late to head to the Guild to register so we'll put that on hold. Same with going to the Dungeon so today the two of you should get yourselves settled in."

"Umm…where exactly are the others again?" Primo asked, raising a hand. "You said they were in the Dungeon but…"

"They're on an expedition to the Eighteenth Floor," Hestia replied. "They left two days ago so they should be returning either tomorrow or the day after. Oh by the way, not counting the two of you, we have four boys and two girls. With you two now joining, we'll have an even split!"

"Is that really something so important?" Emma asked. "Isn't it normal for there to be more male Adventurers than female?"

"It is! It definitely is! My life and my reputation were at stake!"

The two newcomers shared a glance as Hestia started muttering to herself.

"Do you think we'll regret this?" Primo asked Emma as the two of them leaned toward each other.

"You immediately got a Spell with my Falna and I got a Skill," Emma pointed out. "At the very least, we're gong to come out ahead."

"I can hear you two, you know?" Hestia said, popping her own face near theirs, causing them to shriek in surprise. "Either way, you're both stuck with me for at least a year, so let's get along."

"Yes, Lady Hestia," Emma nodded.

"No problem!" Primo nodded with a smile.

X-x-X-x-X

After that they had dinner and Hestia learned that Primo left her village in the Libera Forest to head to Orario because she wanted to become a great Mage like Loki's Riveria Los Alf. Of course, still being a child she ended up losing almost all her money immediately and was helped out by Emma who had been lost trying to get back to her own inn.

"Aha…I've always had a bad sense of direction," Emma admitted. "I have to go to a place at least ten times before I can remember how to get there."

Hestia had thought that Emma would be the more reliable one out of the two but now she was deathly afraid that they would get lost in the Dungeon on their first day.

"All right, no one's going into the Dungeon until the others get home," Hestia declared as she slammed her hand on the dining table.

"Eh? But won't they think we're useless if we don't even go in once?" Primo asked.

"Only one of them would think you are useless because of that and that's only because he thinks _everyone _is useless anyway," Hestia responded simply as she crossed her arms. "Everyone else will be very understanding. Lily, our Supporter, knows how dangerous the Dungeon can be better than anyone, Jackie hasn't ever gone in alone either, and Saber and Archer would just fret if they found out."

"What about Moonlit Dawn?" Primo asked causing Hestia to wince again.

"…Primo? Dearie? Please call him Bell or Mr Cranel at the very least," Hestia said with a twitching smile. "You're in the same Familia now so it'll be weird if you don't call him by name."

"Ah, that makes sense," the elf nodded, accepting the request at face value. "Then what about Mr Cranel?"

"Bell had to go it alone since he was my first child for the first two weeks. After that, Archer joined him and then Lily. Since then he never went into the Dungeon without at least Lily."

"Then what's wrong with the two of us going together?" Primo asked. "The Guild should have at least a map of the First Floor, right?"

"Can you read a map?" Hestia asked first.

"I read enough to know how to get here from my village!" Primo shot back. "I'm not a kid, Lady Hestia!"

"…You did spend all your money at once on a big inn though," Emma pointed out as Primo blushed.

"T-that's because I thought I would find a Familia to join right away! Miss Flores! Don't you want to go into the Dungeon too?"

"Well, I am kinda scared of getting lost down there," the older girl admitted. "But I guess I do feel a bit more confident if you were with me."

"See?" Primo asked as she turned back toward Hestia.

"Hmm…"

Hestia was definitely not completely convinced but, like Loki said, it wasn't as though she could keep an Adventurer from going on an Adventure. Caster would also no doubt accuse her of coddling her new members for no real reason other than to make her feel better.

"Fine…let's compromise," Hestia said as she lifted a finger. "Tomorrow when you go to get register at the Guild, try to find a brown haired half-elf wearing glasses named Eina Tulle. She's more or less our Familia Advisor even though she really only advises Bell since everyone else either doesn't need advice or already knows enough about the Dungeon. She's a useful way to learn more about the Dungeon. Find her, get registered, get information on buying Starter Gear then if she says it's okay, you can go in."

"Won't that take up most of the day?" Primo asked, looking .

"Well, we should at least know what to expect from the Dungeon, right?" Emma pointed out. "Or did you want to try fighting Monsters without even a staff?"

"Mugu…"

Unable to say anything to that, Primo simply grumbled with her spoon in her mouth.

"Let's see…" Hestia placed a hand to her chin in thought. "If I remember correctly…Bell's Guild-issue starting equipment was about nine thousand valis for his breastplate and dagger so…"

Hestia had no idea how much a staff for a Mage went for so she should consider a bigger budget for the two girls.

"I'll give the two of you forty thousand valis to go shopping for your Starter Gear," Hestia said as their eyes boggled. "What? You don't think I'm going to make you buy your own gear with your own money do you? I'd give you more but our Captain is the one who has control over our coffers and any more than this will cut into the food budget I have for the week."

It meant cutting back on snacks and new volumes of her stories but it was a worthy trade if Hestia said so herself.

"W-we understand," Emma said quickly with a nod. "We won't let you down!"

"When I become a great Mage, I'll definitely return the money, Lady Hestia!" Primo added.

"Please, you're both my children now," Hestia said, spreading her arms wide. "It's only natural for me to help you any way I can."

It honestly felt good that she was now able to properly provide for her children like this. Gone were the days of feeding Bell nothing but stale bread, eggs and leftover Jagamaru-kuns. She was now a proper Goddess of a Familia.

And it only took her about three months! With a little cheating from ghosts and goblets sure, but what Familia didn't use every advantage they had to get ahead?

At least she wasn't Ishtar!

X-x-X-x-X

"All right, here's the Guild!" Hestia said as she stood in front of the Guild building with back to it and faced her new girls the next morning. "Now then, the rest is up to you. Show me what you can do!"

""Yes!""

Primo and Emma nodded before they said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.

Hestia had her part time job after all.

All that was left to do was pray that the girls will be all right.

Thus Hestia started another new day.


	20. Twin Dreams

**Chapter 20: The Two's Wish**

"…If it wasn't one thing, it's another," Finn sighed as he peeked inside a tent where several members of his Familia were resting.

After using the last of their supplies to heal their wounds, Finn had had the Party retreat back to the Fiftieth Floor while carrying the unconscious Archer and Ais.

When they woke up, Finn, Riveria and Gareth questioned them on what occurred on the Fifty-Ninth Floor but Ais had no idea what had happened or didn't understand enough to put them into words as was often the case.

Archer simply said that he didn't know what prompted him to act on his own either aside from the fact that he knew that the Spirit had to die, something Ais had nodded in agreement to. Everything else though…

"_I have no obligation to explain._"

That was all they got when they asked about his spells.

Which was fair. He was not part of their Familia and it was enough to know that whatever he had done worked and saved them. It's not as though they would answer his questions to why Ais's spell could do things from shooting out wind, to creating a wind barrier and even give her limited flight all with the same chant.

Lefiya seemed to have some ideas of how Archer's shield worked but she wasn't confident enough in her theories to share them.

Still, to think that even after fighting for their lives that on their way back to the surface they would encounter a Monster Party of Poison Vermis, one of the most toxic monsters known in the Dungeon. Their poison was enough to incapacitate anyone without special gear or the Development Ability Abnormal Resistance at rank G.

Naturally this meant over half of the Expedition, Hephaistos Smiths included, had been knocked out, forcing them to rest on the Eighteenth Floor to treat them when Finn had wanted to get back to Loki to report as soon as possible.

"Well, we sent Bete out already so all we can do is wait for him to come back with the antidotes," Gareth said with a sigh. "Still…I'm amazed no one died."

"Let's not question that any more than we have to," Riveria said pointedly. "We were lucky that the Spirit was one that wanted to play with its food."

Indeed, if it had decided to use the flame spell again instead of the meteor one, Finn doubted Archer's shield would have been able to block it.

"That just goes back to the original question," Finn muttered as the three of them entered the Command Tent. "Who…or what…exactly is Archer?"

The two males turned toward the High Elf for her expert opinion, causing the woman to sigh.

"…At the barest hypothesis, I would say he is an existence similar to Ais," Riveria began. "The two reacted in a similar fashion and the Spirit seemed to have singled them both out. Their magics are also similar in how flexible they are as well. If I had to guess further without any evidence, I would say he, or at the very least his bloodline, has Spirit Blood within it somehow. Perhaps a Spirit contacted his ancestor at some point in the past and the ancestor received some of its blood."

"Willingly?" Gareth asked.

"You saw what happened below," Riveria said with a slight frown. "High Level Spirits, not Fairies, existed long before the Gods descended onto our world. If his ancestors were one that would try to harm a Spirit, they would have had to try and fight without the Falna."

Gareth nodded as he rubbed his head.

"Sure would answer a lot of questions I suppose," the old Dwarf admitted. "Better a Spirit than a Creature I suppose."

"So long as he remains a friend, I don't care what he is," Finn said with a smile.

"So you trust him now?" Gareth asked.

"I'm not sure I can say I trust him 100% as he is still of a different Familia," Finn admitted. "But I can trust he is what he seems to be. A young man that wants to help us simply because he wants to. Although that is scary in a different way."

"Hard to trust someone who wants nothing in return," Gareth admitted with a sigh. "At least Archer is still accepting payment…as much as I would love for him to not."

The other two shared similar bitter smiles.

They had to hand over most of the Drop Items to the Hephaistos Familia when they were done and what was leftover would go to Archer and the Hestia Familia. Although they weren't quite in the red thanks to Archer's supply of weapons, it was quite close.

Still, they won't ask to renegotiate the deal with Archer. They had an ideal source for Magic Swords now after all, and ones that could be made instantly and on short notice. They'll probably have to pay for any new ones at above regular cost at the insistence of Hephaistos Familia or else it would absolutely wreck the value of Magic Swords from other Blacksmith Familias.

The last thing Finn needed was to be blacklisted after all.

"Guess the next expedition will have to be to make money," Finn said with a smile.

"No arguments here," Gareth agreed as Riveria nodded as well. "Think we can get some more Magic Swords from Archer before he leaves?"

"That would probably be up to him," Riveria said with a smile. "So the answer will be 'Yes.'"

As they shook their heads the flap to the tent opened up.

"Oi, I'm back," Bete said with his usual sour look.

"…Already?" Riveria asked.

"Met some people," the Werewolf replied. "Gave me a case of Dian Cecht's antidotes without me even saying anything."

"Who?" Finn asked.

"That minotaur brat and what's probably the rest of Archer's Familia. The red man's already shoved off to meet them. Just came back to drop them off before I go back to being your mailman."

And with that, Bete left without another word.

"The minotaur kid…as in Bell Cranel?" Gareth asked.

"I believe that was his name," Riveria nodded. "Barely two weeks and he's already made his way down here. He has to have at least hit Level 2 by now then…building off of Level 1 with his Status at all S rank."

"Hestia Familia is full of weirdos," Gareth said with a laugh. "You two met the Captain of such a Familia, right? What's he like?"

The High Elf and Pallum exchanged glances.

"If I had to say…" Riveria began. "He was most definitely a king of some place or some other high noble."

"Guess you would know," Gareth said as Riveria nodded. He then turned to Finn. "What about you?"

"Honestly? He bothers me more than Archer does," Finn admitted. "There's something about his eyes…it feels like they can see right through you."

Both Riveria and Gareth shared a glance.

"Something tells me…" Finn muttered as he bit at his thumb. "That fighting that Spirit again would be easier than fighting him head on."

X-x-X-x-X

"It's just over here," Archer said as he led Bell and the others toward the Loki Familia Camp. "I'll ask Finn if you guys can camp out here with us."

"Why did you stop here in the first place?" Bell asked as he walked alongside Archer. "Couldn't you have just made it all the way back to the surface if you were already here? Were people injured?"

"Poisoned," Archer corrected. "So they can't move right now. Finn sent Bete up for antidotes but…" Archer turned to look at Caster who simply smirked at him. "Looks like that was taken care of."

Bell knew that there was no way Caster was doing this out of the goodness of his heart, but he still didn't know what Caster was aiming to get from it.

Was it simply for more connections with Loki Familia?

"Did you bring any food with you at least?" Archer asked. "Supplies are rather low and we've been scavenging from the Dungeon."

"Food…from the Dungeon?" Welf asked with his eyes wide open. "What on earth grows down here that you can eat?"

"Honey cloud for one," Archer explained as he fished one out of his pocket. It was a yellow cotton-like fruit that was giving off a rather sweet smelling scent that Bell could smell from where he was standing. Archer split it in half with his hands and a pink juice started seeping out, causing the smell to also come out stronger. He then tossed one half to Welf before handing the other to Bell. "This is what most of us have been eating for the last day. Well, this and some other fruits but honey cloud is the most common…"

The boys bit into the fruit and their faces scrunched up immediately.

"So sweet!" Bell said as he shook his head. He was never good with sweets to begin with but the fruit was so sickeningly sweet that it made him want to vomit.

"Gah! It's like drinking pure liquid sugar," Welf groaned as he stuck his tongue out.

The smith then looked down to see Assassin tugging on his sleeve with begging eyes. Looking like he didn't want to finish it either way, he handed the fruit to the girl to which she took a bite and let out a satisfied squeal.

"Do you want mine, Lily?" Bell asked.

"Is it okay?" Lily asked back.

"Yeah…I don't really like it."

"Then Lily will accept!" Lily said happily as she took it and plopped it in her mouth. "Mmm…Lily agrees that it is a bit too sweet for a proper meal. As a dessert though…"

"Can we sell these things up on the surface?" Welf asked.

"They don't keep more than a few days apparently," Archer replied. "So you won't be able to store too many of them."

Welf just shrugged as if to say he wasn't that invested anyway.

"We're here."

They entered a gap in the trees and came across a massive clearing filled with tents. In the center of the campground flew a large flag depicting the Loki Familia Emblem.

"Show us to Deimne," Caster said. "I have some things to discuss with him."

"Yep, feels like I'm home already," Archer muttered as he directed them through the camp.

Bell saw some Loki Adventurers call out and wave to Archer as they passed while others simply stared in confusion at Bell and the others but didn't say anything, probably because Archer was with them.

They then came to the largest tent.

"Finn, you in?" Archer called out.

"Come on in," the Pallum called back out as Archer stepped aside to let Caster go in first with Bell following right behind him.

Inside were the executives of Loki Familia, sitting on small cushioned stools, looking as though they had been in a meeting. On the side of the tent directly behind Finn was a banner bearing Loki Familia's emblem.

"Welcome to the Eighteenth Floor, Hestia Familia," Finn said with a smile. "First off, allow me to express my thanks for the antidotes. We'll reimburse you as soon as possible."

"You may do so in two ways," Caster said, holding up two fingers. "We shall use some space in the camp to rest here rather than in Rivira and I will have some information."

"It'll have to depend on what kind of information you are after but you're free to set up near Archer's tent if you want," Finn said and Caster accepted that with a nod.

"Then let us host a banquet for the return of the Giant Killers," Caster said as he snapped his fingers, causing a loud crash to appear outside, followed by several people shouting in surprise. "Archer, use those to prepare a proper feast."

"Me?" Archer asked with a raised brow.

"Though it pains me to admit so, your meals are just barely suitable for my tongue. You do not expect me to eat nothing but Honey Cloud, do you?"

Archer let out a small sigh as he shook his head and headed out with most of the others following after him.

"What's wrong?" Caster asked as he turned toward Bell. "Did you want to listen in as well?"

"No, I just wanted to say something," Bell said as he turned to the Loki Executives and bowed his head. "Thank you for allowing Archer to go on an Adventure."

Finn, Riveria and Gareth looked at Bell in surprise as Finn let out a good natured chuckle.

"He showed us a good time too," Finn said with a smile. "I'm sure you can follow him some day too."

"Yes! Thank you very much!" Bell said with a nod before leaving as well.

"That boy never ceases to give me a migraine," Caster sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He then made to sit down, letting a golden stool appear underneath him. "Now then…although I could simply wait and hear it from the mongrel himself, I would hear it from the three of you first."

"Oh? Hear what?" Finn asked.

"What exactly did you find down there on the Fifty-Ninth Floor?" Caster asked, his blood red eyes sweeping across the Loki Executives.

"It'll be a long story," Finn said, his smile disappearing as a serious expression replaced it.

"I am not as busy as I usually am right now. I have time."

X-x-X-x-X

As Bell stepped outside, he saw a man on the ground, staring at the mass of packages that appeared on the side of the command tent.

"You all right, Raul?" Archer asked as he helped him to his feet.

"Archer!" the man named Raul began. "These things just popped out of nowhere? Does the Dungeon spawn packages now too?"

"Don't be daft, Raul," a black haired Cat Person said with a sigh.

"They were brought along by my Familia Captain," Archer explained. "Mostly food, I think."

"Food? Really?" Raul asked. "You mean we don't have to spend each meal eating Honey Cloud fruits anymore?"

"That'd be great," the Cat Person said. "Can't really do much else with them and hard bread after all."

"Can you two get them to the cooking area, Aki?" Archer asked. "I'm going to help my Familia settle in."

"Oh they're staying here then?" Aki asked as Bell unconsciously nodded his head to answer her. "Nice to meet you. Let's get along all right? Raul, help me here."

As the two of them started moving the food packages, and Bell was sure he saw a whole prepared cow amongst them, Archer pointed them toward his tent at the edge of the grounds.

"Master Archer's been busy!" Lily said as she eyed the massive Magic Stones that Archer had been keeping in a bag.

"They are as big as Bell's arm…" Saber muttered, speaking for the first time since they entered the Eighteenth Floor. "I was not aware they can get that big…"

"Look at these things!" Welf said as he lifted up what looked like a horn of a rhino and several dragon scales. "Damn, Deep Floor Drop Items are amazing."

"…Come to think of it, who are you?" Archer asked as he looked at Welf while Assassin was hanging off the bowman's back, having found one that was big enough to climb on and without anything hanging on it. "A new member?"

Bell supposed that Archer could tell that Assassin and Saber were also Servants so he did not question their appearance.

"Oh, sorry," Welf said as he placed Archer's pack back down and stuck out his hand. "The name's Welf Crozzo. I'm Bell's personal Blacksmith. And I'm not actually part of your Familia. I'm part of Hephaistos Familia."

"Is that so?" Archer asked with a nod and shook the young man's hand. "Pleasure to meet you. If you can work with these materials then they're yours."

"Haha…nice of you to say but there's no way I can make anything even close to half decent with those things the way I am now."

"Is that so? Then I'll save them for a rainy day."

As Lily and Welf continued to rummage through Archer's stuff, Bell decided to properly introduce his Servants to each other.

"Archer, this is Saber," Bell said, gesturing to the glasses wearing Servant.

"Sigurd," Saber introduced himself as he extended his hand.

Archer took it and paused for a moment before responding with, "Emiya."

The name didn't seem to register to Saber but the man closed his eyes in what Bell assumed was a smile underneath his mask and nodded.

"And the one on your back is Assassin," Bell said.

"Jack the Ripper!" Assassin said. "Nice to meet you, Archer."

Archer paused for a second, his gray eyes boring into Assassin's smiling face before turning to Saber who simply nodded.

"…The grail is always full of surprises," Archer said with a sigh. "So what brings you guys down here?"

"Caster wants to kill the Floor Boss," Bell said as Archer stared at him.

"…Of course he does," Archer sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Once he gets off his ass, he doesn't do things by halves, does he?"

"I cannot say," Saber said honestly. "It is the first time I have seen him take direct action. He has always been content to direct from his throne until now."

"What had changed?" Archer asked.

"Mommy saved other Adventurers in the Dungeon," Assassin spoke up as Archer looked from Assassin toward Saber and Bell.

"We encountered the Takemikazuchi Familia yesterday," Bell explained. "They got caught in a Monster Party and we…well…I wanted to jump in to save them and kinda made everyone else follow me."

"Bell. You need to stop doing things I would do."

Even though Archer was probably being serious when he said that, all Bell could do was smile and laugh. Though he was too embarrassed to admit that that was all he ever wanted to do since he met Archer.

"Archer!"

A voice called out from outside the camp, causing Bell, Archer, Saber and Assassin to turn around.

There, coming out of the forest, were several girls. Two Amazons, one Elf and-

Bell felt his breath hitch in his throat.

A blonde human girl was taking up the rear of the group, a thin rapier by her side. She stood a few centimeters shorter than Bell and he felt that she was radiating feminine beauty. Her blonde hair was shining under the light of the crystals on the ceiling to the point that he almost thought that her hair was actually made of gold.

Even a relative newcomer to Orario like Bell knew who this person was.

Ais Wallenstein, the strongest human in the world.

Bell thought his heart was going to explode out of his chest as he quickly turned his body around to force himself to look…anywhere other than at her.

"Welcome back," Archer called out. "How was the harvest?"

"Pretty good, though still mostly honey clouds," the Amazon with the shorter haircut replied. "Lefiya did find a Crystal Drop though."

"Miss Ais was the one who found it though," the elf said.

"I have no idea what that is, but it sounds rare."

"It goes for quite a lot on the surface," the other Amazon explained. "Though nobles tend to buy them up whenever they appear. They're basically just candy…hmm? Who are these people?"

"Ah…they're part of my Familia. This is Bell Cranel, my Vice Captain…why are you looking away, Bell?"

"N-no reason!" Bell stammered, still facing away from them.

"Ah! It's the Little Argonaut!"

"Huh?"

Hearing the name of his Skill caused Bell's heart to skip a beat as the short haired Amazon appeared in his sight, causing him to yelp and take a step back.

"Oh, the one who defeated the minotaur!" the longer haired Amazon added as she leaned in to get a better look at Bell's face. "Hey, how did you get all your parameters to S rank?"

"Uhh…I…I…huh!?"

Had there been _that_ many people watching!? And his Status had been exposed!? When!? How!?

"Was it really this person?" the elf, Lefiya, asked as she looked from Archer to Ais.

"Yes," Ais nodded simply as Archer sighed.

"Unfortunately…" Archer muttered.

"He defeated three more on his own during our trip down here," Saber "helpfully" provided.

"Saber!" Bell shouted indignantly.

"Heh? Really?"

"Amazing! You have to be at least Level 2 then right, Little Argonaut?"

"Tiona, Tione, you're scaring the poor boy," Archer said as he placed his hand on the shoulder of the short haired Amazon. "And what to you mean by 'Little Argonaut,' Tiona?"

"I mean the legend of the Argonaut," Tiona said. "It fits him don't you think?"

More than she probably realized…

A ball of white hair suddenly appeared in front of Bell's face as Assassin was standing in front of him with her arms spread out as if to keep the Amazons from coming closer.

"Leave Mommy alone!" Assassin bravely said.

However, it seemed to have the opposite effect.

""Aww, how cute!""

The two of them immediately shifted their sights onto Assassin instead as they pulled her close and started cuddling her. The Servant tried to break free but was unable to.

"Mommy!" She cried out, hand reaching toward Bell.

"Umm…please stop," Bell said quickly. "I think you're scaring her."

Behind him, Lefiya was looking from Archer, to Bell, to Saber and then to Jack.

"…Umm Mister Archer?" She began. "Does your Goddess have a 'type?'"

"I have no idea how to answer that…" Archer responded with a sigh as Bell managed to rescue Assassin from the Amazons' grip.

The two of them stumbled back a bit and he felt someone's soft hands catch his shoulders.

Bell clamped down on the squeal slipping out of his mouth and quickly stepped away from Ais moving Assassin between him and her.

Beside him, he saw Archer bring his palm to his face while Saber was chuckling to himself.

They knew.

Oh no. They knew.

Bell's quickly reddening face did him no favors either.

What did one do when one was cornered like this?

Well, Bell decided to rely back on his base instincts.

And ran.

X-x-X-x-X

"Kukuku…" Saber chuckled as Bell kicked up dust as he disappeared further into the camp. "He is at that age after all."

"_Really _now…" Archer sighed as he shook his head.

Assassin had made to run after Bell, but she got caught by the sheer brute strength of the Amazons again.

"Nooooooooo…" she let out a weak scream as she was being coddled again.

"Am I…being hated?" Ais asked.

"…No I don't think you are," Lefiya replied with a frown. "That human was just being rude."

"Well, I won't deny that," Archer admitted before turning toward the twins and Assassin. "Though can you girls go easy on her?"

"Ehh? But she's so cute," Tiona said before releasing Assassin who quickly ran in the same direction as Bell.

Tione then looked at Saber who returned her inquisitive gaze with a passive one.

"Hey, are you Level 1?" Tione asked.

"I have not Leveled Up since joining the Familia," Saber replied neutrally.

The Amazon raised an eyebrow as her eyes went from Saber's glowing red sword to the high quality daggers hooked on his waist.

"I should be more surprised," Tione sighed. "Why am I not more surprised? This is all your fault."

She leveled a gaze at Archer who simply folded his arms in defiance, although he had a very self-satisfied grin on his face.

"Didn't you have a Pallum in your Familia too though?" Tiona asked as she looked around. "Did she not come with you?"

"No, she's in the tent going through my Drop Items," Archer said, pointing his thumb over his shoulder. "Looks like they added a Hephaistos Familia Smith to the Party to replace me in the meantime too."

"Ahh…that makes sense if you were the one taking care of their weapons before," Lefiya nodded.

"Umm…that little girl?" Ais asked.

"Jack," Saber replied as Ais nodded in thanks.

"Is she okay down here?"

"She can defeat three Orcs on her own with little trouble and the Al-Miraj cannot keep up with her. Do not worry."

"Again, I should be surprised, but I am not," Tione said again as she punched Archer's arm.

"I don't think the Dungeon cares what constitutes for 'normality' after the last few days," Archer shot back as he rubbed his arm.

"Yeah but I can take it out on you much more easily than I can take it out on the Dungeon."

"Tione, no bullying Archer," Tiona said with a pout.

"All right, all right~"

"In any case, I should get to work," Archer said as he rolled his shoulders.

"Making new weapons for your Familia?" Tiona asked.

"No, my Captain brought extra supplies to share with the Expedition and he told me to use them for a feast."

"All right!" Tiona shouted as she threw her arms in the air. "Honey Cloud is good and all but if I have to eat it all the time, I'll just get sick of them!"

"It won't be much though. I have to think of a menu that those recovering can keep down as well."

"At least it won't just be sweet juice," Tione said with a wry smile. "Some of the guys were saying that eating nothing but that was the worst part of getting poisoned."

"Even though it's so good…" Lefiya sighed as Ais nodded in agreement.

"Archer," Saber whispered as he leaned in toward his fellow Knight Class. "What should we do about Master?"

"Leave him be," Archer replied. "Going after him now while he is in the middle of puberty will only make it worse."

Saber nodded in agreement to Archer's sage advice.

Their Master has finally grown up.

X-x-X-x-X

Caster let out a deep breath through his nose as he took in all the information that the Loki Executives could give him about the Spirit down on the Fifty-Ninth Floor.

"…It sounds as though that wasn't even the main body…" Caster said as he looked at Finn who had a similar frown on his face.

The Loki Familia Captain nodded his head before speaking.

"That is my guess as well," Finn replied. "During the battle, it shot up a mass of vines from the floor to create a wall, far more in volume than its body would suggest. I would say that it was merely another 'tentacle' just like the Virgas and Violas."

"Agreed," Caster said with a frown. "It's main body is most likely on the Sixtieth Floor or even further below."

"Give me a break…" Gareth said with a sigh. "What's going on with this city?"

No one could provide the dwarf with an answer as Caster tapped a finger on the table the four of them were sitting around. A golden portal opened up near his feet before he bent down and withdrew a bottle.

The news that such a parasite could be nesting deep within the roots of his garden was giving him a migraine. And what's more it sounded as though someone was both cultivating and spreading them out.

Such a situation called for a quick break.

"Do you drink, Riveria Ljos Alf?" Caster asked in an uncharacteristic display of politeness as he raised the golden bottle.

"I do not," Riveria replied as she rubbed her forehead. "But I feel as though I would not decline the offer right now."

Caster let out an amused huff as he also pulled out four golden cups and began filling them with his wine.

"That is the wine you gave to Loki?" Riveria asked as she accepted the cup. "…How fragrant."

"Whew! No wonder Loki was hogging it all to herself," Gareth said as he downed the cup in a single go.

"Almost as if it was crafted by the gods themselves…" Finn muttered as he looked over toward Caster.

"There should be no way for any mortal to get their hands on such things," Caster said simply as he pushed the bottle over to Gareth and allowed him to refill his drink. "Aside from the Soma Wine in any case, and this is not it. Although I have heard that God Dionysus has gotten his hands on some peculiar wine himself."

The conversation went nowhere but it was sufficient to relax the nerves and calm everyone down.

"Still…" Finn spoke up, drawing the conversation back to the topic. "If we take in what we learned on the Twenty-Fourth Floor, whoever is creating these…let's call them Demi Spirits…whoever is creating them carries around a parasite in the shape of a Jewel with a monstrous fetus inside of it which then infects a Violas or by taking over a Pantry…you know what those are, correct?"

"I do," Caster nodded. "A location within the Dungeon where Monsters gather to feed."

"Yes. Using one of these two methods, the parasite gains a body and then turns into…or should I say, evolves into a Demi Spirit by eating the yellow Magic Stones provided by the Virgas and Violas."

"And these Jewels can easily be carried in one's palm," Riveria said as she looked down at her own hand. "This being who calls themselves 'Enyo' is a dangerous person indeed."

"If those Jewels get to the surface then they'd be able to spawn those Spirits or Violas whenever and wherever they wish…" Gareth shook his head as he downed another cup. "Orario would be finished."

"Enyo… 'Destroyer of the City,'" Caster muttered. "What a boring name. There is always that one petulant child who wishes to destroy the works of the other children in the sandbox."

"…Do you think that this Enyo is another God?" Riveria asked with a frown.

"The Gods are only ever interested in their own amusement," Caster pointed out the most obvious fact in the world. "That is why they have decided to live in this world bound by countless rules and why many would scavenge a living in the dirt. Although most want to raise a mortal to play the starring role of a Hero in their tales, there is always a counter legend of a champion backed by an 'Evil God' to rival them."

"Evilus," Finn said, his frown deepening. "Now there's an old name…"

"By talking about this, does this mean you wish to join the investigation?" Riveria asked.

"No, Hestia Familia will not get involved on purpose," Caster answered with a shake of his head and a rather awful smirk. "Our Familia consists of a single Level 2 and a handful of Level 1s. How can we possibly defend ourselves against an enemy that the mighty Loki Familia struggles with?"

"But of course," Finn nodded with a wry smile.

"Nevertheless, I shall pass along any information I would deem useful for your own investigations."

"Would you like us to do the same?"

"It will not be necessary. I only sought out the information of this 'Demi-Spirit' for a clue of what I might be looking for. And I believe I have it."

The other three narrowed their eyes at that.

"Changing the topic for a moment," Caster continued, paying them no heed as he put on an airy tone like that of a fool. "I have heard that the port city Melen to the south west of Orario is an excellent vacation spot to go on celebrations."

"Melen?" Gareth repeated, deciding to play along. "Aye that it is. Good fishing spots and a nice beach for young ones to fool around on."

"I have heard that some Aquatic Monsters appear on occasion," Caster continued. "Is there anything that one should keep an eye out for lest the young ones fall prey to their ignorance?"

"No need to worry about them," Gareth said. "Njord Familia clears them out on occasion. You'll only run into the bigger nasties if you venture to the bottom of the lake-"

Gareth's voice trailed off as his eyes widened at the same time as Finn's and Riveria's.

But Caster got his confirmation.

Normally Monsters outside the Dungeon were so weak that any Level 1 could beat them. But there was an area which should be avoided even with a Level 2 and someone like Archer around, then that meant only one thing.

Multiple entrances to the Dungeon did exist, even if it was quite a ways away from Orario proper. A way for someone to smuggle the plant monsters out of the Dungeon without anyone noticing.

"Multiple exits did exist in the past," Riveria said as Caster aired his thoughts. "But the one in Melen had been sealed with the completion of the Grand Quest Leviathan."

"But that was fifteen years ago," Gareth pointed out. "There is a chance that there might be a crack in the seal."

"But Njord Familia watches everything coming into the port," Finn pointed out. "If someone was smuggling these creatures to the shores then that would mean they'd have to know about it. Not to mention the Guild Presence in the city."

"A hand acting outside of view from the head will develop a will of its own," Caster pointed out. "The more I hear about this incident, the more I believe it is impossible that no one in the Guild is aware."

"…That old man…" Riveria muttered as she looked to the side. "Could he possibly be…"

Caster wondered if Riveria was referring to the Guild Head of the main branch in Orario, Royman Mardeel. A typical elf with all the arrogance one would expect from a long lived race except for one single detail.

Caster had seen a lot of amazing and ridiculous things since coming to Orario.

Gods and Goddesses operating food stands, civilian women slapping lecherous gods without any repercussions, a goddess dressed in rags leading a cult telling mortals to reject all forms of wealth…but the sight of a fat elf was one he had never expected.

"No, despite his greed the man is completely loyal to the Guild and Orario," Riveria decided for herself. "He would not jeopardize his own wealth and standing by destroying the city."

"That's another lead we'll have to follow soon," Finn decided before turning toward the Servant with a smile. "Thanks for the tip, Caster."

"Hmm? I was simply asking for advice for a celebration trip," Caster feigned ignorance. "Your gratitude is misplaced."

"What's the occasion then?" Finn asked.

Caster's mouth stretched into a rather feral smile.

"To mark Hestia Familia's victory over the Goliath of course."

X-x-X-x-X

"Are you okay, Mommy?" Assassin asked as she was holding Bell's hand and was leading him back to Archer's tent.

"Y-yeah…somewhat," Bell nodded feeling exhausted.

He was glad Assassin was the one to chase after him. Even though she was technically a few decades older than him at the very least, her mind was still that of a child so she didn't notice what the other two Servants noticed.

"…Archer had a lot of pretty ladies with him, didn't he?" Assassin asked and Bell nodded his head.

"He sure did," Bell said with a laugh.

So it was possible to pick up girls in the Dungeon.

Though they all probably didn't consider Archer anything more than a friend.

They were in different Familias after all.

And just like that Bell's heart felt heavy.

It was difficult for members of different Familias to get together. After all, should a child be born between them, which Familia should it join?

That is why one of the would-be couple would have to leave their Familia and join the other's.

Bell would never leave Hestia Familia and he doubted Ais would ever leave Loki Familia.

His first crush was over before it even had a chance to begin.

"Ahahaha…"

He could only let out a sad laugh at the thought.

As he did, Saber's words from the other day returned to his head.

He clutched his head and let out a silent scream as he writhed in embarrassment.

"Mommy, people are staring…" Assassin said as she tugged on his sleeve.

Bell quickly turned around and saw the gazes of the confused Loki Familia. To which he quickly bowed his head, grabbed Assassin's hand and hurried along.

"Ah, it's that pretty Elf lady from earlier!"

Bell stopped and turned to where Assassin was pointing to and saw the blonde elf carrying a pot in her hands, looking rather distracted.

"Look out!"

"Huh? Uwaah!"

Unable to see in front of her due to the pot, the girl tripped over a crystal that was poking out of the ground.

In a flash, Bell crossed the distance between them and caught her before she hit the ground.

The contents of the pot splashed out onto his shoulder and he felt the searing pain of hot stew fall onto his shoulder but luckily most of it was saved by Assassin who caught it before it completely hit the ground.

"A-are you all right?" Bell asked, wincing in pain from the stain on his shirt.

"Uh…yes, thank you," the girl nodded as she looked at Bell and then toward Assassin. "Oh, you're from Mister Archer's Familia."

"Y-yes," Bell nodded as he helped her up. "I'm Bell Cranel."

"We're Jack!" Assassin chimed in as she raised the pot over her head.

"Lefiya Verdis…"

She then looked down and Bell followed her gaze and saw that she was looking at his hands which were on her arms.

"Gah! I'm sorry!"

Bell let out a shout as he quickly let go of her, causing her to giggle.

"Don't worry, I don't mind being touched like some other Elves," she said with a smile.

"Lefiya! Are you okay?"

Another member of Loki Familia came running with a box of some sort of fruit wine in her hands.

"The pot's okay!" Assassin replied holding it toward the female Adventurer whose worried expression softened at the sight.

"Good girl," the woman said as she smiled and patted Assassin on the head. She then turned toward Bell, hand still patting Assassin's head as if she was a small animal rather than a Spirit.

"I'm so sorry," Lefiya said, indicating Bell's shoulder. "Come with me for a moment. I'll wash it off for you."

"N-no it's okay," Bell said quickly. "I can do it myself."

"Just let her do it for you," the other woman said with a smile. "It'll be bad if it stains, right? In exchange, I'll be borrowing your Familia member to help out, okay?"

"Then…Jack, can you help Archer and the others with Dinner?" Bell asked.

"Okay!" Assassin nodded as she turned to the Loki Adventurer. "Where do We put this, Big Sis?"

The Adventurer let out a satisfied squeal as she led Assassin down the path.

"Then, please come this way," Lefiya said as she led Bell the opposite direction.

They walked quite a distance from the camp to a small stream of all things.

"…Why would the Dungeon make an entire Floor a Safe Zone?" Bell asked as he took off his armor and shirt and handed it to Lefiya.

"No one is really sure," Lefiya said, rolling up her sleeves. "Some people think that there is some benefit to the Dungeon in keeping people within it but that goes against how it seems to hate Mortals and Gods alike and tries to kill them with its Monsters."

A benefit to keeping Adventurers in the Dungeon as opposed to simply killing them right away. Then again, it could just be trying to lure Adventurers into a false sense of security before it strikes.

"The Dungeon really does seem to 'think' doesn't it?" Bell asked. "Just the other day my Party came across another Party who got ambushed by Al-Miraj and one of their Supporters got injured then it immediately spawned a Monster Party on them."

"Yes," Lefiya nodded. "You get stories like that all the time where things go from bad to worse in a blink of an eye."

She seemed to be speaking from experience herself. Bell wondered if something like that happened down on the Deep Floors himself.

…Duh, of course it did. That's why he suffered Mind Down a few days ago and the fact that so many of their members got poisoned from a Monster Spawn.

He turned his head back toward Lefiya and saw that she had stopped moving her hands and was looking at him.

"Yes?" Bell asked and she jumped, apparently not realizing that she was staring.

"Um…did you really defeat a Minotaur at Level 1?" Lefiya asked.

"Ah…yes…" Bell replied, trying very hard to not sound like he was bragging even though he knew it was an amazing achievement. "Though it completely trashed me around for a bit and destroyed two of my daggers that Archer made for me and my first set of armor. My entire Familia chewed me out for being so reckless too."

So he tried making a joke out of it but Lefiya didn't pay it any mind.

"When…when you were fighting…no, what made you want to fight it alone in the first place?" The elf asked. "From what I heard, Archer was already there to help, right?"

"…I didn't want him to protect me all the time," Bell admitted. "When we first met, he protected me from another Minotaur as well. It felt like…like I would never step out from behind him if I let him save me again. I couldn't…I didn't want him to always be there to protect me. I want to stand beside him someday too."

"…Is this what he meant by we're similar?" Lefiya muttered to herself.

"Hmm? What was that?" Bell asked.

"N-no, it's nothing!" Lefiya said quickly. "I just…think I know how you feel. Only being protected…is a frustrating feeling, isn't it?"

Come to think of it, Lefiya was also also surrounded by living legends in her Familia as well, wasn't she? Braver, Nine Hell, Elgram…Sword Princess.

While Bell was surrounded by people who had been thought to only exist in Legend, Lefiya was surrounded by modern day Heroes. She probably understood what Bell was feeling all too well.

"Then we'll just have to work hard to catch up to them right?" Bell asked with a smile. "It won't be easy but as long as we don't give up, we'll get there someday, right?"

Lefiya just stared at Bell for a moment before she let out a giggle.

"Fufu, I suppose so," Lefiya agreed. "Then here's to the two of us reaching our goals."

The two of them smiled and shook hands, wishing the other good luck on their own dreams.


	21. Spirit Legends

**Chapter 21: One Who Was Saved**

"Night" had fallen over the Eighteenth Floor. The lights coming from the massive crystals overhead dimmed once the scheduled "Afternoon" ended changing the time immediately without any sense of red twilight between them. As if there was a power outage in the middle of a massive stadium.

Bell sat with his Familia around a large campfire with Loki Familia as he watched the larger Familia laughing and cheering at having "proper" food again after so long.

Thanks to the efforts of Archer and a few of Loki Familia's girls, a feast was laid out in front of them. The main course were several different dishes.

Steaks cut into bite sized cubes, stew with both meat and vegetables, several loaves of bread, and of course the fruits found in the dungeon.

All around him, people were happily enjoying the meal.

"Lily thinks that for going on week long expeditions a strong stomach is required," Lily said as she spooned her stew and let out a long and happy sigh. "Ahh…Lily missed Master Archer's cooking so much…"

Bell, whose mouth was full from shoveling as much of the bite-sized steak cubes into his mouth as possible, could only nod his head in agreement.

At the start of dinner, the Loki Familia Captain had said that the feast had been provided by Hestia Familia so on occasion one of the Loki Familia Adventurers would stop by and pour Bell a drink made from one of the Dungeon Fruits as thanks to which Bell smiled and happily accepted.

As Bell finally swallowed his food, he turned to Welf who was sitting next to his left on the other side of Assassin.

"Is it all right to sit here instead of with your Familia?" Bell asked.

The Smith, who had been shoveling food even faster than Bell stopped and quickly washed it down with some fruit wine and let out a satisfied burp, causing Lily to make a disgusted face.

"Sorry," Welf quickly said as he cleared his throat. "Anyway…nah it's fine. They're here on their own work and I'm here on mine."

"Yo, Welfie!"

"Shit."

A tall dark skinned woman wearing an eyepatch had wandered over from the "executive section" where Loki Familia's top three and Caster had been sitting.

From what Archer had told him, the woman was Tsubaki Collbrande and the Captain of the Hephaistos Familia. Or Welf's Familia Captain. Apparently she was a Half Dwarf and her name made Bell wonder if one of her parents, was from the Far East.

Bell turned away from Tsubaki, who had plopped herself beside Welf and was getting drunkenly touchy feely with the obviously uncomfortable Smith. His gaze landed on a pair sitting just behind him.

Saber and Archer were sitting together underneath a tree, sharing a drink together. The two of them didn't seem to be talking about anything in particular aside occasionally refilling the other's cup.

He supposed they were getting along.

"Um…"

A voice came from his left and Bell turned to face them.

"Heek!" A small and very unmanly squeak shot out of his throat as he saw that it was Ais Wallenstein who called out to him.

Assassin's gaze bounced back and forth between Bell and Ais before she stood up with her food and moved herself to Bell's other side between him and Lily to make room for Ais.

Inwardly, he praised Assassin for being polite but he wished she chose a different time to do so as Ais sat down next to him and a lovely scent caused Bell to feel lightheaded.

"Do you mind…if I talked to you…for a bit?" Ais asked.

"Y-yes! Go ahead!" Bell said as Lily leaned forward and eyed Ais with suspicion.

"Umm…first…I want to say 'Sorry,'" Ais said, lowering her head causing Bell to blink in surprise.

"Sorry? About what?"

"The Minotaur two months ago."

Bell's mind immediately flashed back to the day he found the Grail mysteriously in the Dungeon…the day that everything began.

"We scared the Minotaurs up there…and you almost died…so 'I'm sorry.'"

"N-no it's fine," Bell said quickly. Though he had been deathly afraid at the time, he wasn't hurt and it was thanks to that he got to meet Archer so it was now little more than a nostalgic memory that he could laugh at. "It was true that I became rather scared of Minotaurs for a while, but that isn't a problem anymore. I can defeat them with my own strength now."

"Yes," Ais acknowledged with a smile. "You're really strong now."

A happiness different from the feeling he got from being praised by Archer exploded in Bell's heart, making him turn his gaze away as he struggled with the smile forming on his face.

He saw Archer and Saber watching him, the smirks on their faces telling Bell that they were clearly enjoying the show while Lily was staring at him with half-closed eyes.

"Is having a pretty girl saying Bell is strong all it takes to make him feel happy?" Lily asked him with her accusing eyes.

Bell desperately wanted to say that that wasn't true but he couldn't open his mouth to respond as his body filled with shame and guilt.

"Mommy. Ahhhhh~"

And precious Assassin completely unaware of it all while holding Bell's fork with a piece of meat on the end to his mouth.

"_Jack is truly my only ally in times like this,_" Bell decided as he accepted the food.

As Bell turned back to Ais, he saw that she was looking at Assassin instead.

"Hmm?" Assassin tilted her head slightly at the Sword Princess's gaze.

"…Are you okay?" Ais asked the girl as she looked as though she was trying to find the proper words to express her question. "You aren't…overdoing it, right?"

"Mm? About what?"

"About fighting Monsters. About the Dungeon."

"Nope. Every day is fun and We get to help Mommy and everyone too!"

At the word "Mommy" Ais's gaze fell back on Bell, causing him to blush and avert his gaze again. He really wished Assassin wouldn't call him that but nothing he said could get through to her and he didn't have the heart to push the matter harder.

"Is that so?" Ais asked with a soft smile.

"Yep!" Assassin nodded as she clung onto Bell's arm. "We'll do anything to make Mommy happy."

"…Umm?" Ais suddenly spoke up after a pause as she turned toward Bell.

"Yes?" Bell asked, dreading the incoming question.

"Were you actually a girl?"

Bell could only respond by letting out a sob as he buried his face into his hands. Sure he wasn't manly or had as big of muscles compared to the likes of Saber, Archer or even Caster, but he wasn't _that_ tiny, right? He was a bit taller than Ais after all!

Beside him, he saw Lily quivering with a hand to her mouth, fighting a clearly losing battle to contain her laughter. Seeing this, Ais seemed to realize what she had implied with her words and looked apologetic as she quickly turned back to Bell with an apology.

"Umm…I'm sorry. I was wrong. You are very manly."

"PFFTKK!?"

The dam keeping in Lily's laughter burst as she started giggling hysterically before breaking into a hacking cough between giggles, causing Bell to want to bury himself in a hole and die.

"Jack!" Bell sobbed as he hugged the girl. "You're the only one who understands me!

"Hmm?"

Assassin on the other hand didn't quite understand what he was saying but returned the hug all the same before she made a face.

"…Mommy's breath stinks…" Assassin said as she suddenly pushing Bell's head away, breaking Bell's heart even further.

Maybe Bell had just a little too much Dungeon Juice to drink.

Ais was looking between the three Hestia Familia members, realizing she made another mistake but had no idea how to fix it.

She suddenly stopped and stood up, turning around to look at the entrance leading to the Seventeenth Floor.

Bell followed her gaze and saw that Archer and Saber had stood up as well.

Then, from out of the darkness, stepped several people wearing the same emblem on their clothing. A feathered cap surrounded by a pair of wings. And in the front of them was…

"Lord Hermes?" Bell asked in surprise.

"Yo, Bell Cranel, right?" The God greeted Bell cheerfully, ignoring the looks of suspicion Saber and Archer were throwing him. "Long time no see. The fact that you remember me makes me really happy."

"But…what are you doing here?" Bell asked as he, Lily and Assassin stood up themselves. "I thought the Gods weren't allowed in the Dungeon?"

Around the god was a blue haired woman wearing glasses like Saber, another woman with brown hair carrying a large backpack with a sword by her waist, and a large male weretiger holding a massive sword and shield. Most likely the executives of the Familia, and judging from their expressions, they had been roped into escorting Hermes down into the Dungeon.

"Indeed. Can I hear your reasons for being here in private?"

Finn appeared by Bell's side with a frown.

It looked as though the party was over.

X-x-X-x-X

A large tent had been set up beside Archer's in the Loki Familia campground.

There, Hestia Familia plus Welf were sitting in a circle with the Smith looking as though he was feeling out of place.

"Umm…should I go find myself a different tent?" the smith asked.

"Do not bother yourself with such a trivial matter," Caster said impatiently, the only one of them sitting on a stool while everyone else was either standing or sitting on the floor. He then turned toward Assassin. "Listen in on the meeting. Do not be seen."

"Okay, Mister King!" Assassin nodded as she stood up and walked out the tent and Bell felt her dematerialize even if he didn't see her do so.

"Looks like the Floor Boss hasn't spawned yet," Archer said, leaning against the support pillar for the tent. "Are we going to be waiting down here until it does or are we going to head back up?"

"There is no reason to waste time going back up," Caster said. "The Floor Boss will spawn in two days at the latest. We shall simply wait for it here."

"I hope the Goddess will be fine on her own…" Bell muttered.

"She'll be fine, probably," Lily said though she didn't look too sure herself.

"Will you be all right away from your forge, Welf?" Saber asked.

"Yeah," Welf nodded. "It's not like I left a fire burning or anything and I don't have anything valuable out in the open…or in general really."

They all fell silent after that as they waited for Assassin to return.

Then after about twenty minutes she poked her head into the tent again.

"I'm back," she said before walking over and sitting down in Bell's lap. "That God said that they think that there is another entrance to the Dungeon in the city."

Welf's eyes widened in alarm at that as he looked around.

"Wait…why don't any of you look surprised?" he asked.

"Caster and Saber brought up the possibility a while back," Bell replied with a grim expression. "Jack…did he say who else thought that there was another entrance?"

"Umm…We heard 'Loki' and 'Dionysus' but no one else. Umm…they asked the others to search the city for the other entrance."

"So Loki, Dionysus and Hermes are the ones investigating this as well," Archer muttered.

"This being those stories about some plant monster showing up in Monsterphilia?" Welf asked and Bell nodded.

"Those stories are real," Archer said. "I saw them at Monsterphilia myself and countless more down in the Deep Floors."

"What's going on in this city?" Welf asked as he buried his face in his hand.

"It will be in your best interests to not dwell on it," Caster said as he turned his eyes on Welf. "Should the ones orchestrating these events catch wind of it, you will most likely not survive, the protection of Hephaistos's name or not. Our Familia will not do so either for the same reasons."

He was looking at Bell and Lily as he spoke and Bell reluctantly nodded his head.

It was an enemy who made their home in the Deep Floors that Archer fought. Bell didn't stand a chance as he was now and if he died that meant the Servants would fade away as well.

"No argument from me," Welf said quickly. "I know when not to stick my neck out too far."

"Good. Then let us consider the formation for the Floor Boss Battle. Arde. Cranel. Your thoughts?"

"Lily thinks Master Saber should take the Vanguard position," Lily suggested. "Out of all of us, Lily thinks he has the best chance of not dying immediately if the Goliath attacks him head on."

"I will do my best to meet your expectations," Saber replied with a chuckle.

"There weren't too many vantage points in the room, were there?" Bell asked trying to remember.

"Couldn't tell ya," Welf said apologetically. "I was too busy staring at the Wall of Sorrows."

"Did you see the Floor Boss on your first time through, Master Archer?" Lily asked.

"No," Archer replied, shaking his head. "By the time I got there, the Vanguard had already plowed through it. Supposedly it only took them five minutes."

"Level 5s and 6s sure are something," Welf muttered, shaking his head.

"Then I guess I will also join the front?" Bell asked.

"Are you asking or are you saying, mongrel?" Caster asked.

"S-saying."

"Then Lord Caster, Master Welf and Lily will take the rear while Jack and Master Archer takes the middle guard," Lily suggested.

"The rear?" Welf asked in surprise.

"There's a chance that the monsters from the Sixteenth Floor will come down after all," Lily pointed out. "It'll be Lily and Master Welf's job to watch Lord Caster's back while he supports the front. Unless Master Welf wants to swing at the Goliath as well?"

"Mmm…as tempting as that sounds, I think I'm a bit more confident in the rear…actually how about I go up to the middle too? That way I can run back if you need help, Lil'Ly?"

"Y-you're going to leave the handling of all the monsters to Lily alone!?" Lily shouted.

"What's wrong, Arde?" Caster asked with a smile. "Do you not think you are enough to defend your king?"

"Ugh…"

Bell had a feeling Caster was referring to Lily's second skill, Crownsguard. It was supposed to boost her parameters when defending a leader like Caster but it looked as though Lily wasn't confident enough to do so on her own but at the same time, could't say anything in the face of Caster's expectations of her.

"The two of you understand, correct?" Caster asked as he looked at the two Knight Servants who nodded.

They were to contain the Goliath to the best of their ability and most of the battle was to be conducted by Welf, Lily, and Bell…just like usual.

Was Caster taking the Floor Boss too lightly?

But then again…if Archer who was on the level of Loki Familia's elite fought seriously with Saber there would be no point in Bell and the others being there.

"Well then, if that is everything…let us turn in for the night," Caster said as he stood up. "If the Monster Rex spawns tomorrow then we-"

He was interrupted as the tent flap flew open and Tsubaki walked in and grabbed Welf by the back of his collar and started walking away without a word.

"What the hell are you doing!?" Welf shouted.

"Just be quiet and follow me," Tsubaki said with a cheery smile as she dragged him across the ground.

"Hey wait a-wait a god damn minute! Listen to me!"

Bell and the others could only blankly watch as Welf disappeared into the night.

"Should…we have tried to help him?" Lily asked.

"There is no need to get involved in the matters of another Familia," Caster replied.

"So what do we do about Hermes then?" Archer asked.

"His presence here is indeed cause for concern," Caster admitted. "For several different reasons. However, there is no point in concerning ourselves with the whims of the Messenger God at this point in time. I have told Deimne about our plans so they will not interfere with our battle."

"I'm surprised. He wanted to get back to the surface as quickly as possible after all."

"The wounded still cannot move thus they will remain here until they are," Caster replied.

"Sounds like Abnormal Resistance is a must for the Deep Floors," Bell muttered.

"Lily told Bell that weeks ago," Lily pointed out with a pout as Bell laughed weakly.

"Is there anything else we need to do to prepare for the Floor Boss?" Saber asked.

"What about you two?" Archer asked, looking at Bell and Lily. "All your equipment in order?"

""Yes!"" the two of them replied as they showed Archer their equipment.

Bell showed Archer his Hestia Knife, Minotaur Horn knife, longsword and buckler shield while Lily showed him her dagger and crossbow…and one more item.

"Lily…is that…? " Bell began seeing the tiny glowing red dagger she pulled out from inside her robe.

"L-Lily knows what Bell wants to say!" Lily said quickly. "But this was something Lily bought when she was still in Soma Familia! Long before she met Master Welf!"

It was a Magic Sword. It wasn't a particularly large one but it was one nonetheless.

"It probably won't do much to the Monsters down here," Archer said as Lily handed it over to him for him to examine. "Unless you jam it into its eye or mouth before firing it anyway."

"It's more for Lily's peace of mind than anything else," Lily admitted with a nod. "When everything else fails, Lily has that to use…"

Archer nodded his head as he returned the Magic Sword to his sheath and handed it back to Lily.

"Lily is weak so she has to rely on things like this," Lily muttered as she tucked the Magic Sword away.

"When fighting for one's life one has to use everything at one's disposal," Caster nodded with approval.

He then looked to the side as if considering something before shaking his head as if deciding against it.

"Now then, mongrel," Caster said, looking at Bell, prompting the boy to sit up straighter. "Have you thought of ways to strike at a Monster so much larger than you?"

"Umm…the first thing to do would be to keep it from moving I suppose," Bell began. "So attack its legs?"

"No. Clearly you should strike at the brain of the monster several times stronger than you first," Caster said, voice filled to the brim with sarcasm. "Speak with confidence! Can you truly call yourself a Master if you cannot form even the basics of a battle plan!?"

"R-right!" Bell nodded, trying to put a face of confidence. "Since it's something so huge…the legs are the only thing I would be able to attack so I should start there."

"Alone? With what weapons?"

"No, I'd have Saber up with me. Since Lily is in the back with you, I'll try my daggers first. If it doesn't work, I'll ask Archer for a sword like my longsword…will you be helping, Your Majesty?"

"I will make a token attempt," Caster said simply. "The creature is rated Level 4 after all. I hold no delusions that you, Arde and Crozzo will defeat it alone no matter how much effort you put into it. Saber and Archer will be the backbone of our attempt. This is merely a trial run meant to give the three of you experience."

Level 4 Monster Rex.

Those labels made Bell realize just how far out of his league the Floor Boss really was to him.

"What is wrong?" Caster asked. "Do you wish to rescind your desire to fight the Floor Boss?"

"There's nothing wrong with doing so, Bell," Saber said eyes focused on Caster as he spoke. "If you do not think you are quite ready then there is no shame in returning to the surface and coming back another time."

"Indeed, there's no reason to go along with Caster's whims," Archer added.

Eina's words also rang inside Bell at that moment.

"_Adventurers shouldn't go on Adventures._"

Don't do anything reckless.

Come to think of it, he didn't tell her where he was going, did he? He was definitely going to get an earful when he saw her next.

"I…" Bell began. "I want to at least give it a shot. If it's too much, we can run away, right?"

At Bell's words, Saber and Archer let out a sigh as Caster smiled…well, it was more like a smirk…in approval.

"Very well," Saber nodded. "I shall do my best to keep you safe."

"Really now…" Archer shook his head. "Who exactly are you taking after here?"

Archer ignored Caster's eyes burning a hole in his cheek.

"We shall also take advantage of this opportunity and have you make use of your skill, Arde," Caster said as he turned back to Lily. "Do not fall short of my expectations now."

"Y-yes…Lily will do her best!" Lily nodded, looking rather pale.

"Don't worry Lily," Assassin said as she patted Lily's head. "We'll help you."

"Uu…thank you Jack…"

"Bell aside, are you sure it's a good idea to push Lily this hard?" Archer asked Caster.

"If she is to continue Supporting Cranel, she cannot remain at Level 1 forever," Caster said as Lily turned back toward Caster. "Do you plan on remaining stagnant on the Upper Levels while Cranel leaves you behind to go past even this Floor under his own power?"

Caster's words seemed to have struck a chord within Lily as she lowered her gaze to the floor.

With a sigh, the king stood up and walked over toward Lily before crouching down and grabbing her face, squeezing her cheeks together as he raised her head to meet his eyes.

"My eyes are never wrong," Caster spoke in a low voice. "You are on a level above the rest of the mongrels of your race. Those around you have already acknowledged your true worth. It is time for you do the same."

Lily's eyes blinked slowly as they moved across the tent to see the smiling faces of Bell and Assassin as well as the nods of confirmation from Saber and Archer.

"You are Hestia Familia, the Familia of Heroes," Caster said releasing her head. "It is about time you acted like one."

"Yes!" Lily nodded, worries seemingly gone as she returned the king's gaze with one of resolution.

"Good," Caster nodded with a satisfied huff and smile. "Then we shall continue with-"

Tsubaki suddenly burst into the tent again eyes scanning the occupants before she grabbed Bell by the collar, hoisted him over her shoulder like a sack and ran off before the boy had any idea what was happening.

"…What?" Lily asked as everyone just stared out after them as Bell's cries of confusion echoed in the night, causing Assassin to jump up and chase after them.

A moment later, Welf came back in looking rather upset.

"Care to explain what that was about?" Caster asked in an annoyed tone.

"She wanted to know about legends and crap," Welf said as he sat back down with his head resting against his hand. "So I told her to ask an expert."

"…So you sold Bell out?" Archer asked, a slight smirk tugging against his lips.

"Yeah, it didn't occur to me after I was half way back to the tent…" Welf admitted, an expression of regret appearing on his face. "They were giving me crap so I just wanted out of there as fast as possible."

"They?" Saber asked.

"Some Loki Familia girls and Tsubaki," Welf said. "Amazon, Jormungand, Thousand Elf and a few others I don't know. Of course she'd bring me into a tent with an elf whose forest was burned down…that blasted woman…"

"Tiona, Tione and Lefiya?" Archer asked in surprise as he looked back out of the tent. "What did they want?"

"Like I said, legends and crap. Mostly about Spirits though so they asked about my heritage too."

Caster and Saber exchanged glances as they turned as one toward Archer whose expression turned into a frown.

"Is that so?" Caster asked. "How interesting."

X-x-X-x-X

"Umm…why am I here?" Bell asked as he looked around the tent.

Around him were a few female members of Loki Familia including Lefiya and the two Amazons he had met earlier in the day. Welf's captain Tsubaki, the person who dragged him here against his will, was also in attendance.

Other than those four, there was another elf, the black haired cat person that Archer had called "Aki" earlier, and the young woman who took Assassin along to help set the food while Lefiya washed Bell's shirt.

Alone in a tent filled with beautiful women and all Bell could do was shake in fear. How on earth did he ever think he would get a harem if he was always like this?

A grip on his shoulders allowed Bell to calm down as a pair of green eyes glared back at the girls from behind Bell's shoulders.

At least Assassin was here with him.

"Calm down, we're not going to bite," Tione said with a cordial and neighborly tone. "We just want to ask a few questions and then you can go, okay?"

"Uh…okay?" Bell nodded, feeling less worried but still on guard in case they were going to ask about his Status again. In which case, he resolved himself to run away once more. "What about?"

"Hee hee, hey Little Argonaut!" Tiona began as she plopped herself down in front of Bell. "I heard you really know a lot about the legends of heroes. Is it true?"

"Umm…I don't know if it's a lot but I think I know more than most people," Bell admitted.

After all…he _lived_ with them.

"Then who's the lady who Sir Garrard saves, huh?"

"Queen Altis…"

"Then, then, where did Giorgio the Dragon Slayer kill the dragon?"

"Lake Sirena…"

"Then, then, then, what weapon did he use to kill it?"

"A spear-like holy sword…and a maiden's ribbon."

"Awesome!" Tiona cried out buoyantly when Bell answered every question correctly.

She seemed really excited for some reason as she was scooting forward with each question to the point she was almost right in front of Bell's face.

"Right, then, Little Argonaut! The story of Arcadia—"

"Ahh, put a cork in it already! We have more important things to talk about!" Tione cut in before her sister could steer things any further off track. She then turned toward Bell. "Do you know anything about a Spirit named Aria?"

"Umm…the Spirit in _Dungeon Oratoria_, right?" Bell asked. It was a very old and popular legend, one his grandfather enjoyed telling Bell about as it was from a time before the advent of the gods. Of course, being so old and popular it meant that it was one of those legends where the fine details like Albert's race was different depending on who told it. Of course, the "official" records that had the gods' seal of approval were completely ignored in favor of these biased stories. "The one that was connected to Albert the Great?"

"Yep that one!" Tiona nodded, still looking impressed at Bell's memory.

It wasn't just Tiona either. Everyone else seemed surprised at Bell's knowledge. But didn't Tiona seem to know a lot already? Why did they need him here? Maybe it was because of how easily he recalled such tales and Tiona might have forgotten a detail?

"Then, do you know if Aria ever shared her blood with someone?" Tiona asked.

"…_Was that why they wanted Welf first?_" Bell thought as he closed his eyes and folded his arms in thought. "No…I don't think I've heard any story like that."

Outside Crozzo's legend anyway.

"Then how about Aria protecting a human and that human going on to having descendants?" Tiona asked.

"Hmm…I don't think anything specific comes to mind," Bell muttered. "Though…my grandpa, the one who told me all sorts of legends, said that Albert himself supposedly had a child."

"What!?" Tiona shouted, hands slamming against the hard ground in surprise, making Bell lean back slightly. "I never heard of that! Did your grandfather read the original version?"

"I could't say," Bell shook his head. "Grandpa probably embellished a lot of things to entertain me when I was little."

"Do you know what happened to his child?" Tione asked. "The end of his legend says he disappeared in _that_ battle, right?"

"Yeah…"

The One-Eyed Black Dragon.

Albert supposedly stood against it in his last moments and the fact that it is still alive told a lot about who won that battle.

"Hey…if he had a kid it would have to have been with someone in his Party, right?" Tiona asked. "Who were they again?"

"I believe they were-" Bell began before his eyes fell upon the two elves in the room. "Uhh…well, the only one I think it could have been would be the Amazonian Empress Ivelda, right?"

He said his question rather quickly, to not agitate the two elves who just tilted their heads in confusion.

"I mean, the only other 'women' that were notable in his legends were the Spirit Aria herself and…uh…"

"What's wrong?" Lefiya asked, clearly noticing his hesitation. "Who was the other one?"

"…I don't remember?" Bell asked weakly.

Tione seemed to realize something as she spoke up.

"All right, who is it?" Tione asked as she sat down next to him and turned her ear to him, telling him to whisper it to her.

So Bell told her that it was supposedly the High Elf Queen Celdia.

"Ahh…" Tione nodded in understanding. "Yeah, that would be impossible too."

"Eeeeehhh…no fair! I want to know too!" Tiona said but Tione stopped her by planting her hand in her face.

"Leave it, it's not important," Tione said as Bell breathed a sigh of relief. "But Emperess Ivelda huh? It's not like she didn't have heirs but since all Amazon children are always Amazons, it's not as though we can know for sure who the father was."

As an "all-female race," Amazons always took in husbands or male partners of other races if they wanted to have children who would always be born as another "female Amazon."

"Umm…so why are you trying to find out about Aria anyway?" Bell asked. "Was there a Spirit or something?"

The girls all looked at Bell who unconsciously scooted back at their gazes.

"Archer didn't tell you yet?" Tione asked.

"Not yet…we were rather busy with other things," Bell admitted.

"Then ask him about it," Tione said as Bell nodded.

He planned to when they got back home anyway.

Still, it looked as though he wasn't as much help. But…

…

Should he tell them about Heroic Spirits? They seemed to have been looking for information about people connected to Spirits after all.

No.

It was best that he didn't. He might be betraying Archer's trust in him if he did.

"Then one last thing…do you know anything about Spirit Heroes?" Tiona asked, causing Bell to sputter in shock. "Ah. You do."

"I-I don't!" Bell said, raising his hands up and looking away, inwardly cringing as he did.

Oh goddess, he was a _terrible_ liar.

"Hmmmmmm?"

Both Tione and Tiona leaned in at the same time before…

"Stop bullying Mommy!"

Assassin put herself between him and the Amazons once more.

Oh…right…she was here too.

Apparently he wasn't the only one who had forgotten Assassin was there. The two amazons jolted in surprise along with the other girls.

Assassin's Skill was amazing.

"Oh right, you were here," Tsubaki said with a laugh. "Hey Cranel, why does she call you her Mommy anyway?"

"Umm…that's because…" Bell began.

"Because Mommy wants Us and didn't abandon Us," Assassin said as she wrapped her arms around Bell. "Even though Mommy knew what We are."

"And what exactly are you?" Tsubaki asked.

"Wait, Miss Tsubaki-!" Lefiya began but Assassin already answered.

"Unwanted child," Assassin muttered as she buried her face into Bell's chest. "Mommy didn't want Us because We got in the way of her work."

The girls fell silent at that as Bell found his arms wrapped around Assassin's head.

Heroic Spirits were supposed to be summoned in their prime.

Assassin was summoned as a child even younger than the fourteen year old Bell. Assassin had been thrown away by her "mother" and tried finding them again…and in the process killed several women who were not her mother all of a certain profession.

"Umm…Bell?" Lefiya began softly. "Where did you pick her up from?"

Bell couldn't tell her the truth. But he could give her a somewhat truthful answer.

"…Near the Entertainment District," Bell whispered.

Bell was naïve, not stupid. He knew what went on there even if Hestia did her best to steer him away from such places. Even now, his brain was doing his best to steer his thoughts away from _that_ word.

This was bad. His head was getting light and his vision was spinning. He needed to get out of here.

"Sorry, we're going to head back," Bell said as he and Assassin stood up. "Good night."

"Ah…yeah…good night…" Tiona nodded as the others were too stunned to say anything. "…Sorry."

The two of them quickly left the tent in silence. Once they were a good distance away from the tent, Assassin suddenly stopped and smiled up at Bell.

"Yay it worked!" She said brightly, completely unaware of Bell's inner turmoil.

"…What worked?" He asked.

"Saying We are an unwanted child. We know that good adults always become quiet when We say that so We knew Mommy would be able to leave if we said We were one."

So it had been a ruse?

No, there was no way it was all completely faked.

"Jack," Bell said softly, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Promise me that you will never say that ever again. About being an unwanted child."

Assassin looked up at Bell, probably getting a good look at his face for the first time since they entered the tent as she looked a bit surprised before lowering her head with drooped shoulders.

"We're sorry…" she apologized honestly. "We won't lie again."

"You better not," Bell said sternly as he brought her close. "You are not an unwanted child."

"Unn…" came the nod that contained just the smallest bit of happiness.

X-x-X-x-X

With most of the camp asleep, including Bell and the others, it was time for the ghosts to come out and play.

Aside from Assassin who fell asleep between Lily and Bell, the Servants were standing on one of the cliff faces a good distance away from the camp itself and far outside the range of any Loki Familia lookouts.

"Now then…care to tell me why the sudden Floor Boss fight?" Archer asked Caster who was standing closest to the cliff with his hands behind his back and facing away from the other two. "You were pissed that Bell fought a Minotaur alone not two weeks ago and now you want to pit him up against a Floor Boss."

"You were also angered when he risked himself to save Takemikazuchi Familia," Saber added. "Is this risk not even greater?"

Caster did not answer immediately, his eyes instead combing the forest as if searching for something hidden within.

"A king need not explain himself to his subjects," Caster began. "But such words would not satisfy you."

It wasn't a question. He was not asking them for their opinion on the matter. It was what he had decided and that is what will be.

"The situations differ in only one way," Caster continued, still facing away from the other two. "This is my design. The other two were not. The right to lead the boy and see what kind of future he holds is mine and mine alone."

"You're treating him as one of your treasures?" Archer asked.

"Hardly," Caster scoffed at the insinuation. "The boy, and Arde as well, simply have caught my interest. They have continued to surpass the low expectations I placed on them. It would be time to see how high of a bar I can set and see how they surpass it or fail at it."

Caster finally tuned his head to look over his shoulder at them.

"I am not sending them out to die. I will intervene long before that will happen."

"…I see…you seek an audience," Saber said as he looked back at the camp. "Loki Familia would be the perfect witnesses for your game."

"A legend is worthless without anyone to spread it," Caster said eyeing Archer who frowned back. "The boy seeks to be a hero. Let him overcome the mountain as one."

"People generally climb a hill before climbing Everest," Archer said.

"No…I believe Bell has already climbed Everest when he fought the Minotaur at Level 1," Saber said. "This is more akin of climbing Olympus. Including the space trip to reach it in the first place."

"My my, I wonder how that mongrel feels, knowing that only one of his precious Heroes thinks he is worthy to fight a Monster Rex," Caster said with a chuckle as the other two frowned.

The one who was the coldest to Bell was the one who had the highest expectations of him while those closest to him were the one restricting him out of worry for his personal wellbeing.

Still, Caster will not push the boy too hard. This was for his own personal enjoyment in the end after all. It would not do for the toy to break so soon when he wanted it to last. He was not one to play Hero Maker, but seeing the boy change from floundering in fear in the face of a few Kolbolds to charging head first into a group of Minotaurs gave him a strange sense of satisfaction.

Oh dear, it feels as though he was getting attached to the boy. This would not do.

"But in any case, any further discussions will have to wait," Caster said as he, Saber and Archer turned as one toward a single tree behind them. "Come out."

There was nothing for a minute, only the rustling of the leaves from a slight breeze blowing from the entrance leading up to the Seventeenth Floor and the howl of a monster in the forest.

Then, a blonde, golden-eyed swordswoman stepped out.

"A little late for a walk, Ais," Archer said.

"I'm sorry…" the girl apologized as she walked forward. "I didn't mean to try and listen."

"It's fine," Archer nodded. "We weren't talking about anything we didn't want people to hear."

It wasn't as though the idea that Hestia Familia was planning on fighting Goliath was that big of a secret. Caster himself had told the Loki Familia Executives so there was no need to hide if from Ais.

"Well? Speak your mind or begone," Caster said.

Despite the urging, Ais hesitated, hands clenched together in front of her as if she was afraid to ask what was on her mind.

Caster scanned the tree line behind the girl but there was no one else around with the closest person being the camp sentry that was doing his best to stay awake.

"Are you…" she began, her voice sounding rather dry and full of dread…but at the same time, with the smallest bit of hope. "Are you…Spirits?"

Spirits. Plural.

She not only suspected Archer but Saber and Caster as well.

"And if we were?" Caster asked, causing Saber and Archer to turn to him in surprise.

"Then I…wanted to ask about…Aria."

"We have nothing we can tell you about your mother, Child."

The reply came out as soon as the question was finished. The blank look that was immediately followed by the look of a child who had their hopes in dreams crushed in the span of a minute. It was _almost_ enough to bring a smile to his face. But he did not need to get on the Sword Princess's bad side as it would mean losing out on his investment in Loki Familia.

"Oh."

The reply was simple and the disappointment slowly morphed into resignation as if she remembered that she hadn't much expectations in the first place.

"I…won't tell anyone," she said as she turned to Archer with a bow. "Good night."

Archer nodded back at her and she disappeared back to the camp.

"Mother?" Archer asked as he turned toward Caster.

"'Twas merely a guess," Caster replied with a shrug. "But it seems to have been correct."

"I have heard that the Spirits cannot have children though," Saber replied.

"The world is full of mysteries after all," Archer sighed. "What do we do?"

"We know her secret, she knows ours," Caster replied simply as he turned back around to look back out into the forest over the cliffside. "There is no need to change how we operate. From what I gather, she loses more than we do if her secrets were exposed."

What was more "interesting" in the eyes of the gods?

A living Spirit? Not one of of the countless formless wisps or Lesser Spirit Fairies but one with power and full awareness. Or the child of one? A child of one of the most well known and legendary Spirits even.

One was rare nowadays but was common place once upon a time. The other was thought to be impossible.

The trouble it would bring to Loki Familia would be enough to stop her from revealing anything. After all, if a Spirit could have a child, couldn't a god?

Caster chuckled to himself.

Indeed, it should be possible but he did not care enough about them to offer any hints about himself.

He had to deal with that enough already.

X-x-X-x-X

The child shuffled their feet across the street as they made a weak attempt to warm their hands by breathing on them.

It was getting cold again. They had heard the adults call it "Winter" and other children loved it.

Winter meant it was cold and cold meant that it could snow.

Snow was pretty. For about five minutes before it made it hard to move or find food and buried any possible shelter they could find.

Food was getting harder to find as people were chasing them away more often when they got close but were otherwise content to just pretend they did not exist otherwise. But the moment they tried to sleep under a bench was the moment some loud person with a club hit then and kicked them out.

It wasn't nighttime yet but they were still starting to feel sleepy.

Food and sleep was getting harder and harder to come by each day and it was also getting colder and colder each day and the old curtain they found to wrap themselves up with wasn't enough.

They had heard some of the older people saying that some place on West End was giving out free food but they didn't know where it was or how far away it was.

They were too tired to care about it.

Lack of care was everywhere in this city.

From the moment they were born, lack of care made itself known.

That was why they didn't care what happened when they met the wrong Mother again. They didn't care what happened when they lashed back at the wrong Mother.

They tripped when they turned into an alley. A brick had fallen off a building or had been tossed here from somewhere else and they hadn't been paying enough attention to see through the smog.

The ground was hard, of course, and the knife they were holding fell off to the side.

But they didn't care.

It felt like they reached the point where they couldn't care anymore.

They crawled to the end of the alley and sat up with their back on the wall.

They were too tired to care about the dirt and grime on them. It was just another layer of dirt and grime.

It was also growing colder and Mother wasn't around to help.

The thought of free food did sound nice though. They'll have to find out how to get to West End from East End though.

But they didn't care about it right now.

They just wanted to sleep. Save their energy to walk however far it was needed to reach West End tomorrow.

For now…sleep.

…

…

…

…

…

Above the silent child, the snow began to fall, bringing the temperature around them even lower.

However, as the snow began to pile on top of them, the child did not stir.

They were asleep after all.

So deep asleep in fact that they did not see Him screaming His heart out beside them. He Himself did not know what He was seeing, but He did seem to realize who it was in front of him.

His cries begging her to wake up were not reaching her. Because this was only a dream. One where the one in front of Him could no longer be saved no matter how much He cried or begged.

This scene played over and over in front of him. Each time a different child. A different age. A different gender. Each one unmoving as the snow fell down upon them.

Their lives lost to a world that simply did not care.

But when they opened their eyes once more.

Even though they were lost before they slept. When they awoke, they would be in the arms of their beloved Mother. They would have already been saved.

X-x-X-x-X

"Bell! Bell!"

"Oi Bell! What's wrong!?"

Bell wasn't sure what was going on. Only that he had his hands pressed up against his eyes as tears were pouring out uncontrollably.

He was unable to form any words as a pained wail was all that could escape his throat. His chest felt as though it was being squeezed, like he was nothing more than a wet cloth to be wrung out with the water seeping out through his eyes.

From what little he could see, it appeared as though the Magic Stone light in the tent was on so that meant it was still "night" time.

"What's wrong Mommy?" A voice calmer than the other two rang out. "Does something hurt?"

Bell found the strength and will to remove his hands from his eyes, his vision still blurry as he sat up, finding two pairs of hands on his shoulders to help steady him.

Sitting on her knees in front of him was Assassin, lacking any of the worry she had for him the other day.

Bell's hands found themselves on her face, gently clasping around her cheeks as if he wasn't sure she was right there in front of him.

Sure enough, he could feel the warmth of her skin against his palms.

"Looks like he had a nightmare," Welf said as he sat back and scratched the back of his head. "Geez man, way to give a guy a heart problem."

Lily didn't say anything she watched Bell interact with Assassin by carefully patting her all over.

"You're here…" he said.

"Unn." A simple nod.

"You're all here."

"Unn."

Bell's throat felt dry as he tried to figure out what he wanted to say. Something to show that if nothing else, _he_ cared.

As footsteps sounded from outside and the tent flap opened up to allow Archer to poke his head in, Bell finally spoke.

"Thank you…for being born."

Assassin closed her eyes and gave him a big smile as tears were seeping out as well.

"Unn!"


	22. Rising Heroes

**Chapter 22: Fire and Lightning**

After a bit of fuss, everything had settled down and the incident was passed off to Welf as just Bell having a nightmare allowing the Smith to make his own conclusions based on what he saw and didn't pry further. The rest of Hestia Familia however, could not just leave it at that. Especially not Lily who wanted more answers as to what was going on with Bell.

Come morning, Bell joined Archer and Lily down by a creek to wash some clothes…or at least that what they told Welf and some of the Loki Familia members who saw them.

"Another dream?" Lily asked once Archer had been sure no one was around.

"Yes…" Bell nodded as he sat down on a stone with his hands folded. "I don't really remember it much anymore but it felt real. Like I was there but couldn't do anything. Like a spectator of sorts."

"…I see," Archer muttered as he glanced to the side. "It's been so long since my Summoning that I didn't think you'd get them."

"You know what's going on?" Bell asked.

"Masters and Servants are bound together," Archer said. "Our connection goes deeper than you might realize…so you may have been seeing reflections of our past as dreams."

"The past…" Bell muttered with a grimace as he rubbed his forehead.

"…What Bell saw must have been painful…" Lily began. She looked like she wasn't sure what to say but felt that staying silent wasn't enough. "Lily hasn't ever seen Bell so emotional like that."

At the same time, Lily didn't look all that surprised.

"Lily thinks Heroes are defined by their tragedy," Lily said. "If Jack was one then she must have suffered a lot. Lily already knew that but…"

She shook her head. She couldn't know what the exact details were.

"But this wasn't the first time, right?" Lily asked as she looked back at Bell. "Lady Hestia said Bell had another dream when he collapsed."

Archer raised a hand in silent apology as Bell simply gave him a wry smile back and waved it off. Sure it sucked when it happened but Archer needed to do so to survive so it was fine.

"I don't remember either it though," Bell said to Archer. "I…think it had been awful too…but it had a good ending."

Archer hummed at that as he glanced back at the camp.

"Can't imagine what it could have been," Archer said as he shrugged his shoulders. "Those two have had their share of pain as well."

"…I don't want to see theirs…or yours either," Bell sad as he pressed a hand against his chest over his heart. "I don't know if my heart can take it. And Caster might kill me if I do."

"The nature of the Master and Servant relationship makes it unavoidable. If it happens, it happens. Caster should be prepared for it but best not mention it to him if it happens either way."

Bell nodded in agreement.

The dream he saw had faded away as most of his usual dreams did. Only the painful feeling of apathy for everything, including for oneself, remained. He wouldn't be able to remember anything specific if the dream link thing happened again but he was worried that the more often it occurred, the more he would remember of the dream and intrude on his Servant's privacy.

"Like I said, don't worry about it," Archer said as he patted Bell on the back. "If it happens, it happens."

"All right…"

With that out of the way, they started washing their laundry.

"Do you think Lady Hestia found any new members yet?" Lily asked, making conversation.

"Who can say," Bell replied with a smile, happy for the change of topics. "I wouldn't be opposed to it."

"Lily wouldn't either. Lily would love to have at least on girl Lily's age around. Jack is nice but it's hard to understand her sometimes."

Lily was the one hardest on Assassin and the quickest with the scoldings while Hestia was the one who enabled and babied her the most, leaving Bell somewhere in the middle and the one who Assassin listened to without question and wanted to make the most happy.

"I wouldn't say no to more people either," Archer said. "The more people we have, the less strain it will be for you and Lily, Bell."

More regular people and less Servants means less chance for Bell to be overwhelmed by constant Mind drain for the Servant upkeep and there would be less of a need to go down into the Dungeon everyday and more time to rest. But even so, Bell didn't feel like resting all that often to begin with. He needed every waking moment to be put into trying to catch up to Archer and the others.

"We'll have to split how we do things then, won't we?" Archer asked. "Unless Caster wants to ease up on your projected goals."

"What do you want to do, Bell?" Lily asked.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Bell asked.

"Do you want to keep trying going deeper when we get new members?" Lily asked. "Or do you want to slow down and train them like how Master Archer and Master Saber did for us."

"…Ah!" Bell let out a gasp as he stared at Lily with wide opened eyes.

The thought of Bell being the one to take a seniority role for the new members never occurred to him. Especially since with their small and relatively new Familia, the only members the goddess was likely to find were people like Bell. Familia hopefuls that had been rejected by the more established Familia and were desperate to be accepted into any Familia in pursuit of their dreams.

"Would they take someone like me seriously?" Bell asked. "Most Adventurers are older than me after all."

"You're the Record Holding Level 2," Archer pointed out. "If they don't take you seriously at first, they will when they see what you can do."

Archer then looked back toward the camp.

"Besides, you saw what the Level 6 Finn looked like. Wouldn't you take him seriously?"

Lily and Bell shared a laugh as they finished with their chores.

The laundry and talk about dreams lasted most of the "morning" so it was around "afternoon" when the three of them made it back to the camp.

Bringing their now clean linens back to their tent, Bell spotted some people standing beside their tent. Lefiya, Tiona and…

Bell choked on his breath as Archer let out a snort.

Ais Wallenstein.

"Ah, there you are!" Tiona called out with a tired looking Assassin in her arms, the girl looking as though she had given up on struggling and had given in to her captor.

An Amazon with the Alias Amazon. Tiona's Strength must be something if Assassin couldn't get free without resorting to dematerializing.

"What's up, Tiona?" Archer asked. "Did Finn need something?"

"Nah, nothing too important. I just wanted to invite Jack and your Supporter out for a bath. You know…to say, 'Sorry for last night.'"

"…Bath?" Lily repeated, tilting her head to the side.

"Yep! There's this amazing spring just a little ways away from the camp. The two from Hermes Familia are going to come along too. So how about it?"

"Do you want to go take a bath, Jack?" Bell asked.

"Can Mommy come too?" Assassin asked causing everyone except for Ais and Tiona to laugh nervously.

"Sure why not?" Tiona replied causing everyone else to sputter.

As expected of an Amazon's sensibilities…or rather lack of them.

"No…as a boy I probably shouldn't…no that's wrong, I _definitely_ shouldn't."

"T-that's right," Lefiya said with a strained smile as she looked at Assassin. "It's girls only for now. The boys can bathe after."

Assassin didn't look happy about that but nodded anyway.

"Hey…you don't bathe with her at home do you?" Lefiya hissed at Bell.

"No!" Bell shot back quickly as he shook his head. "My goddess is the one who does!"

Lefiya nodded with a relieved sigh.

"Then Lily will go and look after Jack," Lily said as she set the basket down on the ground.

"Thanks Lily."

"Don't worry about it, Bell. Lily is also curious about this spring."

"Well, just like the rest of the Floor you'll wonder why such a place exists in the Dungeon," Archer said with a nod.

Lily turned toward Archer, her expectations rising before ducking into the tent and coming back out with two towels.

"Then, we'll be back in a bit!" Tiona said as she dragged Assassin away.

"Then, I'll be heading toward the cooking area," Archer said as he set the linens down. "Keep watch, alright Bell?"

"Yes."

Bell saw Archer off with a nod as he brought all the clothes into the tent.

"Feeling better, Bell?" Welf asked as he was looking over their equipment.

"Yeah, sorry for making you worry," Bell replied.

"Jeez, waking up to the sound of you crying your eyes out scared the crap outta me man," Welf said with a chuckle. "For a second I thought someone died."

"Yeah…I still don't really remember it but I think someone did die in my dream…" Bell admitted.

"Considering how you acted it must have been Jackie…" Welf said, his smile turning into a rather serious look. "Honestly, if one day she just up and disappears, I might get a case of leaking eyes too. Kid's really grown on me."

"Thanks Welf. Did you have any siblings?"

"Nope. Was an only kid. You too?"

"Yeah…though I guess I'm more of a parent instead of a brother to her, haha…"

The two of them shared a laugh as Bell started folding the laundry. He really was glad that Welf was here. The older Adventurer was someone that Bell felt more comfortable talking to than any of his Servants. Most likely because Welf was also human like Bell. It'd be nice if he became a part of Hestia Familia as well.

"Come to think of it, where did Caster and Saber go?"

"They went to check out the Seventeenth Floor," Welf replied. "Probably to make sure no one else gets a shot at it before us."

"You sound raring to go," Bell pointed out.

"Hell yeah I am. I feel strangely motivated and excited lately. I mean, I'll probably come close to crapping my pants when we actually see the Goliath but I feel like everything will go fine, you know?"

"I do."

With Caster, Assassin, Saber and Archer all looking out for them at the very least no one would die.

"You sound like you really want that Level Up," Bell said with a grin.

"That obvious huh?" Welf asked with a laugh and his own grin. "I got all these ideas in my head thanks to Saber's Gram and all these Drop Items from the Deep Floors that Archer is willing to hand over but I can't do anything about them until I get the Development Ability. I mean, I still can do some things but I can't accept this high tier stuff and make shoddy low level equipment out of it, right?"

"_Welf was looking to move forward in his own way too_," Bell thought as he focused his attention back on his folding. Bell himself needed this as well…for his own goal of becoming a Hero.

As the two of them got to work on their respective tasks, someone called out to them from outside.

"Excuse me! Is Bell Cranel in?"

Bell and Welf exchanged glances before Welf jerked his head toward the tent flap to say go ahead.

Bell nodded as he stood up and walked out to find the God Hermes standing there.

"Yo Bell," Hermes said with a smile. "Would you join me for a moment?"

"Huh?"

"I've been waiting for this chance. No, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that this chance is the reason I'm here…A chance to be alone with you. So please join me."

Did he have a message for Bell?

Well, it couldn't hurt to see what he had to say.

Bell turned back toward the tent to see Welf poking his head out to see what was going on.

"Go ahead, I'll watch our stuff," the smith said with a nod.

"All right," Bell nodded and started following Hermes as he walked toward the edge of the camp.

Bell did not yet realize just how much he would later regret this decision.

X-x-X-x-X

Lily looked around the path as she followed the Loki Familia Adventurers feeling rather out of place amongst the High Class Adventurers.

A Level 1 standing behind a bunch of Level 3s and higher plus a Servant whose skill was also around that Level as well.

Seeing how far they were out in the forest also made Lily a little bit worried.

"What happens when the Monsters come across us while we're all bathing?" Lily asked.

"Don't worry, we'll bathe in turns," Tione reassured her.

That made sense. In that case, Lily will simply leave it to the High Class Adventurers and hide when the monsters appeared.

"Here it is!" Tiona said as she spread her arms out in presentation. The Loki Familia girls simply gave her a wry smile but the four outsiders who had never seen it before were impressed, Lily included.

Clear blue water cascaded down the ten or fifteen meter height of the waterfall. The faint spray dancing along the pool's surface was both cool and refreshing. It was surrounded on all sides by the dim glitter of crystal, the view overhead a vast, dome-like canvas of leaves and branches.

"It's like a fairy fountain!" Assassin said, eyes glittering at the sight as she poked the surface of the water by the edge of the pond. "Wow!"

"I knew pools like this existed on this Floor…" Asfi began as she admired the scenery. "But I hadn't known about this one."

"Tiona found it," Ais explained. "While taking a walk."

"Yep!" Tiona said holding out two fingers in a "V" sign like how the Gods tended to do when they were excited.

And so half of the large group of girls including Lily and Assassin were going to bathe first while the rest kept watch.

"Hey! Calm down and get undressed first!" Lily said as she grabbed the squirming Assassin and removed her salamander wool cloak. "Again with the bandages!? Lily said to stop wasting them just to wrap up Jack's arm!"

"But it looks cool!" Assassin protested as Lily unwrapped the bindings on Assassin's arm. Naturally not a single wound or even a scar could be seen on the arm. "We buy it with our allowance!"

"Buy more useful things like candy instead!"

"Does that really count as 'useful?'" Lefiya wondered.

The moment Assassin was fully undressed, she ran toward the pool with Tiona by her side and with a cheer, the two of them jumped right in.

"What have I said about diving in like that, Tiona!?" Tione shouted at her sister.

"Ehhh…but Jack did it too!" Tiona pointed out as the Servant started paddling around happily in the water

"Jack is fine because she's smaller and younger but you're old enough to know better!"

"That's discrimination!"

"Lily wonders if this was a good idea after all…" Lily sighed as she sank into the water. "Ohh…this is nice…"

The clear water washed against Lily's skin and seemed to wash away not only the filth from the Dungeon but her stress from the night before. Lily had always been a light sleeper so the sound of someone crying had caused her to be as wide awake as though someone had poured freezing water over her and seeing Bell crying from his dream…or a past memory of Assassin had hurt Lily as well.

From the way he spoke to and held Assassin after he woke up and got his bearings, it was rather obvious what he saw in his dream too. She glanced over to said girl who was entertaining herself by blowing bubbles in the water. Though the Spirit drove Lily bonkers on occasion, if she were to simply disappear, Lily's heart would probably break.

But that didn't mean Lily would suddenly go soft on her! Everyone else tended to let Assassin do what she wanted so it was up to Lily to make sure that Assassin grew up properly! That is…if Spirits "grew up" at all…

"_Come to think of it…it would be pretty strange three or four years down the line when people notice that Jack didn't seem to age a day, wouldn't it?_" Lily thought to herself. "_M-maybe we can say that she was a pallum the entire time?_"

Lily let out a sigh as she looked up into the canopy of the trees.

"_Well…Lily will just ask Lord Caster about it,_" she decided before frowning.

"Is something wrong, Liliruca Arde?" the Hermes Familia Captain, Asfi Al Andromeda asked as she turned toward Lily.

"No…Lily just thought she saw something in the trees…" she began as what sounded like a loud scream was drawing closer. "It looked like…BELL!?"

"—EEEEEEEEEEEEK!"

Indeed, the white haired boy was falling out of the sky with tears in his eyes and landed with a massive splash in the center of the pool. Though the Loki Familia's guard formation around the pool had been perfect, they hadn't taken into account someone coming in from above.

"Yay! Mommy joined us!" Assassin said as she latched onto the sputtering boy's back as he tried to get water out of his nose and mouth.

"J-Jack! Please let go!" Bell said quickly.

"Heh…so you did want to come after all," Tiona said with a smile.

"You're quite gutsy aren't you?" Tione added with an approving laugh.

"It can't be…Lord Hermes!?" Asfi suddenly shouted as she looked up into the trees.

Bell quickly made his way to the edge of the pool covering his eyes with his hands as his face was beet red.

"I'M SO SOOOOOORRY!" He screamed as he tossed Assassin back into the pool and ran.

"GET BACK HERE YOU…YOU…YOOOUUUUU!"

Lefiya seemed to have been at a loss for words as she screamed in rage and chased after him while Asfi had borrowed one of Lily's towels before going after her God who was making an attempt to flee from the tree tops.

"Aww, so he wasn't trying to join us?" Tiona asked sounding disappointed as the rest of the guards split between chasing after Bell and going after Hermes.

"There's no way that Bell is brave enough or unscrupulous enough to peek," Lily said with confidence in her Vice Captain. "Bell gets embarrassed just by Lady Hestia hugging him!"

If Lily had to guess, Hermes either tricked Bell into following him or Bell was trying to stop Hermes from peeping and fell when he failed.

Well, they'll find out soon enough when the guards came back with either of them.

X-x-X-x-X

Bell ran with all of his might as he tried to escape the furious yet beautiful forest fairy screaming bloody murder behind him.

By some miracle, despite being a higher level than he was and being powered further by pure rage, she was unable to gain any ground on him.

"STOP YOU LECHEROUS FOOL!"

"PLEASE CALM DOWN AND LISTEN TO ME FIRST!"

"I CAN'T BELIEVE SOMEONE AS SHAMELESS AS YOU CAN BE IN MISTER ARCHER'S FAMILIA! AND HERE I THOUGHT YOU WERE A GOOD PERSON!"

"I'M REALLY REALLY SORRY! PEASE LET ME EXPLAIN!"

Bell didn't know how long this chase had been going on but as Adventurers, something like running out of breath from just running wasn't possible thanks to the Falna, especially not for those Level 2 and above…at least not without running for hours first.

Suddenly, Bugbear, a bear-like monster that had strength on par with a Minotaur wandered its into Bell's path and turned its head toward Bell. It looked at him in surprise before Bell hopped over it without a word.

"OUT OF MY WAY!"

Lefiya's scream echoed behind Bell and he looked over his shoulder just in time to see the elf bat the Monster away with her staff, sending it flying into a tree and snapping it in half.

As expected of a Loki Familia Level 3…something of that Level was nothing more than a goblin to them.

Of course that meant she could easily do the same to Bell if she caught him.

As Bell jumped out of the next group of shrubbery, his eyes widened and he slid to a stop.

"That's…"

"I GOT YOU NOW!"

Lefiya jumped out from behind him, eyes filled with rage but Bell quickly threw his hands out in front of him.

"Wait!" Bell said quickly. "I'll let you hit me but please don't do it here!"

"Why not!?" Lefiya demanded and Bell pointed at what he had seen.

In front of them was a small mound of dirt with countless weapons sticking out vertically from it alongside several wooden crosses composed of tree branches. It didn't take a genius to figure out where the two of them had wandered into.

The final resting place of some Adventurers who had lost their lives in the Dungeon.

Aside each of them…aside each of the graves were several fresh flowers, telling Bell and Lefiya that someone had only just recently visited them. Lefiya, who had been full of hellfire not even ten seconds earlier, had the flames of anger snuffed out at the sight of the graves. The two of them stared at the graves in silence before Lefiya turned toward Bell.

"I'll listen to you," she said as Bell looked at her in surprise. "But swear to me…swear on those graves that you'll only tell me the truth!"

"Y-yes!" Bell nodded as she had him sit on his knees.

So he told her how Hermes had called him out and Bell had followed him into the forest when the God started climbing up a tree. Unsure what he had wanted, Bell followed him without thinking, trying to get him to come back down.

However, Hermes didn't listen and kept on going until they were right above the pool. Bell tried to pull Hermes away but the branch he had been standing snapped, which caused him to fall…

"And…you know the rest…" Bell muttered as he lowered his head.

"So you're blaming it all on Lord Hermes?" Lefiya asked.

"No. Regardless of what happened I still saw…everything…so I'll accept your punishment…"

As soon as Bell said that, a heavy blow knocked him on the back of his head. Lefiya had struck him with her staff without any hesitation at his words.

"There, now I'm satisfied," Lefiya said as she held her hand out to him.

"I'm sorry…" Bell said as he took her hand and allowed her to help him up.

The two of them walked up to the graves and offered a prayer for their souls and an apology for disturbing them before leaving the clearing in peace.

X-x-X-x-X

"It would seem as though the Monster Rex will not spawn today either," Caster said with a sigh as he and Saber were watching the Wall of Sorrows from the staircase leading to the Eighteenth Floor. "Perhaps it was wrong to rely on the established pattern so much."

"You admit that you have acted too hastily then?" Saber asked as Caster scoffed, not bothering to respond to the question.

"Let us return to the camp."

Saber shook his head before following after Caster.

When they descended the stairs, it was already "night" time. The two of them had spent nearly the entire day waiting for nothing. Well, not quite nothing. They had more knowledge of their battlefield now at the very least.

When they arrived back at the tent, they found the others looking rather worried.

"What has happened?" Caster demanded as he realized that Bell and Archer weren't around. Archer could be passed off as working in the cooking area but Bell? "Where is that mongrel?"

"Bell got chased by Miss Lefiya into the forest after he fell into the bathing area," Lily explained as Assassin nodded her head. "But they haven't come back yet."

Caster let out a long breath through his nose, his nostrils flaring with impatience and annoyance.

"He must have gotten lost," Saber said simply. "Since we were on the Seventeenth Floor, he couldn't tell which trail to follow back to the camp."

"Should we go look for him?" Welf asked.

"There is no point in searching for that fool haphazardly in the darkness," Caster said as he looked around for a moment and picked up a fallen glove that belonged to Bell. "Arde."

He then held it up to Lily's face and she understood what he wanted her to do.

"Ummm…Lily is not a Bloodhound, Your Majesty," Lily said but Caster simply narrowed his eyes at her as if to say "Get on with it."

Letting out a long resigned sigh Lily took the glove in her hands.

"_Your scars are mine. My scars are mine_," She chanted as a pair of dog ears popped up on her head. She then brought the glove to her nose and sniffed it. "Eww…Lily thinks this glove wasn't washed…and that Bell could use a bath himself."

Tossing the glove back onto Bell's things, Lily walked out of the tent and started sniffing at the air.

Lily's magic was not just an aesthetic change. Her senses also changed to suit her form and as a Chienthrope, her sense of smell was much stronger than usual now.

"This way," Lily said, pointing toward the forest. "It's faint since Bell fell in the water earlier but Lily can somewhat pick it out."

"That will be enough," Caster nodded before turning toward the others. "Wait here in case the fool returns before us."

With that said, Caster followed Lily into the forest for a few minutes before placing a hand on her shoulder.

"That is enough," Caster said. "I will lead the way from here."

"Lord Caster will?" Lily asked, her false ears twitching. "Oh! Come to think of it…Lily remembers Bell saying that he can somewhat feel the location of Lord Caster and the other Servants. Is the reverse true as well?"

"Of course," Caster nodded. "It is as though an invisible rope is tied between us. I cannot ignore that mongrel even if I wanted to. The act was merely to not arouse suspicion in Crozzo. Let us make haste."

"Yes!"

And so the two of them entered the forest as well with Lily trailing behind Caster at half a step.

As they walked, Lily kept on glancing at Caster's back, a question clearly on her mind.

"What is it?" Caster asked. "You have my permission to speak."

"Umm…why is Lord Caster himself going to search for Bell?" Lily asked after a moment. "Lily could have gone with Master Saber right? There was no need for Lord Caster to do something as trivial as this."

"Indeed, it would seem as such, wouldn't it?" Caster acknowledged. "But the fact that I _am_ taking on this task myself should tell you otherwise."

Lily's eyes widened as she gave him a hesitant nod, only just now understanding the implications of his actions.

"There is an overgrown weed in my garden," Caster explained. "I caught whiff of it last night but it has buried itself into the roots. I am quite unhappy right now so I feel the need to pluck it out myself once we find the boy and the lost elf."

"Y-yes…" Lily nodded again. Lily looked around at the dark and uninviting woods around them before whispering, "Please be okay Bell…"

X-x-X-x-X

"…Umm, Miss Lefiya?"

"…Don't say a word."

Bell wasn't sure how long they had been walking but it was already "night" time.

Being unsure where the camp was without relying on his connection to his Servants, Bell decided to follow Lefiya's lead as he didn't want to give them any more reason to be suspicious of him and his knowledge of Heroic Spirits. However…she seemed to be at a complete loss as to where their camp was.

They did run rather far after all…

Monsters growled in the distance but none came near them. The road back was unclear. And the deep, dark, spine-tingling forest all around them quickly brought reality down on them hard as they stood there in their cold sweats, silently wondering what it was they should do.

"Should we just wait for rescue?" Bell suggested.

"Uu…it might be for the best…" Lefiya agreed with a sigh.

A moment later, both of their stomachs started growling at the same time. Neither of them had anything to eat for lunch and it was well past dinnertime now.

To save energy, they decide to rest at the base of one of the larger trees and see if they had anything on them to eat. Bell rummaged around in his belt bag while Lefiya checked her own pockets.

Bell found two slightly soggy grilled rice balls that had found their way in his bag somehow. Did Archer put them in there sometime during dinner last night? Bell thanked his Servant for the foresight but felt that it was a bit overprotective to make sure Bell was carrying some sort of food with him at all times along with his potions.

Lefiya also fished out what looked like a bottle with two crystal like things hanging from a small plant.

Lefiya made a face as if she was reluctant to eat them. Were they important for some reason?

"Umm…if you'd like you can have one of these," Bell said as he held one of the rice balls out to Lefiya. "Archer seems to have snuck them in my pack when I wasn't looking. They're a little soggy though."

"…Is it okay?" Lefiya asked as she accepted it.

"Yeah. I don't usually eat much so one is usually enough to fill me up."

"Then…thank you."

The two of them proceeded to quietly eat as they kept a look out for any monsters that might have shown up.

Since the rice ball was meant to have hot water or broth poured over it before eating, it wasn't particularly good. It was cold and some of the drier parts were still hard and crunchy but it was enough to satiate them for the time being.

Once they finished, Lefiya stood up and looked at the tree they were resting beside.

"I'm going to climb this tree to see if I can't figure out where we are," Lefiya explained to Bell. "…Don't you dare look up, okay?"

"Y-yes…" Bell nodded, realizing what she meant as he looked down at her skirt.

"I won't forgive you with just a bonk on the head if you do."

"I won't! I really won't look up unless you tell me to!"

Lefiya looked as though she wanted to know why she would tell him to look up but just shook her head as she crouched down and jumped straight up into the tree branches. Bell almost followed her with his gaze on reflex but quickly grabbed his head to force his gaze on the ground level to make sure no monsters showed up.

As a Level 2 his night vision was better than it ever was but he would still have liked some sort of light. Maybe he should invest in one of those Magic Stone lamps that he saw in that one tool store before.

As he thought to himself, Lefiya suddenly landed back down beside him, her expression rather grim.

"Did you not find it?" Bell asked but Lefiya quickly held up her hand.

"Sorry but please be quiet," she whispered. "I need to think."

After a minute, she turned back toward Bell.

"You heard of the Plant Monster things that have been seen in Orario, right?" Lefiya asked and Bell nodded. "I saw some of the people who were responsible for bringing them up to the surface. I want to follow them to get some information."

Bell nodded in understanding. He felt that he might just get in the way and was about to propose that he would try to find his way back himself but at the same time felt that it wasn't a good idea to just let her go off on her own…

"So please follow me for a moment," Lefiya said, making up his mind for him. "And keep quiet."

"Got it," Bell nodded as they dashed through the trees, Bell keeping up with Lefiya as she went through her mental map of the area. The two of them ran through the dark and thick trees and brush while doing their best to be as silent as possible in their steps.

Bell glanced down at his left hand as they ran, looking at the Command Spells hidden by his glove. Worst comes to worst…he could use one to summon a Servant to his side even if it meant exposing them to Lefiya.

Lefiya suddenly came to a stop and held her hand out for Bell to do the same. About fifty meters in front of them were a pair of figures wearing long dark robes that concealed everything about them from their race to their sex. These extremely suspicious people were enemies of Loki Familia? Of Orario?

The robed people were watching their surroundings as they made their way through the dense trees with Bell and Lefiya following them at a distance. Not too close to be spotted but not too far away to lose them either. Times like this Bell wished Archer was here. He would have been able to keep track of them no matter how far they were away.

Eventually they had reached the end of the forest and had drawn close to one of the walls of the Floor.

The forest had grown considerably sparser. Everything merged into one main path. The trees and shrubberies all but gone, and even the branches and leaves overhead had thinned, leaving no more room for them to hide themselves.

Bell's eyes widened at the sight in front of him. A large open field with blue crystal pillars over two meters tall were scattered here and there. It looked as though it was once some place important like a ritual place or something.

As their targets made for the Dungeon wall Lefiya turned to Bell as if to say she was still going to follow them. Bell still wasn't sure if he would be able to do anything to help but he wasn't willing to leave her to do this on her own so he nodded and planned to follow her.

Leaping free of their cover, they dashed straight forward through the Crystal Grove. They jumped from one crystal to the next, silently darting in and out between the pillars.

When they landed on a large patch of dirt without any crystals growing out of it, the ground suddenly collapsed, creating a giant hole right where they were standing. In hindsight, it was a rather obvious pitfall trap.

The two of them screamed as they started falling. Above them, the hole closed up, telling Bell that it wasn't just a pitfall trap.

Miraculously, both of them landed on their feet. Not quite on solid ground but in some kind of light-purplish liquid which rose to around their waist with their added mass. A strange hissing sound caught Bell's attention and it was quickly followed by a stinging pin on his skin. The two of them yelped as their clothes began to melt against their skin.

"Acid!" Lefiya shouted, her voice echoing in the hole. It wasn't potent enough to eat away at their flesh and bone instantly thanks to the Falna, but it would definitely only be a matter of time before their skin fell off like their clothes were beginning to.

Bell quickly scanned his surroundings. The hole was around seven meters in diameter and about ten meters tall. The walls weren't dirt or stone but made flesh-like, like they were in the belly of a beast…and the liquid was its stomach acid.

Something bumped up against his leg and Bell turned around.

"Gah! Bones!" He yelped as he stepped away from it. "An…Adventurer? Then…"

All around them were countless other floating bones, pieces of armor, weapons and staves, all either floating in the acid or extending up from the ground. Just how many people had fallen victim to this trap?

"Some of the bones are cracked…" Lefiya pointed out, hand over her mouth in disgust. "They didn't simply die from the acid…something struck or crushed them."

Bell looked back up toward the direction they fell from and saw something moving.

"M-Miss Lefiya…" Bell began as Lefiya turned toward him before following his gaze up.

"…What…what is that?" She asked.

Something was slowly peeling itself away from the fleshy walls of the hole, lifting its upper body and enveloping them in its massive shadow. As Lefiya and Bell gazed at it in terror, the monster hanging upside down from the top of the hole peered at them from its humanoid torso.

It was the only exception to the solid red of the hole, its skin a sickly shade of yellowish green. Its chest and abdomen, too, were colored in vibrant, venomous hues. Instead of arms, it boasted two long, fat tentacles dangled downward like quivering snakes. Its long lower half writhed and squirmed, attached to the wall like some kind of parasitic worm. Its head consisted of nothing but a colossal eye and a strange crown-like organ floating around it. The eye itself was connected directly to its neck with the crown encircling it like the mane of a lion.

It was disgusting to look at, its coloring far different from that of the countless other monsters they'd fought.

"The…new species…?" Bell asked, unable to keep the fear from leaking out with his voice. The ones that Archer fought down in the Deep Floors?

"It's…one of those Violas!?" Lefiya exclaimed next to him although Bell had no idea what she was talking about. "One with a parasite? They used one of them as a trap!"

The massive eye spun around for a moment before centering on them. As one, the two of them leaped back as two tentacles slammed at their feet from the creature's body, splashing acid everywhere around them.

"Are you okay!?" Lefiya shouted.

"S-somehow!" Bell called back as steam was rising from their clothes and hair. "Look out!"

The tentacles lashed out again, splashing the acid everywhere as well as sending the fallen equipment and bones flying. Bell had no idea what to do. He hadn't had the chance to ask Archer how these things fought and since the Guild didn't have any information about them, neither Lily nor Eina had any advice about them.

He couldn't really rely on his instincts forever either. Due to his fast growth, his overall combat experience was rather low. The only intelligent thing in the Dungeon he probably truly knew how to fight was were the Minotaurs.

He had no information…so he had to fall back on what he _did_ know.

"_Pay attention to your opponent. Keep track of everything they do to find a tell for their attacks. Their position, their stance, their eyes...figure out what you can use to take control of the battle and turn the tide."_

Saber's words rang in his head as he tried to analyze the creature in front of him while dodging each attack and keeping enough room between him and Lefiya so they don't dodge into each other by accident in the dark. However, he had absolutely no idea where to begin.

"Watch its eye!" Lefiya shouted.

"What?"

"It's eye! It looks before striking!"

Bell looked up at the eye and saw it was pointed directly at him. He quickly jumped back just as the tentacle slammed down below him.

"I-I did it!" Bell said. Sure he had a hint, but he felt that it was still a victory.

"It looks like that is its only method of attack!" Lefiya explained. "We need to find out what we can do to damage it! You attack that wall and I'll look for an opening to hit it with a spell!"

"Got it!"

Unsheathing his Hestia Knife, Bell launched himself immediately at the wall, dodging incoming whips as he unleashed slash after slash upon its fleshy pink surface. Now that he knew how to avoid the attacks, his confidence was growing even though he felt his shoes and pant legs slowly melting away.

If he was alone he probably would have started panicking or have used a Command Spell to summon one of the Servants to save him. But Lefiya's presence and orders gave him something to focus on other than his body being slowly eaten away.

However, his attacks against the wall did not seem to be bearing any fruit while the tentacles were moving faster and faster.

"_But compared to Archer and Saber…this is nothing!_"

As he thought that, the tentacles suddenly stopped as a golden light formed underneath Lefiya. A Magic Circle, telling Bell Lefiya was beginning her attack.

However, the monster, which had been alternating its attacks between the two, was now focusing its eye solely on Lefiya as the crown-like organ on its head began to glow an ominous blue.

From the glowing blue crown encircling its eye came a devastating wave of high-frequency sound.

"_Huuuuuuaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!_"

A piercing cry meant to immobilize its prey who had no way of training their ears against such attacks.

The noise was deafening, splitting their eardrums, and the only thing they could do was scream as their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. It was a thousand times worse than the Bad Bats on the Upper Floors.

"LOOK OUT!"

Lefiya's scream made Bell jump backward on reflex, feeling a burning sensation on his back. His foot was caught against something when he jumped and sent it flying up into the air in front of him. A silver shield. A parting gift left behind by one of the fallen Adventurers that came before. A high tier equipment that miraculously hadn't been dissolved by the creature's acid.

"_If you cannot defend, dodge. If you cannot dodge, defend! If you cannot do either, then prepare yourself to take it and minimize the damage!_"

Bell grit his teeth as he grabbed the shield and prepared himself. The tentacles smashed into the shield and took most of the blow, protecting Bell's unarmored body but the sheer power behind it sent him flying back, crashing into the wall.

His vision was blurry. His ears were ringing. His fingers snapped. Every single bone in his body was crying in pain. But the pain was good…it meant he was still alive. By some miracle, the shield protected him and he was still alive.

He had to get back up before something happened to Lefiya too. Though he couldn't hear or see properly, he could still tell that the elf girl was still fighting on her own. A mage normally needed to remains stationary when chanting but he could just barely make out Lefiya's body moving in the darkness, illuminated by her Magic Circle as she desperately dodged while chanting.

Bell's arm reached out blindly, grasping for something…anything to help him to his feet…and he touched something. Lifting himself up, he realized it was a massive axe…another gift left behind from someone who did not deserve such a fate.

Lefiya let out a scream, causing Bell to look up just as she was caught by a tentacle and tossed into a wall, the Magic Circle disappearing with the interrupted chant. As she hit the wall and fell into the acid, the monster's tentacle rose up once more.

Bell didn't think. He acted.

Returning his knife back to its sheath, he picked up the axe in his hands and lunged forward.

"UOOOOOOOOOOOOHHH!"

X-x-X-x-X

Lefiya's eyes opened wide as she saw a screaming white shadow race toward her and slam into the tentacle just before it hit her. Bell had found a massive axe not unlike Gareth's and had swung it with every last ounce of his strength into the creature's whip, sending it off course and missing Lefiya's body by scant centimeters.

Bell's feet touched the ground for only a second before he leapt at Lefiya, axe still in hand as he slammed it into the tentacle that had wrapped itself around her wrist, severing it and causing the tentacle to squirm around, showering blood everywhere like a decapitated snake.

Now free, Lefiya looked up and found herself staring at Bell's back. Dressed in all black, Bell's white hair stood out all the more in the darkness as he glared at the monster above them. The creature's eye, now bloodshot in pain and rage, glared back down as its crown started glowing again.

But Bell didn't falter as he raised his right arm out toward it.

And then…just for a moment…another body seemed to overlay itself over Bell. One who stood strong and tall even in the face of certain defeat…even in the face of despair. One who did not give up and would sacrifice his body with a massive shield spell without hesitation so long as the ones behind him would come out unscathed.

And then…

"_Firebolt!_"

A spell without a chant.

Flaming bolts of lighting shot forward toward the creature, blasting it head on in its eye.

"_Firebolt! Firebolt! FIREBOLT!_"

Again and again, the burning lightning struck the creature until…

"_GYAAAHH!_"

Ignis Fatuus.

The creature's magic had been interrupted and its crown exploded in a fury of sparks, disintegrating it and removing its method of controlling them.

"_So similar,_" Lefiya thought as she noticed a smile forming on her face before forcing it down with resolution. "_Both of them are just trying to act cool…_"

She then stood up, staff at the ready as Bell quickly forced down a red potion and prepared himself.

"You are closer to him than you realize," Lefiya muttered as her Magic Circle formed underneath her. "So I'll believe in you!"

"Yes!" Bell nodded as he looked over his shoulder toward her with a smile.

Even if his fingers were crushed beneath their shield, even if his body was rent limb from limb, he was going to keep swinging that ax, and he was going to protect her.

Their last stand has begun. The boy with his borrowed axe and the girl with her song.

"_Unleashed beam of light, limbs of the holy tree!_"

Lefiya took off running the moment she began her spell and the tentacles immediately followed her. However Bell wasn't going to let them come close to her. Eyes following the enemy's movements, he smashed and batted each tentacle away before they could even come close to Lefiya.

"_You are the master archer!_"

Lefiya realized a flaw within these New Species. The reacted to magic _no matter what_. Exploiting this weakness was how they were going to survive. With Lefiya chanting her magic behind Bell, the boy became all but invisible to the Monster. It would strike at Lefiya without taking into account the younger boy who was fast enough to react to its attacks and protect her.

If it was something that could think for itself rather than rely on pure instinct, it would have focused down Bell first and the Level 2 would eventually fall without a way to defend himself. With Bell gone, Lefiya would have been quick to follow.

But with Lefiya's magic acting as bait to draw its attacks, this gave Bell a larger window to execute his skills and protect them both. In the creature's eyes that were completely focused on the girl, the boy might as well have been invisible. A combination of Bell's agility and Lefiya's Concurrent Casting. Without either of them, both would already be dead. In the stomach of this monstrous creature, the efforts of a boy and a girl sharing similar hopes and dreams bore fruit.

"_Loose your arrows, fairy archers…!_"

As she neared the end of her chant, her magic power rising sharply, the trap monster increased its efforts, throwing everything it had at the mage to stop her song.

"I won't let you!"

But Bell held it back, axe flying as he kept the two flailing tentacles in check.

"Damn!"

He launched himself at the swinging tendril. Though his attack came from the side, the shock was still enough to send his body flying with the mythril axe drawing an arc across the air as it sailed away.

But he had done it. He had managed to protect her as the tendril shot through Lefiya's hair and hit the wall behind her, leaving her completely unharmed.

"_Pierce, arrow of accuracy!_"

The chant was complete as a brilliant golden light shined in the darkness.

"_ARCS RAY!_"

Light exploded upward toward the monster.

The monster attempted to escape but it was no use. The magic tore through the monster's tentacles sending it flying up into the lid of the trap. But that's where the magic stopped. The trap was specifically made to trap Adventurers after all. It must have enough resistance against magic to defend even against Lefiya's Level 3 magic boosted by her Skill. Even if the creature was being burned to ash, the lid of the trap would not open.

Then…a strange sound echoed around her. The flesh-like walls around them were closing in, attempting to crush them before they could escape, even if it meant crushing its main body with them.

Lefiya couldn't believe it. She refused to believe it. All their efforts were not going to end here!

And then…

A soft ringing bell echoed in her ears. A foreign sound completely out of place in their environment. She turned around and saw Bell struggling to his feet, glowing wisps of light wrapping around his right hand, illuminating his bloodied and battered body.

With a grunt of pain, Bell forced his boy forward, dragging a foot as he made his way to Lefiya who was still forcing all her magic out toward the lid of the trap.

"I'll help…" he said through grit teeth as he used his left hand to support his shaking wrist.

Lefiya realized her mouth was open and quickly closed it as she gave him a nod and turned back toward the lid, her magic burning even brighter as she did.

The bell's chime grew even louder with each passing second until…

"_FIREBOLT!_"

A massive light on par with Lefiya's Arcs Ray erupted from his hand. Fire and lightning joined together and burst forward blasting through the monster and the lid, creating a large pillar of light that illuminated the entire Eighteenth Floor.

As the light died down, smoke was all that remained as Lefiya quickly turned toward Bell and caught him before he fell face first into the acid again. Using what little strength she had left, Lefiya held Bell close and leaped out of the hole with him in her arms before the walls could close in on them..

"Haah…haah…hey…are you okay?" Lefiya asked as Bell nodded his head, seemingly too exhausted to speak.

Though he had consumed a potion, its grade must have still been rather low as most of his wounds had opened up again.

She had to get him back to the camp before-

"What's going on here!?"

A voice called out from behind her.

Turning around, Lefiya saw a pair of men in robes running toward her.

"Evilus…!" She gasped.

"That's…Thousand Elf? Loki Familia!?"

"Venethes was defeated!?"

"Hurry, release the Violas!"

They had recognized Lefiya in an instant and were already moving to attack. Out of the frying pan and into the fire it would seem.

As if on cue, the brightly colored green Violas sprouted around them in a circle, trapping the two exhausted Adventurers between them.

"This is where you die Adventurer scum!"

"_If I can just get Bell out of here at the very least…!_" Lefiya thought but then…

"…So this is where you were, mongrel."

At the words of a new party, golden lights appeared by Lefiya and Bell's feet as the boy paled in fear.

Several golden staves poked themselves out of the lights and from each one a massive tower of flames sprung forth, sending the Violas reeling back as the lights begin revolving around Lefiya and Bell like a protective circle, pushing the monsters back.

Then a golden figure landed beside the two of them and Lefiya recognized him as Bell and Archer's Familia Captain. The one who called himself Caster.

"Y-your Majesty…" Bell spoke up but was silenced by Caster's glare.

"Silence," Caster cut him off as Bell's jaw snapped shut. "I am extremely unhappy with you right now…but as you exposed the weeds and pests that have been scurrying about, I shall forgive you for the time being."

The man opened the stone tablet he was holding as several golden runes appeared around him.

Immediately after, dozens of portals appeared around them, each one extending a different magic staff that was of the same level as Lefiya's Forest Teardrop…no some were even greater. Each one lit up, several spells being prepared dozens of times over, illuminating the Dungeon floor as if the stars in the night sky had suddenly came down to shield them.

"Begone!" Caster shouted and all at once each stave fired off their spell in a orchestra of magic.

Arrows of light. Tendrils of flames. Bolts of lightning. Shards of ice. Blades of wind. With a single word, countless spells were launched forward into the night, striking each of the Violas and reducing them to ash within seconds.

Lefiya could only stare in amazement at the sight.

This was the man who took on the mantle of 'Caster' just like how the master bowman who journeyed down to the Deep Floors with Lefiya had taken up the mantle of "Archer."

"H-hiiii!"

The two robed figures let out a scream as they bolted into the darkness.

"…As expected of trash…" Caster muttered as he held out his hand to catch two bottles that fell out of a golden portal. "Thousand Elf."

He then held out the two bottles to Lefiya who recognized them as high grade potions.

"Watch the boy."

It was more of an order than a request but Lefiya nevertheless nodded her head as she took the potions from the man before he rushed into the forest to chase after the members of Evilus.

"…I'm so dead…" Bell muttered as Lefiya helped him drink the potion.

The elf could only let out a soft chuckle as she thought that Bell was more afraid of his Captain than of the monster that nearly ate them.

X-x-X-x-X

Two screams of pain rang out in the night as the robed men were tossed onto the ground, their legs shattered and the front of their robes torn.

"Explosives…" Caster muttered as he held two belts full of bombs in his hand. They had been wrapped around the two men's torsos like vests, ready to be lit at any time to allow themselves to be used as a human bomb. "How agonizingly droll…"

He then flung them to the side before a staff fired a golden arrow at them, detonating them in the distance.

"If the two of you wished to die…there are far less painful ways to do so than to draw my ire," Caster said as the stone tablet disappeared into his treasury and was replaced by his axe. "But first…I shall draw out every last bit of information I can from your bodies…but your corpses will do just fine if you are not in the mood to talk."

The two in front of him, one human and one elf, tried to crawl away but Caster stepped on the broken leg of the elf and drove his heel into it while slamming his pommel into the human's.

The human screamed in pain while the elf simply grit his teeth and bore it.

"Why!?" The elf shouted spraying spit everywhere. "I know that look in your eyes…! You hate the gods above too don't you!?"

The elf was answered with a golden axe to his face.

"Do not assume to know me," Caster said as he wrenched the axe out of the corpse. "Now then…"

He turned toward the human who let out another shriek of pain and fear.

"Hmm?"

Caster raised his gauntleted hand up toward his neck and a knife harmless bounced off the golden armor. The same could not be said for the human who had no way to defend himself as blood shot out of his throat.

"To dare strike at the King," Caster began as his eyes narrowed at a figure perched up on the tree branches. "And to dare stand above him…such crimes beget only death, mongrel."

"Typical Adventurer," the hooded figure wearing a strangely patterned mask said. "So arrogant."

They then drew out a red Magic Sword from their robes.

In a flash of light a ball of flames shot forward at Caster who barely moved as it crashed into his hand, scattering the flames in front of him in an explosion.

Through the flames and smoke, Caster spied the figure returning the Magic Sword into their robe, clearly thinking that he had finished him, only to lurch forward in pain when a silver bolt embedded itself into their back.

"Again!?" The figure hissed as they turned toward the direction it came from.

"Arrogance only applies to the weak, fool."

Caster shot forward axe at the ready. With a might swing he cut into the robed figure, sending them crashing through the branches and into the forest floor.

As he landed back on the ground, a tiny figure climbed out of the brush.

"Lord Caster!" Lily shouted as she ran up to him. "Are you injured?"

"Do not insult me, Arde," Caster said as he shook his wrist. "An attack of that level is nothing to me."

"Of course," Lily nodded as she breathed a sigh of relief as she loaded a bolt into her crossbow and pointed it at the pile of robes on the ground. "A-are they…"

"They fled," Caster growled as he walked up to the robes and lifted them up. The body that was supposed to have come with them having long disappeared. "A rat who scurries away when the lion appears."

With a click of his tongue and a scowl, Caster tossed the robes to the side and into Lily's outstretched hands.

"Your assistance in that matter was unnecessary, Arde," Caster said as Lily lowered her head slightly. "But not unappreciated. Let us return."

"Y-yes!" Lily nodded as folded the robes in her arms and started following him before stopping. "Hmm?"

"What is it?" Caster asked as Lily walked over to a bush and started pushing aside the leaves.

"This…" Lily said as she held up a tiny red orb with a letter _D_ carved into it. "The symbol doesn't match any script Lily knows of…"

"Hmm…" Caster let out a small hum as he took the orb, his eyes seeming to shine as the crystal reflected off of them.

"Does Lord Caster know what it is?" Lily asked.

"…Perhaps in due time," Caster replied as he deposited the orb into his treasury. "For now, let us head back to Cranel and Thousand Elf and return them to the camp. We should not be seeing any more of those vermin any time soon."

With another nod and one last look at the charred corpses, Lily gave a small shudder of fear before following Caster back through the forest.


	23. Hestia Familia

**Chapter 23: Heroic Myth**

Bell had gotten off much more lightly than he thought he would. He still got an earful from Caster and Archer when he got back to the camp and passed out in his sleeping bag before he could have dinner but other than that everything went rather well.

He still had to go and apologize to each of the girls he saw at the pool though but thanks to Hermes being caught, Bell's innocence was upheld and they all forgave him.

Asfi, Hermes's captain, even apologized to Bell in turn for her god's antics causing Bell so much trouble.

Caster and Lily had met with the Loki Executives to talk about the robed figures they had seen but nothing seemed to have come out of it other than Finn telling Caster that they had met someone similar down in the Deep Floors.

And so the night ended and morning came.

X-x-X-x-X

"Goliath should be spawning today," Finn said as Caster sat with the Loki Executives again. "But I would suggest that you hold off on it either way."

"You do not believe we can handle it?" Caster asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh no, if you and Saber are anything on Archer's level, I fully expect you to be able to handle a Goliath. But with what has been happening lately, I have a bad feeling about it."

"Is that the instinct of a High Class Adventurer? Or the scheme of someone after the Magic Stone?"

Though Caster's words were accusing, his face had an amused smile on his face, telling Finn that he was merely joking.

"Well, I won't deny that the stone could help our dwindling coffers a bit," the Pallum admitted with a laugh. "But between the Spirit and Evilus wandering around on this very Floor…I can't help but think that the Dungeon is planning something as well. The rather huge delay for the respawn is a bit concerning as well."

"There's also the fact that Lord Hermes is still here," Riveria added. "The Dungeon does not take kindly to the presence of the Gods within its confines. He says that he only came here to speak with us but he has not left yet…as far as we can tell anyway."

After the peeping incident, the God had taken his Familia and left in the direction of Rivira but none of their lookouts had reported him leaving through the staircase yet.

"The machinations of that god do not concern me," Caster replied, shaking his head. "The Goliath is to be a stepping stone for Hestia Familia's future. We will proceed as planned."

"Well, I won't stop you," Finn said with sigh. "I don't have the right to interfere with another Familia's plans even if you are sharing them with us."

"And you?" Caster asked. "Will you be continuing your search for that masked Tamer?"

"I'd love to but we don't have the resources to stay here much longer," Finn replied. "As soon as you're done with the Floor Boss, we'll be leaving."

"I should thank you for your generosity I suppose."

"Call it paying you back for the wine."

"Humph."

"Don't suppose I could buy a bottle off of ya?" Gareth asked hopefully.

"Even if you were to empty your Familia coffers, you would not have enough to convince me to part with a single bottle," Caster replied with a smirk. "Although…I suppose that is not saying much in its current state."

That remark got a few pained smiles in return from the executives.

X-x-X-x-X

"It's finally time, huh?" Welf muttered as he punched his palm.

"Yes…" came the answer from a rather pale looking Lily.

They were walking through the Loki Camp which was in the middle of packing up their tents now that their members were finally back on their feet. They would leave as soon as the Goliath was defeated…or as soon as Hestia Familia retreated from the fight.

Bell didn't think they would retreat. If it became too much, Archer or Saber would strike it down in an instant. Sure _that_ might cause some problems in the long run but it was better than someone dying.

"You sure you're up to it though, Bell?" Welf asked, turning to him. "You did come back last night half melted after all."

"That was just my clothes," Bell replied. Thanks to Caster's potion, Bell was right as rain once morning came. "And a bit of my hair but I'm fine. Lefiya said that it could be considered a Level 4 monster in its own right so I think I got some good experience for the Goliath too."

"Mmm…Lily will trust the words of a Second Class Adventurer then," Lily nodded.

"No need to act so worried, Lil'Ly! You'll be in the back with Caster right? No way your Captain will let anything bad happen to you."

"Master Welf doesn't understand Lily's trouble at all! So please be quiet!"

"Uwah, harsh as always…"

As they reached the stairwell to the Seventeenth Floor they found Archer waiting for them.

"Good, you're here," Archer said with a nod. "Caster thinks it'll pop out any minute now so let's get ready."

"We're going to go up before it's even out?" Bell asked.

"Do you want to go up with a giant monster glaring at us or go up before the giant monster can get out of bed, so to speak?"

"Uhh…let's go first then," Bell replied as Assassin, Welf and Lily nodded their heads in agreement.

As they climbed the stairs, Bell's heart began to race as their steps echoed in the stairway. This was it. He was going to fight his first Floor Boss. Another step toward fulfilling his dream.

But when they reached the Seventeenth Floor, the strange oppressive feeling returned. As if he was just an insignificant bug in the face of a Monster Rex.

Saber and Caster were standing in the center of the room, the king with his arms crossed in front of his chest while the knight had his hands folded behind his back.

"You have kept me waiting," Caster said simply. "I trust you are all well prepared?"

The three mortal Adventurers nodded their heads.

Lily had her knife, a small Magic Sword, and crossbow with plenty of bolts created by Archer and Welf.

Welf had his own great sword and the other one still wrapped in cloth on his back. He had said it was a good luck charm when Bell asked about it but was it also a spare blade just in case?

And there was Bell who had his longsword, Hestia Knife, minotaur Knife (Dubbed Ushiwakamaru by Welf when Mino-tan was rejected), and the silver knife created by Archer. Bell had wanted to use the mythril axe he got from the hole but it was so worn out that Archer and Welf said that it would probably fall apart if it hit anything else.

"You sure you'll be okay, Welf?" Archer asked. "Working with someone like me?"

"I'll be fine," Welf grunted, unable to look away from the Wall of Sorrows. "It's not like you break your blades on purpose or anything."

Welf had talked to Archer about the battle plan while Bell had been fighting for his life the other night.

He had been surprised at Archer's magic in the way that it made him feel redundant but Assassin, Bell and Lily weren't allowed to use anything Archer created outside of a few daggers that even someone like Welf could make while half asleep to keep their Status from becoming stagnant.

Still, seeing Archer create in seconds what Welf spent several hours to days to make was enough to make him cry a bit. No wonder Tsubaki had told Welf to try and sweet talk him into joining their Familia.

Still, if Archer could reproduce weapons like that maybe Welf could get some notes by taking a look at some High Class weapons.

No, that would feel like cheating especially after he got a lot of information from Saber's Gram.

He had wanted to grow under his own merits and ideals. Seeing one super crazy sword like that was enough. All that was left was to get the Blacksmith Development Ability to makes his plans a reality.

"I'll do it. I'll definitely Level Up today!"

Standing beside the pumped up Welf, the still nervous and pale looking Lily was sighing to herself. She had only eaten a little for breakfast but even so, the sheer terror she was feeling made her feel nauseated like she was going to empty what little food she had in her stomach out over her own feet.

"Hold your head high, Arde."

Lily looked up at the back of Caster as he spoke to her without turning around, eyes still facing the massive Wall of Sorrows.

"You are standing amongst heroes," Caster said. "Is that not something to be proud of? You are not the same sniveling child you were mere months ago. You are my attendant. On that position alone you have risen up above the rest of the rabble. Something most of your race aside from Deimne has failed to do."

"Umm…there's the Gulliver Brothers of Freya Familia," Lily pointed out. "They're all Level 5."

Grer, Alfrigg, Dvalinn, and Berling, more commonly known as the Gulliver Brothers, are four Pallum members of the Freya Familia and had collectively received the Alias of Bringar, The Four Soldiers of Amber. Along with Finn, they were the few living pallum legends on part with the Knights of Fianna themselves.

Caster responded by turning his head ever so slightly so that his eye could be seen over his shoulder looking down on Lily. She definitely shouldn't have run her mouth.

"I've no interest in fools who are so beyond blindly devoted to a Goddess that they would try to keep her affection for themselves," Caster said. "Especially not fools that even the gods can't be bothered to tell apart. The _only_ one in that Familia of note is Ottarl. Although he is slavishly devoted to the point that he is more or less a living and breathing extension of the goddess's will, he understands that a Goddess of Love cannot be contained to a single vessel. That jealousy is pointless in the face of a being that embodies love."

…Was that how it was in the Freya Familia? Was it some twisted version of the old Soma Familia where the members would fight amongst themselves for Freya's love? It probably wasn't as bad as Freya seemed to at least care about her children so she would probably stop any fights before it spiraled out of control. But considering Ottarl's reputation, it was more likely that they proved their love to her by going into the Dungeon and gaining Levels. Ottarl at the top at Level 7, three executives at Level 6 and the Gulliver brothers at Level 5.

That was the Familia who rivaled Loki Familia.

And yet in the eyes of the king, all but Ottarl were mere fodder.

"Umm…is Lord Caster planning on destroying Freya Familia?" Lily asked fearfully.

"So long as the Goddess Freya keeps to her own toys and away from mine, she is free to go about her way."

In short, Caster was perfectly willing to destroy them should the need arise. Such was the arrogance and power of the King of Heroes.

"…Hmm?"

Caster glanced up toward the ceiling for a moment before turning to look over his shoulder at the same time as Bell flinched and started looking around.

"Something wrong, Bell?" Archer asked.

"I feel like someone or something's watching us…" Bell muttered as he looked around to try and find the source. "Is it the Dungeon?"

"That is most likely a sign that the Monster Rex is approaching," Saber assumed. "We should prepare ourselves…mm?"

Saber turned his head toward the stairs leading down to the Eighteenth Floor at the same time as the other Servants.

"People are coming," Assassin pointed out.

Bell turned toward the stairs and saw three Adventurers climbing the stairs to the Seventeenth Floor, no doubt planning on heading toward the surface after a long stay in Rivira. Three older men probably in their mid-thirties were laughing and chatting to themselves as they were walking. When they walked about a fourth of the way across the Floor, they spotted Bell and the others who had been waiting for the Goliath to spawn at the far center of the room.

"Hah? What are you lot doing over there?" The one in the middle, a rough looking Adventurer covered in scars with a practically big one on the side of his face called out. "You can't be waiting for the Goliath with only seven people?"

"Level 2 Mord 'Ruffian Dog' Lantro, Ogma Familia" Caster muttered for the sake of the others. "Humph, the gods can show their wisdom on occasion I suppose."

Once Caster finished speaking he turned his eyes back toward the Wall of Sorrows as Lily moved herself so that her body was hidden by the Servants as much as possible, clearly not wanting to deal with the other Adventurers.

Saber had taken a step to the side to block Assassin from view while Archer turned his body to face them as well as shield Bell and Welf.

If Mord was Level 2 then the other two people behind him were probably the same as well if they were only a party of three. It was unlikely a Level 1 could make it all the way down here without a lot of help after all. And it wasn't as though they had a Spirit with them, right?

"Why ya acting all defensive for?" Mord asked. "If you're looking to commit suicide we ain't gonna stop ya. Hell, can we watch?"

"Sorry but Loki Familia has already booked all the seats," Archer cooly replied. "You'll have to ask them."

Archer finished by flashing the token Finn had given him when they had hired his services causing Mord to click his tongue.

"Damn, and here I thought I'd get to see a show before we head back up."

"Forget it Mord," the tallest of the group said as he tapped his friend on the shoulder. "Let's just go before-"

_Crack!_

Bell, Welf, Lily and the three outsiders flinched at the noise before as one, they all turned toward the Wall of Sorrows and saw that a splendid crack had appeared in the massive wall, stretching all the way from top to bottom like a massive lightning bolt.

_Crack! Crack!_

Several more bolt shaped cracks littered the wall as Lily took several steps away from it, looking like she would like nothing better than to run away.

"…What is this?" Caster muttered as he looked at the cracking wall…or rather something beyond it.

Those words caused both Bell and Lily to turn their heads away from the wall and stare at Caster.

It was faint, but the words of the normally self-assured and confident king carried a slight hint of uncertainty…as if he was not quite sure what he was looking at. At his words, Saber and Archer also glanced at him over their shoulders before Saber drew his glowing red sword and a black bow appeared in Archer's hand.

_Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!_

Thousands of cracks taking the shape of a massive spiderweb began to form on the wall. Each crack seemed to break down Lily's will even further as she began retreating away from the wall.

And then, past the crystal rock wall, Bell thought he could see something. It seemed far away at first but then he could see a shape forming behind the wall, as if it was a glass window allowing him to see the innermost workings of the Dungeon. It looked humanoid in shape but it wasn't moving any of its limbs as it drew closer. Rather it looked like it was falling toward them.

And then…

"▂▂▂▂▃▃▃▃▄▄▄▄▅▅▅!"

The world began shaking. As if Bell and the others' mere presence in the Boss Area was enough to drive the Dungeon into a Berserker rage. No, that wasn't right. It wasn't "Bell and the others" but more likely…

The lights from the crystals in the room turned into a blood red dim as the shaking grew even more violent, with Bell doing all he could to remain standing while Caster grabbed Lily's arm to keep her from falling over before tossing her into Saber's arms. The king then walked to the front of the group, drawing a staff from his treasury before…

The wall exploded outward.

It wasn't just a small section of the wall where the cracks originated from. Nearly half the wall was blown open as a massive beast, what could only be the Monster Rex Goliath, burst forth sending rubble flying out everywhere.

The rubble smashed into the walls and ceiling, creating massive craters and sending even more rocks flying down on them. But Caster seemed to have foreseen it as he raised his staff up and a protective dome surrounded them all, even Mord Lantro and his party.

It didn't just create a solid shield to just block the falling rocks but rather any rock that touched the shield was blasted and destroyed by a bolt of lightning.

"W-what the hell is that!?" The third member of Mord's party screamed. "That ain't Goliath!"

Bell turned his eyes away from Caster and toward the…Goliath?

Lily had said that the Goliath was supposed to have dark gray skin and black hair but…the creature in front of them had skin as dark as Bell and Saber's clothes. Its hair was also jet white and its eyes a blood red. Had Lily and Welf not been staring in pure fear at the creature, Bell felt that they might have cracked a joke or two. Then again, Bell was also completely speechless at the sight of the strange monster.

The creature was so big that Bell wasn't even sure that it was real. Dark skin, a massive neck with bulking shoulders, arms, and legs…like a towering wall of muscle. But rather than terror, what mostly rang through Bell's body was the sheer awe of its size and power.

"…An enhanced species…?" Archer muttered, eyes wide in surprise. "A Floor Boss can become an enhanced species!?"

"The Eighteenth Floor has been cut off!" Saber reported.

Bell's shot a gaze toward the stairs and saw that the Eighteenth Floor had been cut off by the rubble that shot out when the Black Goliath exploded out of the wall.

Welf's hands were shaking rather badly, something the older boy was aware of as he stared at them and clenched them into fists to try and stop them while Lily was visibly quivering in fear. Assassin completely ignored the Goliath as she walked over and grabbed Lily's hand. The Pallum stared at the other girl and saw that Assassin was giving her a big smile to try and reassure her. As she did, both Saber and Archer stepped forward as if trying to use their own bodies to shield the others from the sheer pressure of the Monster Rex.

"RUUUUUUUNNN!" Mord screamed as they ran for the Sixteenth Floor staircase, only to skid to a stop as several monsters started descending into the Seventeenth Floor from the Sixteenth. Not just from the main entrance…but also from the countless openings on the floor that were probably from the countless holes from the upper levels that led all the way down into the boss room.

"We appear to be contained in," Caster noted dryly as Mord and his party ran back to Bell's group as if trying to find shelter amongst numbers.

An Enhanced Floor Boss, a mass monster spawn blocking the escape route to the surface and the exit to the Eighteenth Floor was blocked by rubble.

This was a disaster of epic proportions.

And yet…

"Be it enhanced or not, nothing has changed."

"Boss fight time, boss fight time!"

"Awaiting instructions, Master."

His Servants were waiting for him. They were ready to fight…which meant Bell had to be as well.

"Let's go, Bell!"

"Yes!"

First off was to distract the Black Goliath.

"Saber, Archer!" Bell called out and the two Servants launched forward, sword and bow at the ready, drawing the creature's attention away from the others.

While that was happening, they needed to take care of the monsters coming in from behind.

"Lily, Welf! Please handle the Monsters coming down!" Bell said. "Mister Lantro! Can you and your friends help as well?"

"W-what!?" Mord shouted back, more in surprise at being given orders rather than anger.

He opened his mouth to continue speaking but another roar from the Black Goliath told Mord that the Monsters coming down were probably much easier to fight compared to the massive Enhanced Floor Boss.

"F-fine!" Mord nodded as he turned toward his friends. "Guile, Scott! Let's go!"

"R-right!" The larger man with blonde spiky hair holding a spiky mace nodded.

"We're going to die…" the skinny man in a blue cloak groaned.

"Shut yer trap and move it!"

"Let's go Lil'Ly!" Welf said as he turned to follow the older Adventurers.

"Y-yes!" Lily nodded before turning toward Caster. "What about Lord Caster?"

"I shall position myself near the stairs as well," Caster nodded. "As I make my preparations, I entrust my back to you."

Lily's eyes widen in surprise before nodding her head as the two of them moved toward the Sixteenth Floor staircase and the incoming Monsters.

"All right…" Bell nodded as he drew his Hestia Knife and Ushiwakamaru dagger before turning to Assassin. "Let's go, Jack."

"Uh huh!" Assassin nodded as she drew out her own daggers and followed Bell toward the fight.

In front of them Saber was dashing across the floor, moving faster than Bell had ever seen him before as he avoided the massive arms of the Goliath. Like Lily said, its sole strength was its size and power. It didn't have anything else to bring to a fight so someone like Saber could literally run circles all day around it. As he kept up the distraction Archer was keeping his distance and firing several arrows at the monster's face, striking the area around its eyes, forcing it to stand up and use one arm to shield its eyes.

"Jack, the legs!"

"Okay Mommy!"

Bell and Assassin took advantage of the opening and jumped toward its legs, with each of them taking one each.

Ushiwakamaru and the Hestia Knife slammed toward the monster's hide…and promptly bounced right off as if Bell had tried to strike a stone wall. His hands fell numb as he fell to the floor. Turning back around, he looked toward Assassin who had successfully managed to pierce the Black Goliath's hide. With a shower of blood, the girl used her momentum to spiral around the leg, carving a huge chunk of its leg open.

The Black Goliath let out a roar of pain as it sank to the ground.

Bell wanted to cry at the difference in strength but he didn't have time to worry about that as Assassin landed beside him, grabbed his hand and dragged him between the legs of the beast and out behind it.

"Mommy, here!" Assassin said as she pulled out one of her daggers and handed it to Bell just as Saber landed beside them, also with one of his daggers out.

Bell nodded his head as he sheathed his knives and took his Servants' weapons instead. He wasn't exactly happy that his weapons were useless, disparaging both Welf and Hestia's efforts, but if he could still fight then he'll take them. The moment Bell accepted the dagger from Saber, the Servant vanished and reappeared up at the monster's back, driving his blade right into its spine. Sparing only a second to look in awe of his knight, Bell quickly turned back to the monster's leg. Taking the opportunity, he slashed at it with his daggers and found that while it was still difficult due to his lack of strength, the daggers could cleave through its hide.

"Yes!" Bell cheered as he pumped his fist. "I can hurt it! I'm not going to just be dead weight!"

Still, the amount of effort he was putting in was nothing compared to Archer and Saber, whose attacks were what was truly dealing damage to the Monster Rex. But Bell would not falter. Saber, Caster, Archer, Ais Wallenstein, even Lefiya…they all stared down even greater monsters without batting an eye. Whether through recklessness or courage, Bell can't afford to be left behind.

The Black Goliath roared in pain and rage that seemed to split Bell's ears open. Even though it was much louder and fiercer than that of a minotaur, Bell refused to give in. The fear he felt in the face of the minotaur was nothing compared to this thing!

"Bell, Assassin! Look out!" Archer called out.

"Huh?"

Bell looked up and saw that the Goliath had opened its mouth and a ominous light was shining within it.

"Mommy!" Assassin called out just as the space in front of Bell exploded.

It hadn't been a direct hit but the sheer force of the magic sent Bell flying into the air, losing his grip on his borrowed daggers, before a pair of strong arms caught him.

"Gotcha!" Archer's voice said before Bell felt a thump vibrate through his body.

_Magic_.

The Black Goliath was able to use Magic just like a hellhound!

"You okay?" Archer asked.

"Y-yeah, I think so…" Bell grunted. His body was sore everywhere but it didn't look like he was seriously hurt to the point that a potion wouldn't fix. Salamander Wool was amazing! It didn't even dissolve when he was in that trap last night either! If they survived this, he was going to buy as much Salamander as he could and then ask Welf to use it in his next set of armor!

"Bell…" Archer began as he slapped Bell's cheeks a bit. "Get a hold of yourself."

"R-right!" Bell nodded as he quickly shook his head to clear it. He then looked up just in time to see a red sword fly into the side of the Black Goliath's head and for Saber to appear by it a moment later to punch the blade right through, severing the beast's jaw from its face.

_Was it over already?_

Bell naively thought that as the monster, covered in blade and arrow wounds slumped a bit before its jaw fell onto the ground, having been severed by Saber's attack.

And then…the Black Goliath's entire body began to glow red. Its wounds were closing at an alarming rate and even its jaw was being regrown straight out of its skull. All the trails of blood on its legs, arms and face were also closing up.

All the damage they had done in the first volley was undone in an instant.

Bell was suddenly yanked away as the Black Goliath let out another massive howl and started firing its magic toward them all.

Being carried away by Archer, Bell could see the magic as it was. It wasn't a fireball or a beam of light. Rather it was something like a blast of air shooting out of its mouth like a cannon. It probably wouldn't hurt compared to being punched by its massive fists but Bell wasn't exactly eager to find out in any case.

"I struck with the intent to kill it," Saber said with Assassin in his arms as he kept up with Archer. "That is no ordinary monster. Its' skin is also tougher than I would have thought for a monster this far up in the Dungeon."

"Do we need to hit the Magic Crystal then?" Archer asked.

"Caster wanted it as proof of the kill for the Guild…but we should consider it if it grows too much for Bell and the others…mu!?"

"Damn!"

The two then jumped away with their passengers as another burst of air blew apart the ground between them.

"Archer, what about the Monster Line?" Bell asked.

"Holding, somewhat," Archer said. "Ruffian Dog's party is doing a good job but all I see are hellhounds, hard armoreds and al-miraj. If a minotaur or a lygerfang were to show up…"

They would crumble in an instant. They had to strike a blow big enough to cripple the Black Goliath…no even when it lost half of its head it could still regenerate it. If Saber could unleash his Noble Phantasm again, perhaps that would be enough to kill it by destroying its Magic Crystal but…

Back at the Black Goliath, Saber and Assassin were striking it with lightning fast movements with Assassin scaling the Monster Rex's body as she struck, disappearing when it counterattacked and reappearing on a different limb like some kind of wraith.

Would Bell be satisfied with that?

Would he be satisfied with such a meagre contribution? To sit behind and be _protected_ again? If so, then what was the point of fighting the minotaur if everything could just fall into his lap?

"Archer, I have a request!" Bell said as Archer turned toward him. "It's a bit selfish but please, give me three minutes!"

Archer stared at Bell as if only truly seeing him for the first time since he was summoned. Bell didn't want to be nothing more than a scared child again.

"…This thing is probably around Level 5 Bell," Archer said. "It's a risk to let it run rampage for too long."

An explosion echoed out behind them and Bell turned to see Caster holding up another staff and for a massive crater to appear where a group of monsters had been earlier. Several more explosions sounded off, destroying the monsters coming out from the side entrances before collapsing them, sealing the path and preventing any more monsters from coming through them.

"And Caster won't keep using his treasures for much longer."

Even from his position, Bell could see the look of disappointment on Caster's face that the three Level 2s plus Welf and Lily were only just barely holding the line.

"Even so…" Bell said. "I want to try. Please!"

Archer's silence stretched out for a long time in Bell's eyes even though it couldn't have been more than a few seconds.

"…All right, we'll get you your three minutes," Archer said with a nod before turning around to face the Black Goliath again.

"Archer…thank you very much!"

"Better let you do this before you expend another Command Spell," Archer added with a smirk as Bell winced with a wry smile on his face. "Do what yo need to do, Bell. Show me what you got."

"Yes!"

As Archer sped away to assist Saber and Assassin in distracting the Goliath, his silver arrows appearing in his hand in quick flashes of light before they soared into the monster's arm or eyes.

His Servants gave Bell the opportunity. Now it was time for him to capitalize on it.

X-x-X-x-X

"Arde! Eyes front!"

"Y-yes!"

Lily let out a sigh of relief when she saw Saber and Archer running around with Assassin and Bell in their arms. The two men were more than capable of protecting the other two so Lily had to focus in her own battle right now.

Caster was standing a few meters behind her next to her backpack as Lily stood in the front using her crossbow and dagger to support Welf and keep any monster from getting close to her Captain.

Although she was scared and wanted nothing more than to retreat to the rear and only have to support with her crossbow, she was unable to voice her desires in front of Caster. Although her Status had been growing constantly thanks to her efforts with everyone else, she still felt that a single bad hit was enough to make her go splat so being behind the tougher Level 2s and Welf was enough for her.

And yet, something inside her was telling her to go against all her natural instincts and take to the front herself. The front where she would most assuredly get caught off guard and die before even letting out a scream.

A Hellhound lunged at Welf from his flank but Lily quickly shot it in the eye with her crossbow, causing it to fall just short of the Smith who was contending with a pair of Al-Miraj. She then ran up to it before it could get its bearings and slit its throat.

"Be careful, Master Welf!" Lily called out as Welf swung his great sword and cleaved the pair of Al-Miraj in two.

"Sorry and thanks!" Welf replied before moving to intercept a few Hard Armoreds that were rolling down the stairs at an alarming speed.

This position was where she was the most comfortable. Leave the adventuring to the Adventurers like Bell and let Lily remain in the Supporter role.

"_So why?_" She asked herself.

Why was there something whispering into her ear asking, "_Are you really satisfied with just this?_"

"_Yes!_" She screamed inside her head as she felt Caster's gaze burning into her back even though his eyes were facing the Floor Boss. "_Lily is aware of her own limits!_"

A pack of Al-Miraj led by a pair of Hellhounds surrounded her. The Hellhounds stood behind the pack with a pair of Al-Miraj wielding Landforms. If Caster had noticed, he was not lifting a finger to help her, nor should she expect him to.

"_Lily isn't some sort of super ghost like Lord Caster and the other Servants!_"

The Al-Miraj wielding Landform Weapons jumped her first. She quickly jumped back, swinging her dagger behind her as she did, stabbing one of the walking rabbits in the head before using the rapid fire setting of her Little Ballista crossbow, accurately shooting the Al-Miraj in front of her in the eyes, allowing her to retrieve her dagger from the skull of the dead rabbit and slice her way through the rest of them.

"_Lily doesn't want to be some Hero like Bell nor does she have his amazing growth!_"

She wasn't able to do anything about the Hellhounds who fired their magic at her. Although the flames burned, the Salamander Wool cloak protected her from most of the damage. It still felt like having her body pressed up against an oven though.

"_Lily never wanted to be an Adventurer to begin with!_"

So why was she here?

Why was she in the middle of a Boss Fight screaming her throat out while stabbing a Hellhound in the throat while shooting the other one in between the eyes with her crossbow at max power setting if she never wanted it?

"_Because Lily's Family is here._"

The family that was more of a family to Lily than the dead blood-related deadbeat drunkards ever were…and four of them were already long dead themselves.

She didn't want to be alone again. Even though they said that she owed them nothing, that she had been free to leave and do whatever she wished that didn't involve going into the Dungeon, she wanted to be with them. The warmth of a family she never had and never knew she wanted. The trust of people relying on her. The faith of people who believed she could become something she never believed she could become. And the companionship of the one who brought them all together.

A smiling young man with too much good in his heart to be real.

"Lil'Ly look out!"

Welf's warning came not a split second too soon. Lily threw her body back without seeing what it was and the Hellhound corpse in front of her was splattered across the ground as rubble flew up with another rock clonking her on the head, nearly splitting her skull.

The pain and fear was familiar.

As Lily looked up from the ground, pass the blood flowing down her forehead, she gazed upon the roaring form of yet another minotaur.

X-x-X-x-X

One Floor below where Hestia Familia was fighting the Black Goliath, another battle was being waged.

"Form a line around the camp! Don't let them get in!"

Finn's voice rang throughout the battlefield as Loki Familia took up positions around the campgrounds.

Preparations for returning to the surface had just finished when the crystals above them changed from a bright white to a dull red and a massive roar rang from above them. Immediately monsters began to pour out from the stairs toward the Nineteenth Floor and all the Monsters currently on the Eighteenth Floor made a beeline for the Loki Camp as well as the town of Rivira.

"Did something happen on the Seventeenth Floor after all?" Finn muttered to himself.

As an Adventurer, he wanted to run over and check on it himself but as the Captain of a Familia, he couldn't leave his charges and just go running off. Strictly speaking, there was no way the Monsters on this Floor were any threat to their camp full of Level 3s and up and the Monsters themselves were only Level 2 at best…but unfortunately he had to stay as an example.

"Captain! Tiona and Ais ran off!" Tione shouted. "They headed to the Seventeenth Floor Staircase! Lefiya ran off after them too!"

In the grand scheme of things, it wasn't much of a problem since they had enough High Class Adventurers that they wouldn't be missed, especially with the executives of Hermes Familia helping them. But really…were they that worried about Archer and the rest of Hestia Familia?

Still, this gave Finn an opportunity to go see what was going on for himself so he won't chew them out too much.

Gareth and Riveria can do that later.

"Riveria, Gareth!" Finn called out. "I'm going after them! Keep an eye on thing here then take a team to form a line at the Nineteenth Floor stairs to set up a blockade!"

His fellow executives nodded as Finn sped off toward the stairs with Tione right behind him. As they drew close to the stairs, the sound of Goliath's roar echoed down toward them followed by a loud explosion over and over again.

"Something's wrong…" Finn muttered as he saw Tiona, Lefiya, and Ais standing at the foot of the stairs. "It feels like _that _time."

The time they saw a Level 1 singlehandedly take down a minotaur all on his own after coming across Ottarl. Did Freya Familia do something again and if so, why? What did that goddess have to gain by harassing Hestia Familia? Then again, their members were filled with all sorts of secrets. Or was it perhaps not the Goddess of Love…but a certain smiling god closer to them instead?

"Captain!" Lefiya called out as Finn and Tione landed beside them, letting Finn hear another massive roar followed by an explosion. "There's something really strange going on up there!"

"You didn't check?" Finn asked as he walked passed them.

"The exit's blocked by rocks," Tiona replied. "We don't know if the Goliath did it or if it was Archer and the others that blocked it off."

Well, at least they didn't run straight into another Familia's Floor Boss Fight.

"We'll take a quick look then head back," Finn said. "Do not interfere unless they ask for it."

But taking Caster's personality into account, it was highly unlikely that the man would let them interfere. Still, Finn didn't like not knowing what was going on so he led them forward. Seeing the rubble along with the sounds of battle on the other side Finn narrowed his eyes and tapped the rocks with his hand. He then reeled back his hand and delivered a punch at the rocks, blasting them apart and sending the rest flying away.

Revealing the chaos unfurling on the Seventeenth Floor.

"…What is that?" Lefiya gasped staring up at the creature that was being struck by red, black, and silver flashes. "A Black Goliath?"

"So a Floor Boss became an Enhanced Species," Finn muttered with a frown. "One crazy thing after another. And on top of that, its regeneration is beyond normal."

Finn watched Saber and Archer zip around the Floor Boss with speeds beyond that of a normal Level 1. Saber's red blade carved deep red gouges along the Monster Rex's legs and arms as the Black Goliath tried to step on him or try to punch him while Archer's arrows kept the creature from getting a proper fix on Saber's position. Even the tiny girl of their party they called Jack was climbing the giant with her daggers like some kind of beanstalk. But the Black Goliath's red aura was generating a large amount of magic, its wounds were closing almost immediately.

Ais took a step forward when several golden discs appeared by her feet. She quickly jumped back just as pillar of flame erupted in front of the Loki Familia members. Caster was glaring at them from the other side of the floor with his hand reaching out toward them. His gaze telling Finn and the others one thing.

"_Do not interfere._"

A wry smile appeared on Finn's face as he turned toward the others.

"Just like the minotaur fight," Finn said. "Don't step in no matter what."

Ais, Tiona, and Lefiya didn't look happy but nodded all the same.

"Captain, over there!" Tione shouted as she pointed toward the opposite staircase.

A minotaur had descended and broke through the defense line where three unknown Adventurers were holding alongside the young Smith from Hephaistos Familia and barreled right into the Pallum Supporter of Hestia Familia. If Finn recalled correctly, her name was Liliruca Arde, or Lily for short.

The minotaur's weapon missed her but the impact of the blow sent rocks flying at her and knocked her aside. The Salamander Wool Cloak she was wearing protected her from most of the damage but she still took a blow to the head. As the minotaur loomed over her, it suddenly froze when Caster turned his gaze away from Finn and the others and leveled it right on the minotaur. The sheer presence the man exuded from his body seemed to paralyze the monster before it let out a panicked roar and blindly charged him ignoring the pallum girl.

At that sight, Lily jumped to her feet and charged the minotaur from behind, leaping onto its back with her dagger in one hand and what looked like a Magic Sword in the other all the while screaming like a madwoman as she tried to keep the minotaur from reaching Caster.

She was stabbing her silver dagger into its flesh but either because of its low quality or her low Strength, she could not pierce the minotaur's skin. Still, it was enough for the monster to be distracted as it bucked around, trying to get the small girl off its neck. Then with one last scream, she stabbed the tiny Magic Sword she was holding into the minotaur's eye. With a pained roar, the minotaur began thrashing around even more violently as Lily held onto its head for dear life. Then, the Magic Sword erupted in the monster's skull, shattering the blade and launching Lily off of the minotaur. She soared back several meters before landing in a heap on the ground, her hand charred from the flames.

Despite having a chunk of its face burned off, the minotaur staggered its way toward Lily in rage. But as it towered over her with its weapon raised above its head, a golden hand shot out from the creature's chest. With a triumphant expression, Caster pulled his arm out of the monster's back with practiced ease, Magic Stone in hand. As the minotaur's corpse turned to ash and returned to the Dungeon, the man then bent down and carefully lifted the unconscious Lily up in his arms before turning toward Bell Cranel who was standing in the center of the room, holding out his arm with lights swirling around it.

"That's…" Lefiya began but before she could continue, light exploded in the room.

X-x-X-x-X

The sound of pinging chimes rang in Bell's right hand as he held it out to the side before charging toward the Black Goliath like an arrow.

"Saber, Archer, Jack!" He called out and as one his Servants cleared out of the way as Bell drew close. The Floor Boss turned toward him, jaws open and laced with magical energy as it prepared to roar at him once more. Then at the same time as the beast howled, Bell shouted with all his might.

"_FIREBOLT!_"

Sparks arched around his arm before an electric inferno shot out of his hand. The beam intercepted the creature's magic attack and neutralized it before continuing up into the air and smashing into the Black Goliath's mouth…and kept going. With power greater than anything Bell was physically capable of, his Magic vaporized the majority of the beast's head, leaving nothing of its head behind as it staggered back into the wall.

"Ah…" Bell gasped as he stared at the Black Goliath. He had been hoping to hit its chest where the creature's Magic Stone was hidden to guarantee the kill but his hand jerked up at the last second when he saw the Black Goliath roar at him. Bell hoped that it had worked. After all, no creature could survive without its head, right?

Oh how wrong he was.

Even without the head, the red specks shot out of the stump of the Monster Rex's neck and quickly reformed the skull of the beast, then its flesh…but even though its head hadn't properly reformed, the beast's mouth opened and unleashed another magical howl at him. Unprepared for the attack, Bell received it head on and was sent flying into the air.

Pain racked through his body before he was caught by a screaming girl.

"Mommy! Wake up!" Assassin was screaming as she clung onto his body while Bell did everything he could to remain conscious.

"Jack…run!" Bell choked out as the Black Goliath turned toward them again.

"Muuuoooooo!"

Saber appeared between the two of them and the Monster Rex, sword in hand as the howl shot toward them. With a roar, the swordsman slashed the air in front of them, splitting the magic apart as well as sending a wave of light out in front of him. The Black Goliath quickly covered its chest with its arms, using them as a shield as the light cut through the outermost arm, severing it from the body while leaving a deep gouge in the second arm.

But despite the massive attack from Saber, the arm continued to regenerate as the beast alternated between firing one howl at Saber and one at Archer to prevent the latter from setting up and firing any of his stronger weapons properly.

"Jack, take Master and run!" Saber said as he swung his blade to cut the magic before it struck any of them. "This is enough! We shall finish this!"

"And end this here? Not likely."

Caster's voice entered Bell's ears.

"Is this it then, mongrel? Is this as far your dream goes? Do you truly have what it takes to become a hero?"

Did he? Did Bell truly have what it takes? He gave it his best shot and he still failed at the end.

But as he listened to Caster's voice a second one began to ring in his ears. A voice from long ago…the one who probably truly inspired him to become one.

"_Bell…a hero is not someone able to draw a sword, or someone willing to raise a shield, or someone who heals others."_

It was a voice he'd heard long ago. Back when he was very young. Words that had shaped who he had become. Words from a divine messenger, a voice from his past.

"_Only someone who's willing to risk it all can be called a hero._"

In Bell's sight, aside from the back of the smirking hero he had been chasing for the past few weeks, the form of his first hero, his grandfather, took shape.

"_It's okay to break, to lose heart, to cry out in pain. The one to claim victory in the end always emerges from the defeated._"

He remembered. He remembered it all. He remembered the words that those smiling lips said next.

"_Follow through on your dream, shout it out for everyone to hear. The one who does…_"

Yes, that's the one who…

"…_the one who does becomes a glorious hero._"

"Mommy!" Assassin let out a cry of relief as Bell forced his eyes open. Looking around, Bell saw that Saber had launched himself forward and was drawing the beast's attention once more away from Bell and the others while Archer was now firing arrows that exploded on impact against the beast. But even so, the wounds were still regenerating.

Assassin was clinging onto his body as if he was her lifeline. He turned to look behind her and saw Caster still standing on the other side of the room with Lily in his arms…even though his voice had sounded so close before. But even now, the king was watching him, interested in what he would do.

Assassin fiddled with her pack before bringing out a potion and forced it down Bell's throat. Bell winced as he felt the bones in his chest knit back together…and then…he sat up. His body was close to breaking, but his will held him together. But he didn't have the Mind for another Argonaut charged Firebolt…and he didn't have a weapon strong enough to cut through its hide.

And then…

Something landed beside him with a crash. Bell turned toward it and saw that it was a massive silver great sword with a golden handle. Looking beyond that he saw members of Loki Familia standing by the staircase…with the younger of the two Amazons having thrown it toward Bell.

It was assistance from an outsider…but Bell wasn't going to _not_ use it right now. His longsword that Welf gave him had already been destroyed by the Black Goliath's howl along with practically all of his armor and most of the Salamander Wool cloak. He needed a new weapon so this will have to do.

Gripping the blade's wide hilt with both hands, he swung the blade forward as he set his feet into a powerful stance. His red eyes flicked forward and focused on the form of the terrifying giant off in front of him.

His aspirations were burning. His dreams were roaring.

If there was one advantage that Bell Cranell had over anyone else, it would be this one irreplaceable memory from his youth…that single memory that was burned into is very soul. The memory of the smiling old man who filled Bell's head with his hopes and his dreams.

He began charging Argonaut once more…those tiny chimes slowly turning into the sound of church bells.

X-x-X-x-X

"Tch…doing as she wishes…" Caster clicked his tongue as he saw the amazon fling her Durandal Blade toward Bell who took it and as prepared to use it against the Black Goliath. "Hmm?"

"Take care of the line, Your Kingship!" Welf shouted as he ran past him, tossing his black greatsword to the side while drawing the blade on his back.

A pang of annoyance shot into Caster for a moment before he realized what Welf was doing and his lips curved into a small smile.

"Humph, just as well," he muttered as he opened his gate and countless wands and staves extended from it. "The play is drawing to a close…and it is time for the extras to vacate the stage."

With a wave of his arm, the magic weapons fired their payload at once. Countless golden arrows and beams of light shot out at the Monsters still spilling into the room. The beams curved around the three hapless Adventurers that had been shouting obscenities at Welf for abandoning them and pierced through the Monsters' chests, destroying the Magic Stones within them.

Mord and his friends were staring at Caster with their mouths agape as all the smaller Monsters on the Floor were reduced to dust in an instant with countless Drop Items littering the field along with broken Magic Stones. The old Adventurer then turned his eyes toward Bell who not just a moment ago he had seen be sent flying from the Floor Boss. Now the boy was back on his feet, a new weapon in hand, and prepared for a third bout with the beast.

"What the hell is that kid made of?" Mord wondered. "What is driving him?"

Caster ignored the man in favor of the girl in his arms as she slowly woke up.

"Lord…Caster?" Lily asked as she only had the strength to open a single eye. "What happened…to Bell?"

"Quiet," he said as he retrieved a potion and fed it to her. "You've done well. The boy is trying to become a Hero."

But the Monster Rex wasn't going to let Bell get the jump on it again.

With a massive roar, the beast fired a massive blast at its feet, blasting away both Archer and Saber while at the same time destroying its own legs. The two Servants were sent flying into the walls, leaving craters within them.

"Ngh!?"

"Damn!"

Saber let out a grunt of pain as Archer cursed. Neither of them had expected a self destructive attack from the Monster Rex just to remove them for a moment.

"Run, Bell!" Archer shouted as he pulled himself out of the wall. But Bell didn't move even as the Floor Boss decided that he was its enemy. As its legs regenerated and it stood up once more, it took a step toward Bell, another howl at the ready…and that was all it could do before the next attack struck him.

"_Blasphemous burn! Will-o-Wisp!_"

The Black Goliath's head suddenly exploded as the magic it had been storing ran wild. An Ignis Fatuus caused by a young man's magic as he charged forward, his resolve hardening like iron as he prepared to save one of his only friends.

"Over here you ugly bastard!" Welf shouted as he ran toward the beast, releasing the bindings on the blade he had been carrying on his back revealing a massive red blade. A Magic Sword. A _Crozzo_ Magic Sword.

"_Pathetic, isn't it?_" He asked not to himself, but the blade in his hands. "_I threw you away and now I'm begging you to help me._"

Naturally, the sword didn't respond as he prepared himself, Hephaistos's words ringing in his ears. The words she said to him when he joined her Familia and refused to make any Magic Swords.

_Do not sacrifice the things you care about for your pride._

The words rang louder and louder, aching his very soul as flame roared out from his blade, leaving a burning trail behind him.

He had people who cared about him and accepted his stubbornness and even praised him for it…and he didn't want to be a burden to them right now.

"_And so…please let me use you._"

He swung the Blade forward.

"_Please let me break you._"

"Burning Moon, Katsukiiiiiii!"

With a single swing of the Magic Sword, a massive wave of flame surged forward. The flames engulfed the Black Goliath in a massive twister of flames, drowning out even its howls of pain. The flame raged and burned mercilessly, tearing away its hide and flesh faster than even its regeneration could keep up. As soon as its aura flared up to heal itself, the flames would strip it away and burn even deeper.

_The power to burn the seas._

Its glory was reborn within this battle witnessed by fourteen Adventurers with one among them burning the blade's visage into his very soul.

But, no matter how powerful it was, it was still a Magic Sword.

And as all Magic Swords…

_Crack_

It would shatter without question when it was fired one too many times. A weapon that could never be a truly reliable partner to their wielder. Destined to always shatter and leave their owner behind, they would never fulfill their duty as a weapon…this was why Welf hated them. A useless and painful sympathy that he could never accept.

Welf's face scrunched up in pain as he watched a series of cracks run up and down the Magic Sword before the blade suddenly shattered into a thousand pieces, never to be used again. For a moment he looked as though he had lost something important to him.

"…I'm sorry…" Welf whispered as he looked from the burning tornado and to Bell before quickly retreating away from the Black Goliath.

X-x-X-x-X

Another three minutes had passed since the charging began and Bell was ready once again. Bell's Servants all flashed in his mind as he stared into the roaring twister of fire.

The king who toppled a bull larger than any mountain.

The knight who slew a dragon and devoured its heart.

The child who saw _him_ as their hero.

And the bowman who became his hero.

With a massive roar, Bell launched himself forward with Assassin right behind him.

Even while caught in the ever burning twister, the Black Goliath saw them coming. It forced itself out of the flame, swinging its massive arms out as though it was tearing through a net. It then lunged toward Bell with all of its might.

But in a flash of red light, one arm was severed right through its shoulder…

"Advance, Master!"

…And the other arm was torn to pieces as a spiraling arrow ripped through it.

"Cut it down, Bell!"

Assassin's speed overtook Bell's as she slid to a stop just in front of the Goliath with her hands out.

"Go flying!"

Bell stepped onto her hands and she tossed him high into the air in a surprising show of strength.

Left with only one form of defense left, the Black Goliath opened its mouth up and aimed its magic at the flying Bell, only for several explosions to rip through its mouth, negating the magic and blowing off its lower jaw again.

"Show me your conviction, Bell Cranel."

His Heroes were cheering him on and had cleared the path. It was now Bell's turn to answer them with his own resolve as he swung downward.

"YAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

A deafening explosion ripped through the Floor and enveloped the Black Goliath in light while erasing all other sounds on the Floor.

When the light died, all that was left was the lower half of the Monster Rex. Its upper body, along with its Magic Stone, had been destroyed.

Bell propped himself up with the sword which had weathered his blow thanks to it Durandal property and watched as the rest of its body crumbled to ash, leaving behind a large portion of its hide as a Drop Item.

"""UOOOOOOOOAAAHHHHH!"""

As Mord and his friends let out a cheer, Bell found himself surrounded by Welf and the rest of his Familia.

"You did it Bell! I can't freaking believe it!"

Welf was slapping Bell's back in congratulations before Archer grabbed him and started grinding his knuckles on the side of Bell's head in irritation.

"We need to talk about what you can and can't do when we get back home," Archer said when he finally released Bell and let him fall back into Saber's hands.

Bell could only laugh as he was too tired to really say anything else, let alone stand. He then felt two small bodies clinging onto him. Lily and Assassin were hugging him as hard as they could with Lily only using one arm due to her injury.

Bell looked toward his Captain and saw the king smirk at him before giving him a nod of approval. Seeing that, Bell felt it was yet another step closer to his dream.

X-x-X-x-X

"…Amazing," Ais said as she and the others just watched Archer and his Familia celebrate their victory.

"It sure was something," Finn agreed. "Even if Archer, Saber and Caster were holding back for the most part to let the others gain experience in the middle of such a chaotic and unprecedented fight."

He then turned his head toward Tiona who smiled with her hands behind her head.

"Sorry, but I couldn't let Little Argonaut fight without a weapon, right?" Tiona asked. "Besides, I say that makes me even with Archer saving us from the Spirit."

"I didn't do that to make you guys owe me."

Archer was in front of them, holding Tiona's Blade Roland out to her with a smile.

"Besides, I was paying Gareth back at that time," he pointed out as Tiona let out a giggle and took back her sword.

"Yeah but that left me in your debt so this time I helped save your Familia member."

Archer just shrugged with his head to the side before turning toward Finn with a serious face.

"Can a Monster Rex really become an Enhanced Species?" Archer asked him as if he still couldn't believe it despite just fighting it.

"It's the first I have heard of it," Finn replied as Caster walked up to them as well. "Sorry about the slight interruption."

"What's done is done," Caster said, waving the matter away. "I shall consider it a fee for having you as an audience to our battle."

"Should we be referring to Hestia Familia as minotaur Slayers now?" Tione asked with a smile and a raised eyebrow. "It seems like all your members want to kill at least one at Level 1."

An amused scoff escaped Caster's throat as he shook his head.

"Do as you wish."

At that, the lights in the Dungeon seemed to return to normal as the blood red color disappeared and with it returned the soft white light.

"We'll have to report to the Guild about the possibility of Enhanced Floor Bosses spawning," Finn said with a sigh. "Can I ask your Familia to do that, Archer? Caster?"

"We will be heading there to show proof of our kill in any case," Caster said, gesturing toward the Black Goliath Hide Drop Item that Assassin was helping Lily stuff into her backpack. "Come morrow, all of Orario shall know that Hestia Familia defeated the Floor Boss with only six members…with the help of four outsiders…"

Caster added as an afterthought as he turned back to see Mord thumping Bell on the back with the biggest smile on his face as if he had never been more happy to be alive before flinching back as Lily shouted something at him for thumping the injured Bell.

"About that…" Lefiya began. "Who are those people anyway?"

"Some unlucky Adventurers who were heading back up when the Boss spawned," Archer replied with a shrug. "They just got caught up in the fight."

"That's some bad luck…" Tione sighed as she looked back down the stairs. "Captain, we should really be getting back."

"Right," Finn nodded. "Since your fight is over, then we'll be making the trek back up. Would you like to come with us?"

"I have exerted myself more than necessary already," Caster said as Archer rolled his eyes behind Caster's back. "We shall accept your offer."

With a nod, the two Captains shook hands and the final curtain fell on the performance of Hestia Familia versus the Monster Rex with a single extra member in the audience who had remained hidden under the shroud of a magic item.

X-x-X-x-X

"Ahh…glorious! How glorious!"

Hermes said to himself, hidden in the corner of the room wearing a black helmet made by his Familia Captain that made one's body invisible. The god had sneaked into the Seventeenth Floor earlier than Caster and Saber and had been lying in wait hoping to watch the fight. Although there had been several close calls that will no doubt get him an earful from Asfi later, Hermes felt that it was all worth it. After all, this was the entire reason he came down into the Dungeon in the first place after he had overheard Bell telling dear Syr about his plans a few days ago.

Not that he had been spying on them of course. It had just been a coincidence. He just happened to be walking back to the pub to beg them once more for information about Bell after being turned away before when he saw the group talking to Syr at the entrance.

But never would he have expected a performance such as this!

Granted it was probably his fault that an Enhanced Monster Rex was spawned and he was certainly going to get an earful from that old man about it…but it was totally worth it to see such a performance.

A hero fighting against monsters with what seemed like the Spirits of old.

He stifled his joy until all the Adventurers had left the Floor before his laughter bounced off the empty walls.

He then started talking, not to himself, but to some far off figure that wasn't even in the city of Orario.

"These eyes have seen it! I, Hermes, have seen it all! Your grandson, your parting gift to this world!"

Hermes had known who Bell's "grandfather" was. In fact, it was he who told Hermes about Bell in the first place.

"_The boy has a backbone. The boy has patience. However, he is severely lacking in character_."

The old man had told Hermes that Bell didn't have what it would take to be a hero.

"Have you gone blind with age, saying something like that!? Would you still say that if you saw his bravery here!?"

Hermes threw his head back toward the ceiling, mouth wide open, laughing in a way that could be called crazy.

"First he shatters the record for Leveling Up and now he dealt the finishing blow to the great Goliath! Rejoice, Great Lord Zeus! Your grandson is the real deal! The last hero your legendary Familia left behind! He will carry on your legacy!"

Skipping with joy, Hermes made his way back toward the stairs. Truly, coming down to the Lower World was the best decision the God has ever made.

X-x-X-x-X

"I see, so tomorrow will be your first Dungeon Dive," Hestia said as she looked at Primo and Emma who were examining their new equipment.

With Eina's help, the two of them managed to pick out some decent starter weapons without relying on the rather average Guild equipment. A pair of short swords for Emma and a wooden staff for Primo.

"Yes," Emma nodded. "We got the basics from Eina so she thinks we can handle the First Floor."

"We also have a map," Primo said, patting the folded parchment in front of her. "So we definitely won't get lost."

"I see," Hestia nodded. "I'd still feel better if you waited for the others to return home first but I won't stop you either way."

No sooner did Hestia say that did the front door open and several pairs of feet came walking in.

The three of them froze in shock before Hestia jumped out of her chair and ran toward the front with Primo and Emma right behind her.

When Hestia crossed the living room, she saw them. The other six children of her Familia were there…even the second one who had been gone for so long.

Battered, bruised, bloodied and burned…all of her children were injured in some way except for Caster. But they were all there…with Bell standing at the forefront with a smile on his face.

"We're home, Goddess," Bell spoke softly with a toothy grin.

Tears welled up in Hestia's eyes before they started pouring out. Behind her, Hestia knew Primo and Emma were peering around the corner toward them so she needed to maintain her dignity as a goddess.

She didn't run into Bell's arms as her first instinct told her to do but instead she smiled through her tears.

"Welcome back!" She choked out before all semblance of grace disappeared from her stature and she dived headfirst toward Bell who didn't dodge and caught her in his arms. "Welcome back! All of you!"


	24. New Adventures

**Chapter 24: A Fresh Start**

"To think you can surprise me after all," Caster said as he looked at the two girls standing across his desk with appraising eyes. "You have worked hard haven't you, Goddess Hestia?"

"Huhu! Praise me more Caster!" Hestia said as she threw her chest out.

After a quick shower, the entirety of Hestia Familia had convened in Caster's office for proper introductions.

Bell was sitting on one of the couches in the room with Assassin and Lily at his sides. Archer was leaning his back against the wall beside the door while Saber was standing behind Bell with his hands behind his back. Hestia herself was standing beside Caster.

"Your names, now," Caster demanded.

"Y-yes!" The small, stammering, elf girl began. "P-Primo Libera! N-n-n-nice to meet you, sir!"

"I'm Emma Flores," the human girl greeted them in a much calmer fashion. "A pleasure to meet you all."

Caster gave them a curt nod as his eyes turned to the tapestry hanging on the wall behind him. Bell also turned to look at the newest addition to Caster's office. A large piece of cloth depicting a grail holding a burning fire within as well as a small bell tied to its base. The new Emblem of Hestia Familia.

"Well, what do you think?" Hestia asked looking quite pleased with herself. "It took me all night to figure it out then I sent it over to a tailor for the banners!"

"It will have to do," came Caster's rather flippant reply as Hestia let out a displeased growl. "Have the two of you entered the Dungeon yet?"

"No we haven't, sir," Emma replied, shaking her head. "We were planning to go tomorrow."

"I see…" Caster nodded as his eyes scanned the other occupants of the room. "Saber. Accompany them as a Supporter."

"Very well," Saber answered with a nod.

If Bell remembered correctly, the plan was to let Assassin handle the Supporter role but it looked as though Caster wasn't sure if that was such a good idea at the moment.

"Huh? Is that really necessary just for the First Floor?" Hestia asked. "I mean, I would feel better if someone went along with them but you all just came back right? Wouldn't it be better for you to rest up first?"

"There is no problem, Goddess Hestia," Saber replied. "I will be at one hundred percent in the morning."

"Well…if you say so…" Hestia mumbled. "I also want to throw a party for everyone too. One to welcome Primo and Emma properly and to celebrate everyone else's return from the Dungeon."

"One thing at a time," Caster said, not dismissing the idea entirely. "One must prepare properly if one is to throw a celebration after all. So let us hold it in a few days and celebrate their return from their first voyage as well."

Or rather it would seem the king was all for it.

"Uwaa…Gil's acting all nice all of a sudden…" Hestia said before shirking back when Caster leveled a sharp glare at her.

"The main concern is for the two of you," Caster continued, returning his gaze to the two newcomers. "If you feel having a break right after the first day will be detrimental to your own progress we shall hold off on the celebration."

The Dungeon was a world of kill or be killed. A newbie Adventurer needed to acclimate themselves into such an abnormal setting as soon as possible in order to be successful. However, sending a new team in one day and then celebrating their return the next was a privilege belonging to a successful Familia after all.

"Well, it's fine isn't it?" Hestia asked. "Just think of it like a school initiation before being let off for a weekend."

"Those don't tend to help the nerves of the more serious students though," Archer muttered.

"Now now, let's just forget about the Dungeon for at least an hour or two," Hestia said quickly changing the topic while clapping her hands. "Emma and Primo already introduced themselves so let's have everyone else do so as well."

Caster let out another small breath through his nose before speaking.

"My name is Gilgamesh," Caster said. "However, you are to refer to me as 'Caster' or 'Captain' at all times. Is that understood?"

""Yes!""

As the two girls nodded, Caster gestured for them to sit down on the couch opposite of Bell while Hestia plopped herself down onto the side of Caster's desk.

"I guess I'm next?" Bell asked. "I'm Bell Cranel. Level 2 and the Vice Captain of the Familia."

"Moonlit Dawn right?" Primo asked as Hestia winced with a slight sob escaping her lips that went unnoticed from everyone except Caster. Primo however was staring at Bell with starry eyes…not unlike the same eyes Bell used to look at Archer and the others at first. "How did you do it? Did you really take down a Minotaur on your own."

"Yes," Bell nodded. He wondered if he should act a bit more humble but in the face of a cute junior, he wanted to boast of his accomplishments, if only just a little bit. "It's thanks to everyone's help that I got this far."

A little wish could go a long way after all.

"Shall we go in order then?" Archer asked. "You can call me Archer. It's been a while since I was taking on a Quest from another Familia but I take care most of the chores in the Familia. If you need anything bought or fixed just let me know."

"Liliruca Arde," Lily introduced herself with a quick bow of her head. "But just Lily is fine! Lily is the Familia's Supporter so if Miss Primo or Miss Emma have any questions just leave it to Lily!"

"Sigurd," Saber's introduction was short and curt. "Please refer to me as Saber in public. I am currently in charge of Bell's training. If you either of you wish to join in do not hesitate to ask."

"…What kind of training is it to make someone reach Level 2 in a month and a half?" Primo muttered looking rather pale.

"We're Jack!" Assassin said, raising a hand over her head in greeting. "Let's be friends, Primo!"

"Y-yeah, sure!" Primo stammered at first but the sight of a girl around her age seemed to have calmed her nerves.

"Well now that that's done it's time for dinner!" Hestia said as she hopped off Caster's desk. "Archer, if you're tired I can do it so just rest for the day."

"No, I feel energized being back home after so long," Archer said with a smile. "Let me get back to work at least."

"Fine…but I'm going to help and you can't stop me!"

"…Are you feeling all right, Lady Hestia? Not running a fever I hope?"

"I'm not lazy all the time, damn it!"

"That would be news to me," Caster muttered as Archer let out a warm chuckle before leading the way out of the office.

"Are you going to eat, Lord Caster?" Lily asked, turning around at the door.

"No, I have some work that needs to be taken care of," Caster said as he stood up. "You need not wait for me."

"Understood. Have a safe trip, Lord Caster."

"Hmm. You have done well today, Liliruca Arde."

"Thank you very much."

X-x-X-x-X

"If you have any dietary restrictions let me know," Archer said as he worked behind the counter.

"I don't have anything in particular," Primo replied as she watched him cook from the other side of the counter. "Ah but if you could put a little less meat then that would be fine."

"Anything you particularly dislike though?" Archer asked.

"No…after traveling to Orario from my village I've decided that being picky about food just makes you hungrier…"

The young girl's eyes seemed to fade slightly as she looked off to the side. Considering that many people traveled for weeks, or even months, just to reach this town, fresh food would be a luxury and Primo must have learned to quickly deal with all sorts of foods in order to fill her stomach during her travel to the city.

An Adventurer must not be picky about their food if they wanted to Adventure properly but just like down on the Eighteenth Floor, eating nothing but one kind of food over and over would be a mental burden especially when there wouldn't be too many opportunities to cook properly.

Archer smiled as he reached over the counter and patted Primo on the head, bringing the girl's senses back to the present as she pouted up at him.

Judging from how close she seemed to Emma despite only knowing her for a few days, Archer judged that Primo didn't have the same aversion at being touched by non-elves that a few of the more prideful elves had. It was probably due to her young age or something she also discarded along the way to Orario. Or it was simply because as a member of the same Familia, Archer became someone she trusted almost unconditionally.

"By the way, Archer," Emma began as she walked over with a giggling Assassin on her back and an apologetic looking Bell behind her. "You said you were on a Quest? What was it about? That is…if you can share it that is."

"It was a job with Loki Familia," Archer replied while chopping up the vegetables that Hestia was peeling and handing to him. "The pay was good even though I had to be away for a while."

"Loki Familia?" Primo asked with wide eyes. "T-then you got to see Lady Riveria right?"

"Y-yeah," Archer nodded with a wry smile.

It seemed as though every elf was enamored in some way like she was some sort of celebrity. Granted she was a member of royalty so it probably was something like that. The person in question seemed like she could do without the constant admiration of her race though.

"Umm, don't take this the wrong way Primo," Bell began. "But since you admire Lady Riveria so much, did you try joining Loki Familia?"

"Loki probably wouldn't have turned you away without seeing you first at the very least," Hestia pointed out.

"I couldn't do that!" Primo replied. "If I joined Loki Familia just to try and get close to Lady Riveria then I would just be a stalker right!? No! Lady Riveria is best when admired from afar!"

It seemed that she never planned to try and join Loki Familia to get close to her idol in the first place.

"But wouldn't it be hard to learn magic without a teacher?" Emma asked. "The basics are just memorization but I think having a proper mage would be more helpful in the long run, right?"

Even though everyone in the Familia aside from Emma herself could use magic, no one really knew the intricate details.

Bell's magic was instant cast so he could fire it and forget about it unless he was using Argonaut to charge it.

Archer's magic was unique to himself so others had no way to use his knowledge.

Caster, for all his title and potential, had actually very little magical knowledge and all his magic consisted of firing spells held within wands and staves.

Lily's magic was simple disguise magic and not used for combat and had only a single verse to trigger and release the magic so there wasn't much use there.

Saber's magic involved no verses but instead the use of carving runes in the air or into another medium.

And Assassin was…Assassin. She probably didn't understand anything about magic outside of her own instinct.

"I'm not starting from zero," Primo replied as she threw out her chest. "I learned a bit from Adventurers and other Elves that passed through my village on occasion and Miss Eina said that she can recommend some books if I need them."

It would seem that Primo had put in a lot more thought about becoming a Mage than it first appeared.

"What about you, Emma?" Saber asked from his seat at the dining table. "Have you thought about using magic yourself?"

"Hmm?" Emma blinked in surprise in the middle of setting Assassin down, the question completely catching her off guard. "Magic? Me?"

"Yes. It might not be as efficient but I too learned Magic from my wife in the past. It is a bit unusual but I may try to pass some of the teachings onto you if you wish."

"Ah, come to think of it I think I remember reading something like that," Bell spoke up. "Magic comes into two forms. Innate magic that a person has naturally usually though training and the like amongst certain races. The second is acquired magic that appears to those who received the Falna. It can appear when we receive the blessing or through an outside force thanks to the Falna drawing it out."

"Yes. Aside from time spent, I do not believe there is anything to lose with this method, Emma."

"If you're offering then I won't turn it down," Emma replied with a nod. "Ah…but I think I'd rather practice with a sword more first. I know the basics but…"

"Understood. Whenever you are ready then."

There was no point in trying to teach Emma too many things at once. Create a foundation with her swordsmanship and then build upon it with magic afterwards.

"Miss Primo should consider what she wants to do as well," Lily spoke up from her spot at the table as well.

"Me too?" Primo asked.

"Yes. Does Miss Primo want to be a traditional mage that sits in the back and fires off spells or does she want to be a Magic Knight like Master Archer and Master Saber who use their spells in conjunction with fighting on the front. Lily believes it's called 'Concurrent Chanting,' right?"

"Yeah," Archer nodded. "I've seen Riveria use it firsthand to great affect. She can pull monsters away then freeze them once she was done. Lefiya Virdis, Riveria's student, can also do it."

"I-I see…"

"Now now everyone, you're getting ahead of yourselves," Hestia said with a smile. "Let Primo practice actually using her magic first. Then we can talk about where to branch her skill set into after."

It was rather obvious that everyone was excited about the newcomers. Even the usually stoic Saber was already considering how to train the two of them. It was most likely everyone's way of trying to make them feel welcome and accepted.

Truly, this Familia was a unique one.

X-x-X-x-X

"So…" Hestia began as they had dinner of pan fried noodles with meat and veggies. "How was the job?"

They had extended the table out to accommodate the new members.

Hestia sat at the end of the table opposite of the head which was Caster's usual spot. To her sides were Bell and Assassin, making it obvious to the senior members of the Familia that she was playing favorites as usual. On Bell's side of the table sat Archer and Saber while on Assassin's side sat Emma, Primo and then Lily. Boys on one side and girls on the other.

The goddess was talking to Archer who shrugged his shoulders.

"Dangerous and something I really don't think I should attempt again," Archer replied.

"Good cuz I'm not gonna let you if there's a next time," Hestia said with a nod. "If they want spare weapons they can order them ahead of time."

"Are you a blacksmith, Archer?" Emma asked.

"Not in the usual sense," the man replied as he held his hand out and a blade appeared in his hand. "I can use my magic to create swords more or less out of thin air so Loki Familia asked me to join them on an expedition. An instant replacement for a weapon that might break in the Deep Floors is invaluable after all."

"And you can make weapons that are useful for those High Rank Adventurers?" Primo asked with wide eyes. "That's amazing!"

"Come to think of it…" Bell began. "Does this mean you can make that Magic Sword Welf used during the Floor Boss fight?"

Archer nodded his head.

"I won't do so though, out of respect for Welf."

Bell nodded his head as Primo and Emma looked at each other.

"Welf?" Emma repeated. "Is he another Familia member?"

"Oh no, Welf is my personal Blacksmith," Bell said with a smile. "Welf Cr-"

Bell's mouth slammed shut as everyone aside from Emma and Assassin turned to look at Primo who just looked around in confusion.

"What?" She asked, leaning back slightly. "Did I do something wrong?"

"N-no, it's not you…" Bell said quickly as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well, I suppose I forgot about that too," Hestia sighed. "I was so happy to have Primo and Emma in I forgot about your other party member, Bell."

"Is something wrong with this Welf person?" Primo asked.

"Not particularly…but well…" Hestia began before clearing her throat. "Listen Primo. Bell's personal Blacksmith is a member of Hephaistos Familia. His full name is Welf Crozzo."

Primo's eyes widened at the name while Emma remained confused but kept her silence as she turned toward Primo.

"By 'Crozzo' do you mean _that_ Crozzo?" Primo asked as Bell nodded his head with a bitter face. "I see…so that's why you were all worried."

"Sorry…" Bell apologized quickly. "It just kind of slipped my mind…"

"It's fine, I'm not mad," Primo said with a smile. "I totally heard a lot of horror stories in my village about Crozzo Magic Swords but it wasn't like my tribe's forest got burned down so I don't really care. Besides, that stuff happened way way before I was born, so I don't really get it other than 'it was bad.'"

"Oh Primo, you're such a good girl!" Hestia said as she hopped out of her seat and ran over to hug the elf girl, causing her to squeal in surprise. "So mature too! If only other elves can be as accepting as you!"

"L-Lady Hestia!"

"Welf is a good man who detests his family's Magic Swords," Saber added. "If he could he would distance himself from them entirely."

"Lily doesn't think Master Welf can do that any more," Lily replied as she poked at the peeling skin on her arm that made it look like she had a bad sunburn from the Hellhound's flames. "At the very least, Master Welf is willing to use them to help us when we're in danger."

"Someone should check on him tomorrow then," Hestia said as she released Primo after giving her another pat on the head before returning to her seat. "Not only to see if he's okay but to see whether or not he Leveled Up. You said he was only going to be in your Party until then, right?"

"Ah…" Bell had completely forgotten about that condition.

"Do not worry, Bell," Saber said. "As I said before. Welf is not the type of person to leave as soon as his goal has been reached. He will continue to travel with you so long as you wish for it."

"Right."

"Lily thinks that everyone should visit Master Welf then before going into the Dungeon," suggested Lily. "To introduce themselves to him and see if Master Welf can make Miss Emma some armor."

"Wasn't he Bell's personal Blacksmith though?" Emma asked.

"Yes but it doesn't mean he can't make other things for other people," Bell explained for her. "Just don't ask him for a Magic Sword. He works in both metal and leather armor so if you want something lighter it shouldn't be a problem. I don't know if he knows anything about magic staffs though."

"That's okay. Miss Eina helped me pick a decent one already," Primo said with a nod. "It did cost most of our budget though."

"Well with Caster back we'll be able to allocate more money there so don't worry about it," Hestia said with a wave of her hand. "It's only expected that Mages have a bit more upkeep compared to everyone else."

"It also means that everyone has high expectations of you, Primo," Emma said with a smile. "So let's both do our best."

"Right!"

X-x-X-x-X

The next morning, Emma woke up to something clanging outside.

Sitting up in her bed, she rubbed her eyes as she walked to the window and opened it. Peering outside, she tried to find the source of the noise and saw that it was coming just below her. Her eyes widened as she saw two people dashing back and forth in the front yard. Black and silver shadows struck each other faster than she could track them and judging from the sound of metal clashing against metal, they were only getting faster.

Finally, a loud grunt of pain escaped from the pair as the smaller shadow was knocked to the ground and she saw Bell slide across the yard for a moment before stopping just before hitting the gate.

"Wow…"

The gasp left Emma's lips before she realized it.

Adventurers were amazing. Was that something she could eventually do as well? Excitement coursed through her body as she remembered she would be entering the Dungeon for the first time today. Her eyes fell back down toward Bell as he rubbed the back of his head with a laugh before Saber walked over and helped him up. Saber then turned to look at her which made Bell realize that she had been watching. The two of them waved up at her to which she returned before they started practicing again.

"I see…" Emma muttered as she looked at the clock on her wall. "So this is how Bell got to Level 2."

Even so, despite being a Level 2, Emma could tell that Bell couldn't break through Saber's stalwart defenses nor could he completely defend himself against the older man's attacks. As fast and powerful as Bell was, Saber was still on a completely different level. Although Hestia's personality made Emma a bit worried at times even though the goddess was very kind and supporting, she was happy to see that they were still a serious Familia.

"If they're like this…maybe we can find each other soon…" she muttered with one hand grasping the gem around her neck.

Clapping her hands together, Emma pulled her head back into her room and closed the window. She had to prepare for her first day after all. Getting dressed in her tunic as well as the Guild-issued breastplate, Emma left her room and nearly ran into an extremely sleepy looking Lily who had her arm wrapped up in bandages as well as a patch on her cheek to care for her burns.

"Ah! Good morning, Lily," Emma said quickly as the pallum let out a huge yawn in response.

"Good morning Miss Emma…" Lily replied with a quick bow without even opening her eyes. She then blindly reached for the stair's guardrail and started descending the staircase as she spoke. "Is Miss Emma ready to go into the Dungeon?"

"About as ready as I can be," Emma answered as Lily nodded her head. "Any tips?"

"Do not go past the First Floor," Lily muttered as they reached the bottom of the stairs. "The only monster that Miss Emma should see are goblins. They are weak enough that even a newbie can beat a group of them without getting hit. Just do not get surrounded."

Emma nodded her head as she quickly placed her hands on Lily's shoulders and steered her away from walking face first into the couch.

"Since Miss Emma is going with Miss Primo, Miss Emma should do her best to protect her as well," Lily continued, not really paying attention to where she was walking now.

"Right…" Emma nodded. "Um…do you think you should sleep some more, Lily?"

"Lily will go back to bed after breakfast…" the pallum replied with another yawn. "Then she will go back to sleep. Forever."

"At least wake up by dinner time," Emma said with a giggle.

It would seem that the actual Supporter wouldn't be joining them today due to still being exhausted from her previous expedition.

"Good morning, Emma, Lily."

A deep baritone greeted them when they entered the dining room. Archer, who Hestia had told Emma was her second Child, was busying himself in the kitchen.

"Today's the big day, right Emma?" Archer asked with a smile as she led Lily to her seat where the smaller girl quickly thumped her head against the table. "Think you can fit in some food before you go or do you think you might not be able to keep anything down right now?"

"Umm, maybe some toast would be fine," Emma said. She wasn't particularly hungry like Archer guessed but it probably wasn't a good idea to go into the Dungeon on an empty stomach. "And some jam if we have any left."

Archer nodded before loading some already made toast onto a plate and placed it in front of her along with some butter and a jar of peach jam.

"Be sure to leave some for Primo," Archer added with a smirk as Emma nodded with a giggle. The elf seemed to love peaches more than anything else. "And for you, Lily?"

"Eggs…sausages…a potato puff…and someone to feed Lily," Lily replied as she lifted her head up with her mouth wide open.

Archer responded by dropping a wet towel on her face, causing her to squeak and sit up properly.

"I know you're sore and want to get back to bed but at least eat by yourself properly," Archer said with a sigh as Lily just smiled at him.

"Ahh…Lily really did miss Master Archer being at home," Lily said as she rested her head against the table again.

"I missed you too, Lily," Archer chuckled before placing a plate down in front of her. "Sit up."

"Yes Mama~"

"…"

Archer looked as though he wanted to protest that label but he held his tongue as he went back into the stove.

More than merely a group of Adventurers, Emma felt as though everyone acted like one big family.

"_I think I'm really lucky to be here,_" she thought as she took a bite out of her toast.

As Emma finished her first slice, she turned to see Primo wandering down with Assassin and Hestia right behind her.

"Uuu…are we always going to have to get up so early?" Primo asked.

"Well since you and Emma are still new you probably won't have to after today," Hestia said as they sat down at the table. "Bell used to get up even earlier when it was just him and me since we were constantly broke but now that I have all of you that's a thing of the past!"

"Basically…since Miss Emma and Miss Primo will stay in the first few Floors for the time being there's no need to wake up early," Lily continued. "It just that waking up earlier means more training time."

As Archer set down food for everyone, Bell and Saber finally came back inside, Bell looking a bit battered but he was smiling rather brightly.

"Oh, come to think of it," Hestia began as the two of them took their seats. "I was so happy to have you all back that I completely forgot to update everyone's Status yesterday."

"Right…that was a thing we had to do," Archer muttered as if he had completely forgotten about it.

"Well let's do it before you all leave today. My job starts in the afternoon so I have some time. Come to my office after breakfast. Girls first so Miss Supporter can get back to sleep as soon as possible."

"Lily loves Lady Hestia~" Lily said, giving a weak and sleepy cheer.

"Lily is like a baby now," Assassin said as Lily simply let out a relaxed sigh with her head on the table.

"Without Caster here, Lily appears to be much more relaxed," Saber noted.

"Lord Caster said he had a meeting with someone yesterday," Lily said. "It must have been important if he hasn't returned yet."

Emma had only seen the man once and he certainly exuded an air of majesty and importance. Judging from all the slabs and papers within his office, he seemed disproportionately busy for a Captain of a relatively small Familia. Or rather…why was he using stone slabs when parchment was readily available in the first place. Was it just a personal preference of his for some reason or was there some magic involved? Well, it probably wasn't her place to ask in any case.

When breakfast finished, Hestia called everyone except Primo and Emma to her office one at a time to update their Status.

First was Lily.

The pallum girl disappeared into Hestia's office and after a moment there was a loud scream of happiness as she burst out of the room with the biggest smile on her face.

"Lily is now Level 2!" She said as she dived into Bell's chest.

"That's…that's great, Lily!" Bell said as he returned the hug before squeaking and releasing her.

"Yes!" Lily nodded as she stepped back. "Now Lily can support Lord Caster and Bell even better!"

After a round of congratulations, Assassin went in next, then Archer, Saber and then finally, Bell.

Hestia seemed to be taking a long time with Bell, longer than the previous three combined. Suddenly the office door flew open and the Goddess came out with a pale look on her face.

"I'm calling another meeting!" Hestia announced as she ushered everyone inside.

Compared to Caster's office which was all business aside from the few accommodations for guests and meetings, Hestia's office was much more homey.

The walls were covered with shelves and books as well but they were novels for entertainment rather than work. Below some of the shelves were glass cases with wine bottles in them as well as another case that contained a rather worn and used dagger that had the label "Bell's First Weapon" on it. On the desk in the room were several portraits of every Adventurer in her Familia taking up most of the space on top of the desk with Bell's and Assassin's sitting in the front most position. There was also a note attached to the side of one of them saying "Group Photo needed!"

The sides of the room had comfortable armchairs laid out with two of them placed right in front of Hestia's desk and another pair of couches located in the center of the room.

The two massive discrepancies between the two offices neatly portrayed the personalities between the two heads of the Familia.

Bell was there, shirt still removed while gaping blankly at his Status sheet.

"Is something wrong, Bell?" Primo asked as she walked over and peered over Bell's shoulder before she let out a choking sound. "Grk!?"

At Primo's surprise Archer lifted his hand and placed it against his face.

"Let me guess," the man sighed. "Level 3?"

Lily and Emma both wheeled toward Archer, eyes wide open before turning back toward Bell who stiffly nodded and set his Status Sheet down on the table.

_**Bell Cranel**_

**Level 2**

**Strength**: D521- A875

**Defense**: C632-S997

**Dexterity**: B721-S934

**Agility**: B742-SS1007

**Magic**: A891-SS1087

**Development Ability **

_Mage_

_Abnormal Resistance_

_Hunter_

Emma may be a new Adventurer but even she didn't need the others to tell her that such numbers were definitely _not_ normal.

"_What_ the hell did you guys do down there!?" Hestia shouted. "I know you went to fight the Floor Boss but did you make Bell fight it _alone_!?"

"We did not," Saber replied quickly. "Bell played an important role in the battle and also delivered the final blow."

"Bell also got lost on the Eighteenth Floor after being chased around by Miss Lefiya and ended up fighting a New Species," Lily added. "Oh and he beat three more Minotaurs on his own in two minutes."

Hestia buried her face into her hands and let out a long and agonized sigh while Emma couldn't help but feel both amazed and just a little bit intimidated by Bell. The kind looking boy was hiding a powerful monster under that cute face of his.

"Well, let's wait until Caster comes back before we decide what to do with this," Hestia said as she looked at Bell. "But what I'm thinking is that even if you do decide to Level Up Bell, is that we don't report it to the Guild."

"Isn't that illegal?" Archer asked.

"We'll use the excuse that we didn't think they'd believe us," Hestia answered quickly. "Level 3 in THREE WEEKS. Who does that!?"

"Bell apparently," Emma said with a giggle as Hestia let out another groan telling Emma that she wasn't in the mood for such jokes. "Sorry…"

"Listen," Hestia said seriously. "If this gets out our Familia will become under more scrutiny and Bell will definitely get targeted by the more…let's call them persistent gods. And if that happens…"

Hestia turned toward Saber and Archer who nodded their heads in understanding.

"Well, whatever Caster wants to do he can't stop you from Leveling Up, Bell," Hestia said with a sigh. "So you decide if you want to go for it or try and raise up those Parameters a bit more."

"…I didn't think Status numbers go up that high…" Primo muttered as she walked around the couch and sat down beside Bell. "How do you do it?"

"I don't know if I'm doing anything different from everyone else," Bell replied honestly. "I think it's because I have the support of Archer and the others."

Emma turned toward Archer but the man seemed to be looking curiously at Hestia who was doing her best not to meet anyone's eyes.

"W-well in any case!" Hestia said quickly as she cleared her throat. "You're burning daylight here! Let's all work hard today! Jack, you're going to come help me with work today, okay?"

"Okay, Mommy Hestia!" Assassin nodded.

"Lily is going back to bed if no one else needs her," Lily said as she walked out of the room muttering something about Bell's growth and Spirits under her breath.

"Then I'll handle the shopping after seeing what supplies we're low on," Archer said. "Come to think of it…we're practically out of space for new members already aren't we?"

"Indeed," Saber nodded. "If I had to guess, Caster is most likely either looking for a new property or consulting someone about adding more rooms to the Home."

"Like a detached house or something?" Hestia muttered. "I don't think the rooms are big enough for two people anyway so that might be the best if we don't want to leave this place after barely a month. We have quite a bit of unused yard space and if need be we can see if we can't buy one of the buildings next to us. Well, I'll leave the details to Gil as usual!"

"The Captain has his work cut out for him, doesn't he?" Emma turned to Saber and asked as a chuckle escaped the man's mask.

"Then I'll head over to Welf's to see how he's doing," Bell said before looking at Primo and Emma. "Do you want to come with me?"

"If Mister Crozzo is going to help us then I want to see if he can make some robes for me," Primo said as she stood up alongside Bell. "I don't like the Guild's breastplate all that much…"

"If possible please refer to him as 'Welf,' Primo," Saber said as he opened the door to let Bell and the girls out. "As was said, he does not like his family name."

"What a weird person…" Primo muttered.

"Should we stop by the Guild first?" Emma suggested. "Just to let Miss Eina know we're going to head into the Dungeon?"

"That's probably a good idea," Bell nodded as they gathered their things and headed out, saying goodbye to Archer, Hestia and Assassin as they did.

X-x-X-x-X

Their first order of business was to visit the Guild.

The building wasn't quite as busy as it was when Emma came before but there were still quite a few Adventurers lining up in front of the reception desks and the money changer at this time.

Bell scanned the row of desks before spotting Eina at her usual station and led them all to her.

"Good morning, Miss Eina!" Bell greeted the Advisor who stared at him.

She then dropped what she was doing and ran around counter in order to grab Bell by the shoulders.

"Are you okay!?" were the first words to come out of her mouth. "Are you hurt?"

"I-I'm fine!" Bell said as she started shaking him. "We beat the Floor Boss and all came back safely."

"That's not what I heard!" Eina hissed before dropping her voice to a low whisper. "It was an Enhanced Species!"

"Why do you look like you only just found out this morning?" Primo asked.

"Because she wasn't working when we reported it to the Guild last night," Saber replied.

"I had to hear it from your Captain when he came by to pick up the certificate the Guild issues as proof of defeating a Floor Boss," Eina said. "And I only heard about you going down to do so from your Goddess a day after the fact!"

"I'm sorry!" Bell apologized immediately. "But Caster sprung it up on us the night before and we left early in the morning…"

Basically, there just wasn't time between Caster's decision and the start of the trip for Bell to tell Eina about it. Even so, the Advisor definitely did not look happy about it at all. Emma wondered if it was okay for her to worry so much about a single Adventurer when the Guild was supposed to be neutral in all things but if no one was calling her out on it then it probably was fine.

"Still, I'd like it if you make an attempt to tell me if you're going to go on an expedition, okay?" Eina asked and Bell nodded.

"I will, I promise," Bell said before his face broke into a smile. "By the way Miss Eina, we got a Familia Emblem now!"

Bell showed her the Hestia Familia Emblem patch that had been sewn onto his sleeve by his shoulder. The flaming grail easily visible for Eina to see.

"I've noticed," Eina said with a smile. "Especially since I've already seen it on Primo and Emma."

Indeed, there was a similar patch on Emma's sleeve and on Primo's back as well, causing Bell to deflate somewhat.

"Come now, you can't make such a face in front of your juniors," Eina said as she returned back behind her counter. "Are you heading down to the Dungeon today?"

"Ah yes," Bell nodded as he turned around to look at Emma and the others. "Caster's having Saber look after them but I was thinking of coming along as well."

"Good," Eina said with a smile. "It's important to look after your juniors after all, Vice Captain."

"Of course!"

"Oh and I don't know if your Captain had told you yet, but your Familia Rank has gone up again with your defeat of the Goliath. Congratulations everyone, you're Familia Rank is now Rank F."

When Emma had talked to Eina to register a few days ago, Hestia Familia was still only Rank H. They had jumped two whole ranks thanks to the deeds of her seniors.

"Four places from the bottom," Saber muttered. "Goddess Hestia will be displeased at the increase in taxes."

Eina could only laugh apologetically at the man's blunt assessment.

"Soon we'll have to go on regular expeditions for the Guild, right?" Primo asked Eina who nodded.

"Well, 'soon' might be a bit much but you need to be Rank D before that happens," Eina replied. "That said, it is a bit unusual for a new Familia to be placed so high already. With only one Level 2 and a handful of Level 1s. I suppose my superiors believed that since you could defeat a Monster Rex with those numbers that it was fitting."

Eina turned her head to one of the bulletin boards and Emma saw that a notice had been put up announcing their Familia's success. It certainly explained the looks their group was getting.

"But be careful, okay?" Eina said as she leaned in close. "A lot of questions are floating around concerning your Familia."

"About our Levels, right?" Saber asked and Eina nodded. "As of this moment, every single member of our Familia aside from Bell and Lily are Level 1. I can say this in front of any god with full confidence."

"Lily is…your pallum Supporter, correct?" Eina asked as she gestured for them to follow her, seeing that this conversation might take a while and that they should move to a private room. "So you are officially reporting her Level Up?"

"Yes," Bell nodded.

Emma supposed that was technically true. Although Bell could Level Up as well, he technically hasn't yet. Still…she wondered if it was okay complying with the letter of the law while completely ignoring the spirit of it.

"Wouldn't it be faster if the guild told us to prove our Levels?" Primo asked.

"The Guild is wary about doing that," Eina said once they were inside a private and soundproof room. "A while back, several Familias accused Ishtar Familia of falsifying their Levels and had the Guild examine the Status of the entire Familia. Parameters, Skills, Magic, Development Abilities…all of it was exposed…and found no signs of foul play. Everything was as reported. Thus Ishtar Familia demanded compensation from the Guild and the Guild leveled penalties against the other Familias who made the accusation."

"…And then Ishtar Familia destroyed the other Familias that were weakened from the fines, right?" Emma asked, seeing where the story was going and Eina nodded.

"Yes. That is why the Guild doesn't look into such things without direct and undeniable proof first."

"Then how about we nip the discussion here?" Saber suggested as he stood up. "You are able to read the hieroglyphics, correct Miss Eina Tulle?"

"Y-yes but…" Eina began as Saber removed his armored gauntlets and pauldrons. "You're not suggesting I look at yours are you?"

"I trust you to only look at the Parameters," Saber said as he placed a hand on the collar of his tunic. "It will be enough for your superiors as well, will it not?"

"B-but your Status is locked, right?" Eina asked. "I wouldn't be able to see it without your Goddess's blood anyway!"

"Have no fear, I had her keep it unlocked after I had my Status updated this morning," Saber said as he removed his tunic, revealing his bare back and the Falna upon it. "Caster and I had planned this a while back. There is no worry."

Primo let out an embarrassed squeak as she turned her eyes away from Saber in embarrassment. Emma tried very very hard to do the same but could only cover her eyes with her hands…and even then she still peeked through the cracks in her fingers toward the man's back. It was as though someone sculpted a perfect rendition of the male figure out of ice and then brought it to life. A chiseled body covered in old scars that detailed a life of Adventure long before the man came to Orario.

Nevertheless, a red-face Eina managed to look through the top part of the Falna before her face slowly paled in surprise.

"…You really are still Level 1…" she gasped. "And what's more…not a single Parameter is over two digits…"

"The Falna does not take into account an Adventurer's life beforehand, correct?" Saber asked as he turned around and grabbed his tunic. "I have lived rather full life before coming to Orario and joining Hestia Familia."

"Yes…" Eina nodded as she removed her glasses and rubbed her eyes. "I understand, I'll let my superiors know. Hopefully this will be enough for them."

"That is all we ask," Saber said now fully dressed again. "Any further investigation will not be tolerated."

"I understand," Eina nodded again. "Also, I already told your Captain this but please be aware that the Guild declared the appearance of the Black Goliath to be an irregular event and has put a gag order on it."

Bell and Saber shared a look before turning back to Eina.

"Um, what does that mean?" Bell asked.

"It means that as far as the Guild is concerned, you defeated a normal Goliath down in the Dungeon, not an Enhanced Species."

"But why?" Bell asked, standing up before Saber placed a hand on his shoulder to push back down. "Isn't it important for Adventurers to know that an Enhanced Floor Boss could spawn?"

"I agree," Eina said with a nod and a grimace. "But it's been labeled as an irregularity, 'a random act of the god,' as you will. So unless it spawns another time…"

"Ah…" Bell muttered as if understanding something as he turned toward Saber who nodded his head in understanding as well.

"But won't it be too late by that time?" Emma asked. "I don't know how a Floor Boss Fight usually goes but if it's stronger than usual won't it be extremely bad if it shows up again?"

"I know…but my hands are tied. My bosses are more concerned about keeping things calm than anything else. They're reasoning is that if other Familias are worried about facing an Enhanced Species, fewer Adventurers would move pass the Seventeenth Floor…especially considering that the respawn time for the Goliath was a lot longer than usual. I think the only reason they even allowed your Familia to claim victory over it is because you walked into the Guild carrying its Drop Item as proof of its existence. I'm sorry."

Emma looked at Bell and she could see his frustration clear on his face but he seemed to understand that getting upset with Eina wasn't going to change anything.

"I understand…" Bell nodded. "I guess I can't really say anything else since Caster seems to have agreed as well."

And that was the end of that.

After that they said goodbye to Eina, who promised to file away the new information about Lily's Level Up and Saber's Status, and headed toward the Northeastern District of Orario also known as the Industrial District.

Which meant they had to walk past Babel Tower along the way.

"It's…big," Primo muttered as she looked over her shoulder back at the tower. "I always knew that but…"

"It's a different thing to see it so close up, isn't it?" Emma asked and Primo nodded.

"And the Goddess Freya is said to live up on the top floor, right?"

"That's what I have heard, yes," Saber said with a nod, turning his head to glance at the highest level of Babel while Bell shivered a bit. "Are you feeling cold, Bell?"

"I…don't know?" Bell replied as he rubbed his arms. "Let's just hurry."

At Bell's urging, they quickened their pace until they reached a single story building covered in soot and burn marks with a smokestack in the corner of the roof. With the heavy equipment lying outside the building it was the perfect picture of a forge.

Saber announced their presence with a heavy knock on the door. After a minute, a rather tired looking young man with red hair opened the door with a yawn. His sleepy expression cleared immediately when he saw it was Saber and Bell at his door.

"Yo, morning!" He greeted them with a big grin. "Wait, were we going into the Dungeon today?"

"_We _are," Saber said as he stepped to the side and indicated Emma and Primo. "Our Familia gained two fresh new members during our expedition and it will be their first day in the Dungeon. I have been tasked to oversee their first day."

"Ohh, always nice to see newcomers," Welf said as he extended his hand out to Emma who accepted his rather eager handshake. "I'm Welf, a Blacksmith. If you ever need anything just let me-ahh…"

Welf's words trailed off when he spotted Primo who was looking up at him. She then reached out and shook his hand on her own accord with a smile.

"Nice to meet you Mister Crozzo!" She greeted happily him. "I'm Primo Libera!"

"Uhh…yeah! Nice to meet you Primo!"

"Not going to give her a nickname, Welf?" Bell asked with a smile.

"I'm not gonna push my luck just yet," Welf admitted with a laugh before turning toward Emma again.

"Emma Flores," Emma introduced herself with a quick bow. "Nice to meet you Welf."

"Same to you, Emma," Welf nodded. "So did you just come by for introductions or…?"

"Well, that and…did you manage to hit Level 2?" Bell asked.

Welf's response was a big smile and a thumbs up.

"Oh, congratulations!" Primo said as she clapped her hands. "That's important, right?"

"Yep! Now I can make more powerful weapons and get to use Lady Hephaistos's signature on my best works!"

In short it was his chance to make a bigger name for himself.

"Then I will ask the question Bell is hesitant to," Saber said as Bell winced. "Will you be continuing to be a part of our Party?"

"What, worried I'll leave you?" Welf asked with a laugh. "Don't worry. I'll hang around if you still want me to."

"Of course I do!" Bell said with a nod before looking at Emma and Primo. "Ah…but it might be some time before we head back into the Dungeon ourselves…"

"No problem, I understand," Welf nodded as he moved aside to show the inside of his forge where Emma could see countless materials that looked like they came from monsters as well as minerals that might have been mined from the Dungeon itself scattered around the room as well as what looked like a massive black slab of flesh on a table that stood out from everything else. "Your Captain popped in last night to hand it over. I'm gonna be busy with these things as well."

"Can you make a robe for me?" Primo asked. "The guild armors were rather uncomfortable…"

"She means they were too big for her," Emma stage whispered to Welf who snorted as Primo let out a betrayed shout and started pounding Emma's back with tears of embarrassment.

"Sure no problem!" Welf said after clearing his throat. "Dunno if I can use the hide we got from the Floor Boss since it weighs a ton but I got some furs lying about…somewhere. What about you Emma? Want some light metal armor like Bell or perhaps something with monster leather like mine?"

"Umm…maybe something with monster leather with some metal parts," Emma replied. "Not as much as Saber's or Bell's. Maybe just for my chest?"

"Got it," Welf nodded. "I'll visit your place with some sketch ideas in a few days. Just be sure to have your measurements prepared by then. I mean, I can do it for you but…"

His voice trailed off as he rubbed the back of his head as Emma giggled into her hand.

"Of course, Welf."

"Oh we should celebrate your Level up some time too," Bell added. "We're probably going to hold a welcome party for Primo and Emma soon so why don't you join us?"

"You sure? I wouldn't wanna intrude."

"If you're going to be Partying with our seniors then you're practically one of our Familia already," Primo said. "Unless you rather celebrate with your own Familia first?"

"Well when you put it like that," Welf shrugged with a smile. "I'll join you guys if you'll have me."

"Of course!" Emma nodded as she clapped her hands together. "We'll be counting on you from now on too, Welf."

"Leave it to me! I'll take care of all your equipment needs!"

"That being said…" Primo began. "Do you know anything about magic staves?"

"Ahh…sorry," Welf apologized as his bluster faded away. "Ain't got the first idea other than that most of the Elf Mages I've seen use staffs or weapons made from some important tree from their forests. You might have to see someone who specializes in that sort of thing."

Primo nodded her head in understanding.

"Do you know of any specialty places?" Primo asked as Welf scratched his head.

"Hmm…I heard that there was a shop near the Guild that dealt with wands and the like but like I said, I ain't an expert so you might as well ask there for more info."

"All right," Primo nodded as she looked at her beginner mage staff. "I'll just stick with this for now then."

"Why not ask Caster for one?" Welf suggested. "He has like a million of them lying around doesn't he?"

"I can't do that!" Primo said quickly. "I have to work my way up to getting one! As a Level 1 without a single parameter point to her name, a beginner weapon is enough for me."

"Haha, well aren't you diligent?"

With the meeting done, they bade goodbye to Welf and headed for their actual destination.

Babel Tower and the Dungeon below it.

X-x-X-x-X

"We finally made it inside the Dungeon…" Emma muttered as she and Primo looked around at the wide corridors of the underground labyrinth. "I wonder if we really can handle the monsters here. I'm more nervous than I thought…"

"D-d-d-don't worry Miss Emma!" Primo began trying to to build up her on confidence. "I'm r-r-right behind you!"

"Don't worry about it too much, Primo, Miss Emma," Bell said with a smile. Even though he hadn't been told to come, Bell came along at the suggestion of Saber and Bell seemed to jump at the idea of taking a teaching role. "The monsters on the Upper Floor might be scary to newbies but with the Falna the two of you are more than a match for them."

"Indeed," Saber nodded. "Do not let your guard down in any case. If it gets dangerous, Bell and I will be here to help."

"U-understood!" Emma replied as Primo could only nod her head. "Oh umm…by the way, Bell?"

"Yes? What is it?"

"You don't have to be so formal with me you know? I may be older than you but you're my Vice Captain and my senior, right?"

"Ah…you have a point there…" Bell admitted. "Then…Emma…Primo, whenever you two are ready. The formation will be Emma in the front and Primo in the middle. Saber and I will take the rear."

With a nod, Emma and Primo started moving forward.

"The two of you understand what the Dungeon is and the role Adventurers play within it, correct?" Saber asked as they walked passed several other Parties to reach a corridor off the main path that was less crowded.

"Yes," Primo nodded. "The Dungeon spawns monsters from the walls and Adventurers hunt them to collect their Drop Items like fangs or Magic Stones to sell and make money."

"Or use those Drop Items to make new equipment out of," Emma added.

"Correct. If there is anything you do not understand, do not hesitate to ask us…after this of course."

"A-after what!?" Primo shrieked, her nerves finally boiling over.

"M-monsters?" Emma asked as she squinted her eyes to try and get a better look down the dark tunnel.

"Shh," Bell shushed them quickly. "Would you like me to show the two of you how Goblins fight or do you want to jump into the deep end first?"

"I-if you'll please," Emma replied.

"Don't worry about it," Bell said as he stepped to the front. "All right, stick close and watch how I move. Primo, do you want to try close combat as well?"

"I-I'll pass for now…" Primo replied, her knees clattering against each other as Saber patted her on the shoulder to try and calm her down.

"Then hold off on your Magic for now," instructed Bell. "I'll jump in first and draw their attention, Emma. After that you try to take them out while they're distracted."

"G-got it!" Emma nodded.

"And above all else, be sure to keep an eye on Primo," Saber added. "As a Mage, her self-defensive options are much more limited, especially when she is casting a spell."

"Yes!"

"…Is that a nicer way of saying that I'm a burden?" Primo asked softly.

"All Mages are burdens when they start out," Saber replied bluntly. "That is why they train hard to become an asset instead. Concurrent Casting, chanting faster, manipulating Mind faster…there are several ways they can ease the burden on themselves and their Familia. You will get there, Primo. And we shall help you along the way."

"Got it," Primo nodded just as a group of goblins appeared from around the corner causing her to let out another shriek. "Hiii!"

"Emma, watch for an opening!" Bell said as he shot forward. One moment he was right beside her and then she blinked and Bell was already in the middle of the goblins. It was like a whirlwind had appeared in the middle of the monsters as they scattered in fear before launching themselves at Bell. However, Bell moved so fast that Emma could barely keep track of him as he easily weaved around the goblins even though they attacked him at the same time.

Emma watched them jump at Bell, swinging their stubby arms at him and saw how he moved to avoid them. She wasn't sure she could mimic his moves so she decided to focus on how the goblins moved instead.

Seeing her chance, Emma drew her blades and rushed forward, striking the closest goblin in the back. The monster slumped forward, unmoving as the other three screeched at her in rage. With a casual slap from Bell though, the one furthest away from her was sent flying to the side. One of the remaining goblins lunged at Bell, leaving Emma to take on one on her own.

Staring at the monster, Emma felt her heart pound in her chest before the monster lunged at her. Stepping back she quickly dodged it just as its claws missed her face and swung her sword up, slashing the monster and knocking it away into a wall.

"I did it…I did it!" Emma said as Bell kicked the final goblin aside, smashing its head into a wall. "I did it Bell! Saber!"

"Yep, you did well!" Bell praised her with a smile. "Wow…I remember my first goblin too…"

"Now all Emma needs to do is to run home to the goddess and tell her about it," Saber said, his eyes smiling as Bell flinched in shock.

"Geh! How did you know about that!?" Bell asked. "Did the Goddess tell you?"

"Indeed," Saber replied with a chuckle. "She told me all about how you slew your first goblin…one single goblin before running home to tell her about it."

Bell let out a scream of embarrassment as he reared back with his hands around his head. His aura of a cool senior vanishing in an instant as both Primo and Emma shared a laugh.

"But there you have it," Saber said as he knelt down so that he was closer to eye level with Primo. "With the grace of the Goddess Hestia, your body is strong and fast enough to handle any number of goblins that come your way."

"Got it!" Primo nodded as Saber dug out the tiny fingernail sized Magic Stones from their chests, showing the girls where they were located. "I'll join in on the next one as well!"

"Atta girl, Primo!" Emma cheered as Bell stopped tracing lines on the Dungeon floor with his finger and stood back up.

"Then let's keep on going," Bell said, looking as though he was trying to regain some of his pride and confidence back but his movements were stiff and jerky.

Emma felt a bit bad for laughing but picturing Bell running home to Hestia after entering the Dungeon for barely an hour just to get the goddess to praise him couldn't help but make her smile. Level 2 bordering on Level 3 Record Holder or not, he was still a boy that was still even younger than her with all the awkwardness that it entailed. Not that she didn't understand how he felt. She herself was so happy that she managed to defeat even two goblins that she immediately sought praise from Bell and Saber. If she had been alone would she have tried running back as well?

It wasn't long before they came across another group of goblins although they hadn't noticed them yet.

"All right, let's have Primo use her magic here," Bell said as he walked forward. "I'll keep them busy while you chant, all right?"

"Yes!" Primo nodded as she stepped forward staff pointing forward. "_Glittering stars crossing the night sky._"

As Primo began her chant, the goblins turned their heads toward her and with a screech they charged forward with Bell quickly moving to intercept them before they reached her.

"_Hear my naïve prayer and guide these falling lights…_"

Emma's gaze was torn between watching Bell fight and seeing Primo's majesty as lights swirled around her in response to her prayer. This was her first time seeing a spell being cast to completion as her village, one month away from Orario by carriage, was neither large nor important enough for a mage to stop by and show off their magic.

"_Descend o starry tears! Blast away these hapless rejects!_"

For her first time casting, Emma thought Primo was doing rather well, although she had nothing to compare it to. The words were said in confidence without any stuttering and the light around her was shining brightly. Primo then swung her staff toward the goblins, signaling Bell to quickly retreat out of the line of fire as seven orbs of lights appeared around Primo's body like twinkling stars.

"_Lumine Pleiades!_"

The stars flashed once before beams of light shot forward at the goblins. Most of the beams missed with only one of them hitting dead on, but the explosions they kicked up upon hitting the ground was enough to take out the Dungeon's weakest monsters.

"Wow…" Emma breathed as the corridor was filled with smoke.

"I did it!" Primo cheered, jumping up and down. "I did it! I did it! On my first try too! Well, it's only natural for a genius like me!"

"Whew, that was dangerous!" Bell said as he ran out of the smoke back to the others. Despite his words, not a single speck of dirt or singe could be seen on his clothes. "But like I thought, full-chant magic is so cool!"

Saber simply chuckled as the smoke cleared and he glanced over at the remains. Or rather, the lack of them.

"It would seem that that spell is overkill against mere goblins," Saber noted. "The spell destroyed their Magic Stones as well."

"Ah umm…I'm sorry…" Primo apologized as her ears drooped.

"No, I am not criticizing you, Primo," Saber said. "I am merely noting that the goblins are far too weak for you to use your magic on. Besides, we have no need for such small Stones in the first place."

"I agree," Bell nodded. "I think war shadows are probably more of a better target to use magic against but we're not going to see any all the way up here."

"War shadows…appear on the Sixth Floor, right?" Primo asked.

"Yes. They're resistant to physical attacks unless you strike their core so magic is usually the way to go. That's why it's a good thing both of you joined at the same time."

"Indeed," Saber nodded. "Once we continue our deeper dives, the two of you will have to support each other. Depending on what happens I believe either Archer or I should accompany you."

"Didn't Caster want Jack to act as their Supporter?" Bell pointed out. "I think they'll be fine with just her."

Saber was quiet for a moment before nodding his head.

"True. I suppose I am merely being overprotective again."

"I don't blame you, Saber. After everything that happened during the expedition, even I'm a bit worried about leaving Emma and Primo alone with just Jack to support them."

"Well we shall see what happens," Saber said as he gestured for Emma to take the front. "Let us continue a bit further."

X-x-X-x-X

They ventured a bit further with Emma and Primo taking turns dispatching the monsters. It was slow going but Emma didn't mind. She was learning a lot by watching Bell move and she felt more and more confident about being an Adventurer with each goblin she cut down. But even without any armor, Bell's Status made it so that none of the goblins could even scratch him. Emma felt that she understood just how different a High Class Adventurer was compared to a Level 1 like her.

Primo attempted to fight in close quarters alongside Emma but when a goblin lunged at her, she panicked and started screaming and swinging her staff so wildly that she smacked Emma across the head.

"…Let us wait a bit before we have you move to the front as well," Saber said as Emma patted the sobbing and apologizing Primo on the head with a smile.

"The journey to be a Magic Knight is a long one, isn't it?" Bell asked with a laugh. "Are you okay, Emma?"

"I'm fine," Emma replied. Though the bonk to the head did hurt, it wasn't as though it was going to leave a bruise or anything.

"I'm sorry…" Primo apologized for what felt like the hundredth time as Emma sped up her head pats.

"Come on, I said I'm fine," Emma said as she bent down and hugged the elf. "Besides, it's not like I don't understand. They're really creepy, aren't they?"

Primo silently nodded her head as she accepted the hug. Mage and adventurer or not, she was still a ten-year-old kid after all.

"We've hit the entrance to the next floor," Saber noted as Emma followed his gaze toward a set of stairs leading down a few dozen feet away from them. "The Second Floor is not so different from the First but let us turn back for now. There is no need to go down just yet."

Emma agreed. Even if Eina said that there was just more goblins down there with the occasional group of kobolds, just the thought of going down even further into the Dungeon was a bit much for her right now. She didn't know how long they spent in the Dungeon but it felt like days since she last saw the sun.

"How do you two do it?" Emma found herself asking as Saber and Bell turned toward her.

"Do what?" Saber asked.

"Go into the Dungeon for days on end? It's only been a few hours and I already feel exhausted."

"It's just something you get used to," Bell replied. "To be a good Adventurer you have to get used to being in the Dungeon. The best of the best can even spend weeks down here."

"Adventurers are amazing…" Primo muttered.

"I would say Adventurers have no inkling of common sense," Saber said as he glanced over at Bell. "Or self-preservation."

"What?" Bell asked, sounding a bit defensive as Saber turned his eyes away. "What!?"

"In any case, if you are feeling tired Emma, let us make haste to the surface. We won't search for any more enemies but we will continue the training should we come across any more enemies."

Primo and Emma nodded their heads as Saber had her take the front again.

They didn't encounter any monsters on the way back for the most part as several other Parties were making their way through the Dungeon as well. Considering the time and that they were only on the First Floor, these Adventurers were either also newcomers, people who wanted to take it easy today and make some pocket change, or people who had long since given up on going any deeper.

Eventually, the walls in front of them started to crack, indicating a monster birthing event.

"Since this is the last fight of the day, let us have both of you fight," Saber said as he turned toward the girls. "Emma, you are to hold the goblins in place while Primo does her chant. It'll be fine to kill a few but try to leave at least one for Primo. Do not take any chances though."

""Yes!""

The girls replied at the same time as Emma stood in front of Primo while the elf prepared her chant.

"_Glittering stars crossing the night sky…_"

As if reacting to the chant, the monsters burst out of their holes faster than usual and lunged at Emma, three of them in total.

She jerked her body back as the claws soared over her head and delivered a kick to the one that in the middle, sending it flying back. Getting back onto her feet she quickly dodged another swipe from the second goblin and kicked it away as well.

"Emma, remember you have swords too!" Bell called out in a teasing voice.

"I know!" Emma replied feeling rather embarrassed as she just remembered that she was wearing a skirt. "But they're so short it's hard to swing at them sometimes! Eep!"

She quickly ducked under the final goblin's swing as she rolled back to her feet. She then realized that she ended up placing herself in the middle of the goblins.

"_Just stay calm…_" she told herself as she looked around to get a bead on the location of the three goblins. Beyond the one right in front of her she could see Primo still chanting with Bell and Saber a bit behind the elf. She had to figure out how to do this on her own. She can't rely on Bell and Saber forever as they'd eventually be going into the Dungeon depths for their own Adventure. "_But still…if I can just move like Bell does…if I can just move like him…!_"

After all, the goal was not to defeat them but to buy time for Primo to finish her spell.

The goblins lunged at her and she dodged and weaved around them. She knew her clumsy movements were nothing compared to the refined movements she saw Bell and Saber do earlier this morning. But they were enough that she wouldn't get hit by the tiny monsters.

When she had the chance, she slashed at a goblin and managed to deliver a deep cut into its arm.

"Emma!" Bell called out and Emma turned to see the sparkling lights around Primo flashing, telling her it was time to go.

"_Lumine Pleiades!_"

As Emma ran away from the goblins Primo's spell shot past her and struck her targets, kicking up smoke in the corridor.

"We did it!" Primo said as she ran up to Emma.

"Yay!" Emma cheered alongside the elf as the two high-fived each other with both of their hands.

Behind them their two seniors looked on with smiles. But then…

"Get down!" Saber called out.

"Eh?"

But neither of them could properly react to Saber's warning. Turning around, Emma saw something black lunge out from the smoke. Emma dived away from them, tackling Primo toward the ground as something sharp cut across her back.

"_FIREBOLT!_"

A flash of red flames streaked above Emma's head and blasted the monster that had attacked them to dust.

"Emma! Primo!" Bell called out as he ran over to them. "Are you all right?"

"I-I think so," Emma replied with a wince as she tried moving her hand to touch her back over her shoulder. The cut didn't feel deep but as she couldn't see it she didn't know how bad it was. At the very least she could feel blood seeping down.

"Do not move," Saber said as Bell helped a tearful Primo up to her feet while Saber examined Emma's back. "Hmm…it is not as bad as it looks. Here, drink."

He handed Emma a bottle of red liquid and she drank the syrupy liquid obediently. Once the bottle was empty, the sharp pain on her back was replaced with cold relief.

"Miss Emma…" Primo began with a sob.

"Don't worry," Emma said, putting on a brave face as she patted her head. "I'm all better now."

"I'm sorry," Bell apologized with a pained expression on his face. "I let my guard down."

"That goes double for me…" Saber added with a nod. "Still…I cannot believe that a war shadow would appear up on the First Floor…"

"That was a war shadow!?" Primo asked. "But Miss Eina said that monsters don't travel up more than two floors!"

"They're not supposed to…but it doesn't mean they don't," Saber said as Bell frowned. "In any case, I believe that is enough for today. Can you stand, Emma?"

"Y-yes…" Emma nodded as she took Saber's hand and managed to stand up despite her wobbly legs.

"I'm sorry, Emma," Bell apologized again. "I should have been paying more attention."

"N-no, it wasn't your fault," Emma insisted. "No one could have expected a monster from the Sixth Floor to be up here. And I shouldn't have let my guard down just because Primo finished her spell…"

"But…"

"That's enough you two," Saber said as he placed a hand on both of their shoulders. "Or we shall be here forever listening to both of you attempt to shoulder the blame."

"Yeah…you're right," Bell admitted. "For now, we should head back up as fast as possible and tell the Guild what happened. It might 'only' have been a war shadow but if they're moving all the way up to the First Floor now then other newbies might be in danger."

Emma nodded in understanding as Bell took the front to lead them back out while Saber followed behind at the rear.

As they walked Primo slipped her hand into Emma's. Although the younger girl was probably doing it for her own comfort, Emma felt no small amount of relief from the gesture as well.


	25. King's Reason

**Chapter 25: Captain's Duty**

"_How much longer will I entertain these foolish whims?_" Caster wondered as he looked up at the sign above him, the words "Ninsun Ranch" written in the Koine script which passed as the common language of this world where the gods walked and suffered equally amongst the mortal races.

The world was an endless source of amusement with the Dungeon being at the forefront of it all. It was an anomaly to even the Gods themselves to the point that none of them truly understood it or all of its secrets. He could spend quite a while watching everything slowly come to light.

The question remained though.

How many times will he have to entertain the whims of a certain goddess?

X-x-X-x-X

It had begun a few weeks ago, the morning after his little summoner did the "impossible" and had slain the minotaur set upon him by the Freya Familia with his own strength and without outside assistance.

After the secret retaliation against Folkvangr, the Freya Familia Home, Caster had planned to walk amongst the people to hear any rumors that might have come out and had began his investigations in the marketplace where the shop keeps and stall owners were beginning the day early in preparation for the early rising Adventurers.

Tool shop owners, food stalls, smiths…

Several entrepreneurs were already ready to welcome the early shoppers with a few even calling out to Caster himself to which he silently denied them with a wave of his hand.

As more and more Adventurers began to roam the streets, Caster moved toward the edge of the road as he spotted a massive enclosed metal wagon being pulled by powerful work horses bearing a Familia Emblem of a horseshoe with two cow horns at the end. Most likely a merchant or agricultural type of Familia that focused more on making money and living honestly rather than delve into the Dungeon like the majority of Familias in Orario.

Although considering that most Adventurers come to Orario in search of fortune, operating a business that catered to the massive stomachs of Adventurers may be a better plan than risking one's life in the Dungeon day in and day out.

Behind the wagon was a large carriage bearing the same emblem being pulled by a pair of large work horses.

Caster watched from the side of the road as the carriage driver hopped down from his seat and opened the door for the occupants. The first one to step out was a massive man with a full brown beard who seemed to be the reason for the large carriage. Standing at his full height he was at almost two meters tall and built exactly like one would expect of a man of his profession with no shortage of muscles on every inch of his body. As the man walked toward the wagon that was a massive ice box and pulled out massive cuts of what seemed to be cow meat, the driver extended his hand out to help the second passenger down from the carriage.

It was obvious who the second person was. Their aura immediately exposed them as a goddess. Short blonde hair tied with two simple bands in the front with a crystal blue band mimicking cow horns adorning her head. Regal blue robes that draped down her chest and exposed her shoulders would not make one believe she was but a mere rancher but the callouses on her hands told Caster that the goddess was not adverse to working amongst the muck of the animals with her Familia and that the regal dress was what she wore when on business.

Caster knew her. Even though this was supposed to be their first meeting, every fibre of his soul and saint graph knew the goddess in front of him.

As the goddess gave orders to her Familia while they were transporting the meat to the butcher in front of them, she turned her ruby red eyes toward Caster himself and froze, eyes wide. This was supposed to be their first meeting and yet she seemed surprise to see him, as if she was seeing something impossible.

Caster's finger twitched as the goddess took a hesitant step toward him, as though he were a foal that might run off if one were to make too sudden of a movement. Unnoticed by her Children, the goddess began walking closer to Caster, hands outstretched before they found themselves cradling his cheeks with the same amount of force that one might use on a newborn.

Of course, Caster had no reason to be treated as such.

"Is this some new method for courting mortals that the gods have developed?" Caster asked as the goddess flinched and quickly pulled her hands back.

"Ah…my apologies," the goddess said, her melodious voice and calm smile seemingly soothing Caster's aches and sores, as she coughed into her hand. "I do not know what came over me. Let me start over. My name is Ninsun."

Of course she was. Caster knew who she was the moment he had laid eyes on her. It was impossible for him to not "recognize" the person in front of him. However, regardless of who she was, Caster would not falter.

"I am known as Caster," he introduced himself. "I lead the Hestia Familia as its Captain."

At Hestia's name, Ninsun's face broke into an expression of sheer disbelief for the shortest of moments before it was quickly replaced by a mask of impassiveness.

"Oh my, Hestia? Truly? Last I heard she was living in an abandoned church."

"Indeed she was. However, the Familia's lodgings has changed since I took over as Captain a month ago."

He knew where this was going and he was planning to head it off as much as possible. Caster had no reason nor desire to be a mere rancher when there was more glory to be had as a proper Adventurer.

Disappointment could be seen on Ninsun's face. It was uncommon enough for a new Adventurer to make a Conversion to another Famila and it was unheard of for a Captain to do so.

As she opened her mouth to continue speaking however, a loud and booming voice called out to her.

"Oi, Goddess!"

The massive man was coming over to them.

"Lugal…" Ninsun replied causing Caster's mouth to twitch all so slightly.

"What are you doing bothering some random lad so early in the morning?" The man, Lugal, said as he stopped by her side. "We gotta get all this meat delivered! And some of those contracts are expiring too!"

"I-I know that!"

"Let the lad be on his way and get back to work."

It would seem that even though he looked like a someone with more brawn than brains, he was the one keeping a handle on the goddess.

"Your Captain?" Caster asked and Ninsun nodded.

"Lugal Banda, nice to meet ya, young'un!"

The man grabbed Caster's arm without waiting for a reply and shook it, shaking the king up and down before he could get a word in. Perhaps first impressions were not necessarily wrong after all?

But still, Caster could use this.

"Is there only enough stock there for your contracts or did you bring more for individual sales as well?" He asked, watching them unload a few tall milk containers as well.

"Of course we bring enough stock for people to buy directly off the cart," Ninsun replied quickly with a smile. "Were you interested in the beef or perhaps the milk?"

"One of the largest containers possible," Caster replied as Ninsun quickly turned toward Lugal and tapped his arms to tell him to go get it.

The Ninsun Familia Captain shook his head with a smile as he went into the back of the wagon and came back out with a container just a head shorter than Caster.

"You sure this is what you want?" Lugal asked. "Normally only restaurants and the larger Familia buy one of these to last them the week before we come back into town."

"It is adequate," Caster nodded. "I have been looking for something to drink as I work late at night and this may be suitable for my needs."

"My, flattery like that will get you everywhere," Ninsun said as she clapped her hands together. "Then how about we give you a little discount-"

"No," Lugal and Caster said at the same time causing Ninsun to flinch.

"Geez…just what I needed, to be rebuked in stereo."

The goddess pouted with her hands on her hips before turning away with a huff.

"I am not so destitute that I would require charity," Caster said as he withdrew his coin purse. "I will pay the full price."

"That's what I want to hear," Lugal said as he accepted the payment and handed the container over to Caster in return. When the king hoisted the container over his shoulder, the taller man let out a laugh. "As expected of an Adventurer."

"Even without the grace, something of this level would be nothing."

For it was a body given to him by his beloved mother and holy father.

"Well then…" Caster then nodded his head to the pair. "I shall be taking my leave now."

With that he turned and left, ducking into a alleyway as the two of them saw him off.

"So why did you go and bother him like that?" Caster heard Lugal ask the goddess. "You weren't the type to go up and grab some random person's face like that."

"I'm not sure myself," Ninsun replied. "It's like…like I saw an image of what my child could look like if I were to have one."

"Oh? And who exactly would you have a child with?"

"Of course, who else but with you, my dear Lugal?"

Within the alley, Caster shook his head as he filled a cup with milk from the container.

"How shameful," he muttered as he took a sip while savoring the taste. "No matter what…I suppose a child will always seek their mother's milk."

X-x-X-x-X

He had expected that single chance meeting to be the end of it but as he continued his investigations into the city of Orario…

"_Oh my, fancy meeting you here today, Caster."_

…

"_My what a coincidence, Caster."_

…

"_Oh, are you heading this way as well, Caster?"_

…

For the next several days he somehow "bumped" into the goddess who had said that they only came into town from their ranch once a week. She was always accompanied by either her Captain or another member of the Ninsun Familia and her guard at least had the decency to look embarrassed at their Goddess's antics.

Even so, Caster found himself unable to completely ignore the goddess and so instead tried to make use of her by squeezing as much information as he could from her clients as the Ninsun Brand allowed her to do business with the more powerful Familias on multiple occasions. Though they were small things like the amount of food delivered per order, where the items were being delivered and how they made their delivery, Caster could use that information to learn the location of the Familia Homes, the amount of members in said Homes and the places where people moving in and out were not suspicious.

Of course, most of that information would be inaccurate and probably useless in the long run. After all, if he truly wanted to get into places that would bar him entry, he would get in with or without their permission.

"But you sure are interested in the High Class Familias, Caster," Ninsun pointed out when she managed to corner him at a bar the same day that Bell's party encountered Takemikazuchi Familia in the Dungeon.

"Of course he is!" Lugal said with a laugh. "You gotta be on the lookout for rivals after all! Well, it'd be a long time before some no-name Familia like yours will match them."

"Hoh?" Caster raised a brow. "You think our Familia is that much of an unknown?"

"I mean, aside from Moonlit Dawn there you don't have any achievements or big names do ya?"

"Is that a challenge?"

The man responded with a booming laugh.

"Tell ya what…if once you do something big enough for me to hear about it all the way out at the ranch then I'll give you the largest cut of our highest grade meat."

"Very well. Do not forget that promise, Lugal Banda."

X-x-X-x-X

And that was why Caster was now standing in front of the Captain in his office on the same day as Emma and Primo's first run into the Dungeon while brandishing the certificate in front of the man's face with the goddess standing to the side with her hands over her mouth in surprise.

Lugal stared at the certificate in surprise before throwing his head back in laughter.

"All right all right, ya got me," the man said good-naturedly. "The best cuts of our top grade meat as promised."

"That's coming out of your pay, Lugal," Ninsun said with a smile as the captain laughed again.

"I know, I know, and it's totally worth it to see something like this."

That was right. The entire reason the timetable was moved up was not because he wanted an audience or because he did not want to wait another two weeks after Loki Familia came back up to the surface. The entire reason, petty as it was, that Caster wanted to defeat the Goliath was simply to show up the old man in front of him. Perhaps it was for that reason the Dungeon decided to show its displeasure via the Black Goliath.

"Deliver it to this address by tomorrow then," Caster said as he placed a filled out delivery form on the man's desk. "It should be time for the newest members of the Familia to return from their first day into the Dungeon and it would be remiss of me not to be there to witness their triumphant return."

"Oh, congratulations!" Ninsun said with a smile. "Then the meat should come just in time for a celebration, wouldn't it?"

"They are but mere babes that have yet to truly experience hardship," Caster replied with a wave of his hand. "Such a simple thing is hardly worth the celebration. But do try and get it delivered by tomorrow."

"Sure, sure," Lugal nodded with a laugh. "It's just in time for our weekly trip so we'll have it there by morning."

"…You say 'weekly' but have you not been entering the city nearly every second day?" Caster pointed out as Lugal avoided his gaze while Ninsun giggled into her hand.

"Also, before I leave…"

Caster pulled out a pair of horns and placed them in front of Lugal.

"What's this?"

"A gift," Caster replied. "We encountered several minotaurs in the Dungeon and slew them where they left behind their horns as Drop Items. It is a bit meagre for a gift but I will have you accept them."

"Oi oi, like this isn't it like you're paying for the meat? Or rather, these things cost more than what I'm giving you!"

A sharp burst of air escaped Caster's nose in a sigh. Once again, the discrepancy between necessities such as food and items from the Dungeon reared its ugly head.

"This and that are two separate things," Caster replied. "Tis merely a whim of mine. If you do not want to accept it then you are free to do as you wish with them. I will not take them back."

Lugal let out a sigh as he scratched the back of his head.

"Fine," the man said with a nod. "I'll keep them."

Caster nodded his head, satisfied that his offering had been accepted. With his business over, he bade the two of them farewell and left the ranch behind him.

But not before turning back to look at the ranch's sign.

Words escaped his lips, uttering the name of Ninsun and Lugal Banda before he turned his back to the sign and headed back toward Orario.

X-x-X-x-X

Caster rushed back to the Hearthstone Manor as fast as he could, materializing in the living room and onto the couch with a sigh.

He had been running around non-stop. From heading to the Casinos the previous night to recoup expenses and prepare for future ones, then the meeting at the Guild, then to the smith Welf Crozzo, then to the Goibniu Familia for more contract work, then to the ranch and finally back home. Now he had to welcome back the children once they returned.

"I see you're finally back."

Caster opened a single eye to see Archer walking into the living room from the kitchen area, wiping his hands on his apron.

"And I see that you have fallen back into the routine of being a mother hen," Caster shot back to which Archer did not deny. The man simply ignored it and changed the topic to something else.

"Bell can reach Level 3," Archer replied as Caster opened the other eye.

"Too fast," he commented. "The First Level could be passed off as the boy's growing phase but the Second has no such excuse."

"What do you think's going on then?" Archer asked.

"I do believe…that the dear goddess is hiding something from us. All of us, including the boy."

"You think she's erasing something when he does his Status updates after all?" Archer asked. "A Skill perhaps? She always took longer double-checking his sheet for problems than everyone else."

"Most likely," Caster agreed with a nod. "As the gods can detect when a mortal lies, she most likely did so in order to keep the secret of the boy's growth from being leaked. Well, even without the ability of the gods, the boy's ability to lie is so abysmal, one has to wonder how he has survived thus far."

"I don't think lying is a skill necessary for basic survival but I do get your point," Archer muttered. "So what do we do then? Confront Hestia about it?"

"To a point," Caster slowly began. "It is most likely just a Skill that somehow increases his growth to ludicrous levels. If so, then the Goddess Hestia is justified in hiding it. We only need to confirm the existence of a Skill, not necessarily the details."

Gods could lie to each other but a god could immediately tell that a mortal is lying without fail. Of course the easiest way to get around that was to simply remain silent in the face of the curious gods but few mortals have the strength to do so when looking into the face of their betters.

"Putting the matter aside for now," Caster began. "We are expecting a shipment of beef tomorrow morning. If I am called away on business, be sure to answer it in my place."

"Since when were you the type to get chummy with Gods?" Archer asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I will use whatever I must so long as there is a benefit to me in the long run," Caster replied with a huff. "That is all there is to it."

Archer's expression didn't change as the front door opened.

"Welcome…back?" Archer called out but his voice faltered slightly as he turned to see the group.

Caster adjusted his head and did not see the faces of a group that had returned from the Dungeon in triumph. Instead he saw the faces of those who had failed a test that had a 100% passing rate.

"What happened?" Archer asked as he and Caster spotted the dried blood on Emma's back along with the huge tear in her clothes.

"A war shadow jumped them," Saber replied as Bell's grimace seemed to grow.

"A war shadow? On the First Floor?"

"Yes…" Bell answered. "It attacked them and Emma shielded Primo."

"Is that all?" Caster asked with a sigh. "Indeed a monster appearing five floors above where it should be is cause for concern…but being injured is nothing unusual for an Adventurer, am I wrong?"

"You're not but…"

Caster shook his head in exasperation.

"Well, you're home and safe and that's what matters," Archer said. "Emma, I'll fix up the tears in your shirt so leave it out for me. The bath is ready if you want to take one first."

"I will, thank you," Emma said with a bow toward Caster before heading up the stairs with Primo trailing behind her.

After watching her leave, Bell walked up to his room as well while Saber dematerialized his armor and sat down in the living room while Archer returned to the kitchen.

"Are you losing your touch, Hero of the Volsunga?" Caster asked.

"Perhaps…" Saber admitted. "However, I am more concerned about just why or how a war shadow moved so far from its native floor."

"Tis the Dungeon," Caster reminded him. "Unexpected happenings happen every moment of every day. Unless you are assuming it was an act of malice?"

"I can't claim to understand how a monster would act…" Saber began. "But the war shadow's appearance baffles me. If it was running from something on the Fifth Floor then it should have hid and ignored us instead of attacking Emma and Primo. Although I suppose it could have been lashing out in hunger…"

"Do not try to understand the mind of those beasts," Caster cut in. "They are but mere drones spawned indefinitely by the Dungeon to be killed over and over by Adventurers for the sake of the gods' entertainment."

A frown appeared on Saber's face as the door flew open.

"We're home!"

"Home!"

"E-excuse me…!"

A third and unfamiliar voice followed the voices of the goddess and Assassin.

Saber looked over his shoulder as Archer poked his head out of the kitchen to see Hestia leading a tanned skin girl with brown hair and eyes wearing a rather revealing outfit consisting of a tan top with brown edges and a maroon bikini bottom. She was also wearing several pieces of golden jewelry such as a necklace, golden wrist bands, ankle rings, and hair ties.

"…An Amazon?" Archer asked in surprise.

"Y-yes!" The nervous Amazon replied. "My name is Gina Gwen! I wanted to Convert to this Familia!"

Conversion. The act of leaving one Familia to join a different one just like how Lily Converted from Soma Familia to Hestia Familia.

"She used to be one of Hermes's kids," Hestia explained. "But she had a falling out with that idiot."

"What happened?" Saber asked as Hestia led Gina over to the couch between Caster and Saber.

"My Familia…no…Hermes Familia took on an unsanctioned quest to investigate the Twenty-Fourth Floor a few weeks ago," Gina explained as Caster sat up and leaned a bit closer in interest. "I wasn't allowed to take part since I'm still only Level 1 and don't know all the details but…Elilly, Pock, Pot, Jose, Keaks…they didn't come back and no one would tell me what happened…or even what it was about or why they took it in the first place."

Caster's eyes appraised the girl for a moment before turning toward Hestia for confirmation. The goddess met Caster's eyes and nodded, telling him that she was telling the truth at the very least.

"Then why did you wait until now to leave?" Caster asked.

"I didn't have anywhere else to go," Gina replied, which was fair. "Then I heard that your Familia managed to beat an Enhanced Goliath so I asked Lord Hermes for a Conversion."

"And they came over during my shift and talked to me about it and I agreed," Hestia added. "Though we're almost full up on rooms now, aren't we?"

"Have no fear, I have already contacted Goibniu Familia about expanding our lodgings," Caster said with a wave of his hand. "But very well. She can join."

"Wow, not even going to think it over huh?" Hestia asked, eyes wide in surprise. "And here I thought you'd reject her without another word."

"An experienced Adventurer is a valuable resource, regardless of age or Level," Caster pointed out. "And having someone who can watch over the other two can only benefit us. Especially with what happened today."

"What happened!?" Hestia shouted as she jumped to her feet. "Is everything all right? Are they hurt?"

"A war shadow appeared on the First Floor and injured Emma as she was protecting Primo," Saber explained as both Hestia and Gina stared at Saber in surprise. "Thankfully the wound was shallow and Emma is no worse for the wear…outside the tear in her clothes of course. But there won't even be a scar left behind."

"Do we have the worst kind of luck or something!?" Hestia shouted as she ran her fingers through her hair. "First it's Bell and minotaurs, then that silverback during Monsterphilia and now war shadows! Can't we just explore the Dungeon in peace!?"

"That would require the Dungeon to be peaceful in the first place," Archer pointed out as Hestia let out a sigh and sank back down into an armchair with her face in her hands.

"Speaking of exploring the Dungeon," Saber began. "How far have you managed, Miss Gwen?"

"Ah, by myself I can make it to the Tenth Floor but with a Party I've made it as far as the Twentieth Floor…though just as a Supporter. I never fought the Floor Boss though since our…_my_ old Familia focuses more on deliveries than diving into the Dungeon."

"Humph, that is more than acceptable," Caster nodded. After all, she had technically made it further than the entire Familia except for Archer. "Were you allowed to keep your old equipment."

"Yep!" Gina nodded as she removed the sheaths on her waist and pulled out twin brown colored blades with gold and green handles.

"…You seem to attract Adventurers who prefer having a weapon in each hand," Caster said to Hestia as Saber and Archer looked away while Assassin tilted her head to the side in confusion.

"Yeah…I thought so too," Hestia agreed with a smile and a loving sigh.

"Umm…is that a bad thing?" Gina asked.

"No, just a quirk that we've noticed," Hestia replied quickly. "You're fine just the way you are Gina."

"Should you join, be aware that your main duties will be to join our other newest members in the Dungeon, not our main exploration Party," Caster added.

"That's fine," Gina nodded with a smile as she put away her weapons. "I was the one being helped back in Hermes Familia so it'll be like I'm returning the favor here."

What an earnest girl. Still, the Familia was growing far faster than Caster had anticipated. And with Bell about to hit Level 3, he would no doubt be wanting to summon the last of the Servants. If so, they will have to make do without rooms until Goibniu Familia finished with their additions.

"One more question," Caster began. "Are you planning to divulge our secrets to your old Familia?"

"N-no, I would never!" Gina said quickly as she shook her head. "I've…already said my goodbyes to them so…"

"We won't stop you if you want to hang out with your old Familia now and again," Hestia said as she stood up and placed her hands on the girl's shoulders. "Just don't talk to Hermes about anything important."

As Gina nodded her head footsteps from the floor above pulled Caster from his thoughts and he turned toward the direction of the stairs to see Bell return with Emma, Primo and Lily behind him. The girls were also carrying towels with them telling him that they were planning on taking a bath together.

"Perfect timing!" Hestia said with a smile as the four of them looked from Hestia to the newcomer. "Allow me to introduce another new member of our Familia!"

Caster let out a sigh as the round of introductions began anew.

X-x-X-x-X

_**Gina Gwen**_

**Level 1  
****Strength**: D510  
**Defense**: E421  
**Dexterity**: E419  
**Agility**: D501  
**Magic**: I0

**Magic**:  
(Open)

**Skills**:  
(None)

X-x-X-x-X

The rest of the day had been a rather lively and noisy affair. The girls had gotten acquainted with each other in the bath before Archer made a celebratory dinner to welcome Gina into the Familia and to congratulate Emma and Primo's first day in the Dungeon. Gina had jumped to help with the cooking and Archer had relented to the girl's insistence.

Caster also announced that they would be vacating the Familia Home for a spell as the Goibniu Familia worked to expand the Heathstone Manor. During which they will be spending time in Melen for a short vacation.

It was probably fortunate that neither Emma nor Primo seemed to be in a hurry to return to the Dungeon after the incident and the thought of going to the beach seemed to excite them.

But before that…Caster had to hold a meeting with a certain goddess.

"So…you wanted to chat?" Hestia asked as she sat across from Caster as he set aside his work to look at her.

"Indeed," Caster nodded as he stared at Hestia, trying to make her squirm a bit. "It's about the boy."

"W-what about Bell?" Hestia asked, trying to play ignorant.

"I have turned my eyes away from it because it was not important but it has now become far to conspicuous to ignore," Caster said as he drummed his fingers on his desk. "His Skill…the one that is not Argonaut. What is it?"

Silence fell between the two of them as Hestia tried very hard to look everywhere but at Caster before she let out a long sigh. She then reached into her pocket and pulled out a folded piece of parchment and handed it to Caster. Unfolding the note, Caster realized that it was Bell's Status sheet. It was more or less the same as he remembered, putting aside the massive growth in numbers above…but with one little thing added to it.

**Liaris Freese (Aspiring Path)**. Rapid Growth. Continued desire results in continued growth. Stronger desire results in stronger growth

As he suspected, a Skill that promoted his growth. What's more…

"I see," Caster muttered. "His Status grows in proportion to his desire to become a Hero…or does it grow the more he wishes to be like Archer?"

No…the two are more or less one and the same ideal.

"He seeks the Faker's acknowledgement and views him as the ideal Hero."

The more Bell stood in the presence of Heroes, the more he desires to become one. That desire fuels the Skill and thus increases his growth. The stories of their legends and the constant daily training from Saber would pave the path toward his goal without fail.

"That's what I think as well…" Hestia nodded with a sigh. "Ahhhhh! I wanted to be the one who changed him but it was Archer and the Grail who did it first…it's not fair!"

Caster ignored the goddess's tears as she sobbed onto the desk while he crumbled the sheet and set it ablaze so that no one else would be able to see it.

"Keeping it from me aside, I agree with not letting the boy know about his Skill," Caster said.

The reason Bell's growth was so fast was because of his single-minded obsession with Archer and the concept of becoming a Hero. If he knew the existence of his skill, the aspirations and desires would vanish and be slowly replaced by entitlement. His strength and will was powered by his desire. He needed to be kept in the dark in order to stoke the flames of his growth.

"Should we also tell the others?" Hestia asked.

"No. Archer already suspects that it is a skill and Saber will no doubt have his own theories. The fewer people who know the exact truth, the better."

Of course, he ignored the fact that Hestia being the only one to know period would have been the safest way to go about it.

With that topic done, Hestia brought up a different one.

"So…are you really okay with Gina joining?" Hestia asked. "You're not just saying that because you didn't want her to cry, right? Cuz she's already left the Familia and if she doesn't join us she'll be Familia-less."

"I am not so kind of a person to tell falsehoods simply to prevent a child from crying," Caster replied. "Her presence is a boon for us. We require someone to watch over Flores and Libera in the Dungeon and Gwen is the perfect candidate. That said, the convenience of the timing does make her rather suspicious…no, it makes the God Hermes suspicious."

"Yeah," Hestia agreed with a nod. "Gina may be completely honest with what she wants but that Hermes is, without a doubt, full of bad intentions."

"Is there anything within the Falna that could be used by the former god once the mortal has undergone a Conversion?" Caster asked.

"Nope," Hestia replied with a shrug. "Once you're converted your old god has nothing more to do with you for at least a year. That said, Takemikazuchi did say that your connection to the god's who first gives you their blessing never really goes away so they can supposedly tell what happens to their child who has left the nest…so to speak."

"So then the God Soma probably has realized that Arde has Leveled Up," Caster muttered and Hestia nodded her head in agreement. "Well, that is no problem."

"So…what's the plan for the girls?" Hestia then asked. "Are you still going to let Gina lead them in with Jack as the Supporter?"

"Experienced Adventurer or not, I suppose I am just a bit wary of letting a ten year-old child lead a Party," Caster said. "Let us wait before we commit to anything…"

A knock on the door interrupted his words as the two of them glanced at the door.

"Yes, who is it?" Hestia called out before Caster could reply.

The door slowly creaked open as Primo poked her head inside, her normally tied up hair now hanging loosely down her shoulders in preparation for bedtime.

"Umm…is now a good time?" Primo asked. "Captain? Goddess?"

Caster sighed as he gestured for her to come in. The elf nodded as she slipped inside and shut the door behind him.

Hestia then got up to sit on the side of Caster's desk while Primo sat down in the vacated seat.

"So, what's wrong, Primo?" Hestia asked. "Are you still worried about what happened today?"

"Yes…" Primo nodded. "Mister Bell, Miss Emma and Mister Saber said that I did fine but…am I really doing enough?"

"You performed as could be expected from one of your experience and your age," Caster cut in. "A child with no formal training already able to cast her magic successfully on her first day…no, that is more than sufficient."

"He's right Primo," Hestia added. "Don't compare yourself to Gina who's been an Adventurer for over a year already or Jack who's…special."

"Special?" Primo repeated.

"You will understand in due time," Caster replied. "As early as tomorrow morning perhaps."

"I see…"

It did not seem to be enough for the girl though as her expression had not cleared at all and her rather expressive ears were still drooping.

"As the Goddess said, do not compare yourself to others," Caster continued. "Not to Bell Cranel and certainly not to Riveria Ljos Alf. It is fine to act more akin to the child you are. A child with eyes shining at everything before them. You should strive to find what you are able to achieve and then seek to reach it. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Basically, dream big and take your time to reach it," Hestia summarized with a smile as Caster leveled a glare her way which she completely ignored. "What matters is that you keep moving forward to your goals, not how fast you can do it."

"Y-yes!" Primo nodded, finally meeting their eyes as she held her hands up over her chest. "I'll do my best!"

"That is all you ever needed to do," Caster said as he held his hand out to the side and reached into his treasury. He then withdrew a golden staff with a ruby red jewel in its head and held it toward Primo across the desk while she stared at it with wide eyes. "Take it."

"I can't!" Primo said quickly. "I can't possibly take something like this! I'm just a beginner and-"

"Do not insult me by rejecting the king's gift," Caster said as Hestia took it from his hand. She then grabbed Primo's hands and pressed the staff into them. "The staff the guild presented to you is little more than a walking stick. Something like this is much more suitable for someone who aspires to greatness."

"But I…haven't done anything yet to deserve a gift from you…" Primo whispered.

"Accept it," he ordered again. "It is a sign of my trust and my investment in your future."

It was one of his treasures, true, but it was not something that was worth using. More ornamental than practical, it was perfect for someone like her. And if a little token like this was enough to buy her loyalty then all the better.

Hearing that, Primo's hands started to shake as she held the staff close to her chest.

"Yes…I promise I won't let you down Your Majesty!"

"You will only fail me if you do not return from the Dungeon," Caster said. "So long as you continue to advance forward, you will have already met my expectations."

Primo stood up and gave Caster and Hestia a bow before heading to the door and giving them one more bow before leaving.

X-x-X-x-X

"Such a cute child, isn't she?" Hestia asked as Caster simply huffed. "She'll have a long road ahead of her. Well, that's expected of an elf I suppose."

"Perhaps a teacher will be required in the future," Caster suggested. "I have neither the time nor the desire to raise an apprentice. But…"

Two ideas came to mind but neither were reliable. The first would be the waitress of the pub. She, like all the girls there, was hiding a long history of bloodstained strength but now seemed satisfied with her current and humble life while still being part of an unknown Familia to keep her strength for a time of crisis. The other was the girl that dragged Bell all across the Eighteenth Floor in some blind attempt to solve a crisis on her own. However, she had her own studies to focus on and as such, taking a student may cut into that time while also possibly allowing her to refine her basics.

But as such, due to both of them being outside the Familia with busy schedules and responsibilities, it was unlikely they would be able to spend the time looking after the girl. They would lose nothing by simply asking though.

"Well, anyway, what were you about to say regarding the leadership of our B-Party?" Hestia asked. "You want to leave it to a new Servant?"

"If need be," Caster nodded. "Depending on who is summoned, I would leave the Support to them and keep Assassin with the boy's party. I would also have the rest form a third party to explore the Lower Floors…but that will have to wait until we see if the boy can handle the strain of several Servants operating at combat capacity."

"Then what about Lily and Welf? Will you keep them together?"

"There is no need change anything else. Again, we will have to wait for the new Servants first before hand."

Hestia nodded in understanding just as another knock came from the door.

"Seems like you're popular tonight," Hestia said with a smile as Caster pinched the bridge of his nose.

"What is it?" he asked through a sigh.

"Umm…Lily can come back in the morning if Lord Caster is busy…" the pallum's voice called through.

"I will be even busier then. Enter."

"Y-yes…"

Lily opened the door and stepped inside. After she sat down in the same seat Primo did, Hestia spoke up.

"What's wrong, Miss Supporter?" Hestia asked. "You spent the day resting right? Did something happen?"

"No…umm…" Lily began as she fiddled with her hands. She then looked up at Caster before speaking. "Can Lily see the bottle of Soma Wine?"

The request was so sudden and unexpected that Caster was unable to fully keep the surprise from showing on his face. It only lasted for a second however as his kingly mask reappeared.

"For what reason?" He asked, curious about the change of heart.

"Lily…had a dream," she began. "Or rather…it was probably a memory. A memory about Lily's time in Soma Familia. About Lily's first meeting with Lord Soma."

"You were born into the Familia, right?" Hestia asked and Lily nodded.

"Yes…Lily's parents…no, the people who gave birth to Lily were always after more money so they had Lily beg for money to buy the Soma when she was three but it didn't last long as they died in the Dungeon soon after."

Hestia made a noise and looked as though she wanted to comfort the girl but Caster ushered her to continue.

"Lily met Lord Soma when she was looking for something to eat around the Familia Home and Lord Soma gave Lily a potato puff. Being only three years old at the time…Lily followed him around after that…"

Lily looked rather embarrassed to admit such a thing as Hestia let out a cough, no doubt imagining Soma being followed around by a toddler Lily.

"Lily remembers falling asleep in Lord Soma's room as Lord Soma was making his wine and then she woke up in her own bed so Lord Soma must have carried Lily there."

"That certainly explains why he was asking about you during the Denatus," Hestia said with a nod. "He wasn't just interested in you because you beat the wine but because he always had a soft spot for you. Wow, that Soma has a cute side after all."

"As interesting as that may be…is there a point to this story?" Caster asked.

"Yes…" Lily nodded. "For the Lily back then, Lord Soma was all she had so she spent all her time visiting Lord Soma and watching him work in his room…but Lily stopped visiting him after a few years…"

"Did he tell you to stop?" Hestia asked and Lily shook her head.

"No…it was because…Lily lost herself to the wine."

As Caster and Hestia shared a glance, Lily explained how the former Captain of the Soma Familia had stolen the wine from a storehouse and gave it to the entire Familia, claiming that it was a present from Soma himself. The then six-year old Lily drank it and then became obsessed with making money to drink more of it like the rest of her Familia.

"I see…" Caster nodded as he withdrew the wine from his treasury along with a single cup for Lily. "And in the process you forgot about you former god's kindness and grew to hate him and Adventurers as a whole due to the mistreatment you suffered during your time as their Supporter."

"Yes…" Lily nodded as Caster opened the bottle, allowing an otherworldly fragrance to settle in the office that caused even Hestia to gulp. "That is why…Lily wants to prove to herself…and to Lord Soma that the second time was not just a fluke."

Perhaps this was the true reason Soma had sent her the wine as a gift? As a way to make sure that Lily truly did have the strength of will to resist the allure of the wine rather than it being some fluke.

As Lily took the bottle and began pouring its contents into the cup, Caster's mind fell back to a small and insignificant memory of him meeting a thin-faced bespectacled man crawling in the dirt. One that screamed in fear as the king had grabbed him by the neck and disposed of the loose end.

A soft moan brought Caster's mind back to the present as he watched Lily shake her head with an empty cup in her hands.

"Like Lily thought," she said with a sigh and placed the cup on the table. "Lily won't lose again…and although the wine is amazing…Lily doesn't think she will ever like drinking it."

"Soma will probably cry if he hears you saying that," Hestia said with a laugh. "I think a lot of other gods would pay to see it too."

Caster shook his head as he returned the sealed bottle to his treasury.

"Did I not tell you, Liliruca Arde?" Caster asked. "Your triumph over the wine was due to your own will. Let no one, not even yourself, ever believe otherwise again."

"Yes," Lily nodded with a smile. "Lily apologizes for ever doubting His Majesty…and thank you."

X-x-X-x-X

"You're looking more and more like a Captain by the minute," Hestia said with a teasing tone as she smiled at Caster's direction to which he glared at her in response.

"What nonsense!" Caster replied with a growl. "I do not have time to listen to these trivialities. Leave that to the Faker instead."

"It just goes to show you that the children trust you a lot," Hestia pointed out. "You should know that as a position of authority that these trivialities are part of your duties as well, Gil. Then again, even with all of your grumbling, you're still listening to them without turning them away."

"Hold your tongue and speak of it no more Goddess Hestia," Caster warned. "My patience is wearing thin and I-"

Two swift knocks on the door cut him off as Caster raised a shaking fist, wanting nothing more than to slam it on his desk as Hestia turned away with her hands over her mouth, trying to keep her laughter in.

"Umm…Captain?" Came Emma's voice. "Can I talk to you about a few things?"

"…Make it quick," he found himself saying as Hestia quickly let out a cough and tried to act natural as the door opened up and the human girl stepped in.

"Good evening, Captain…oh, you're here too, Goddess?" Emma asked when she noticed Hestia.

"We were discussing a few things before the trip to Melen," Hestia replied with a smile. "I have to take you and the other girls to buy swimsuits after all!"

"Uh…right!" Emma nodded, looking confused for a moment before breaking into a smile. "I'm looking forward to it."

"_If_ we can get back on topic…" Caster began, irritation slowly building up within as he felt a migraine coming on. "What was it you wish to discuss, Flores?"

"Right um…" Emma began as she sat down in front of the desk just like the others. "What can I do to get stronger quickly?"

"Every Adventurer worth their salt asks themselves that question," Hestia replied. "Everyone has their own way of getting stronger and what works for one person won't work for another."

"There are no shortcuts that will grant you strength that matters," Caster added. "You can purchase equipment above your own Level but that would only cripple you in the long run."

"I suppose so…" Emma nodded with a sigh. "It's just that…seeing everyone fret over me like that today…I don't want to be so weak that I will only cause the others to worry."

"It was not your weakness that has them fretting over you," Caster cut in. "It was the abnormal event. We have only just returned from an irregularity with the Boss Fight and they are taking anything else abnormal much more seriously."

"I see…"

"You're sure you're okay, Emma?" Hestia asked. "No pain or anything?"

"Yes, not even a scar," Emma nodded. "Primo was rather…adamant on checking during the bath."

"That's good to hear," Hestia nodded. "It'd be awful for a girl to have a nasty scar anywhere after all."

"Those that worry about such things shouldn't be an Adventurer in the first place!" Caster pointed out.

"A girl has their own priorities that are universal no matter the occupation!" Hestia shot back.

"Umm…I'm not too bothered about scars," Emma said. "Getting hurt is a natural part of being an Adventurer, right?"

"Indeed," Caster nodded as he glared at Hestia who huffed and folded her arms before turning away. "But back to matter at hand. Have you thought of what you wanted to do to become stronger?"

"Do you think it would be possible for me to join in on Bell's training?" Emma asked almost immediately as if she had been toying with the idea all day.

"Nothing at the boy's level, no," Caster shot the idea down immediately. "But it would not be difficult to have Archer train you instead."

"Archer? Umm…I thought he was a bowman?"

"Labeling people based on their names is a bad idea, Emma," Hestia said with a smirk as Emma blushed. "Archer may be better with a bow than he is with a sword but he's the one who trained Bell first."

"Is that so? That's amazing…and I was thinking most Adventurers stick to one weapon…"

"Most do with some picking another on the side," Hestia replied. "Archer has his bow and blades, Saber has his sword and daggers and Caster here has his…well, everything."

Caster let out a low growl as Emma just tilted her head to the side, not quite understanding what Hestia meant.

"Anyway let's have Archer train you in using your swords while Saber tries to pass on those Magic Runes of his to you," Hestia said with a nod of satisfaction. "Maybe we should have Gina join in on that rune training as well. Although we're going to be going on vacation, it's not like we'll be playing all day so we can use that time to get some training in with everyone."

"Yes! Thank you very much!"

"Do not overstrain yourself," Caster warned. "You must find out how far you can push your new limits without breaking your body. I have no need of an invalid…nor of a corpse."

"Yes sir," Emma nodded, eyes turning serious. "I won't let you down."

"See that you do not. Good night."

Caster ended the meeting there and Emma stood up with a bow and quietly left the room.

"See?" Hestia asked with a smile. "All the kids want your approval, Caster."

"So I see," Caster replied as he rubbed his eyes with his hand. "Was there anything else that needed to be discussed?"

"Hmm…we went over Bell's Status, the vacation, the party formations going forward and the possibilities of new Servants," Hestia replied, ticking each topic off of her fingers. "And the girls' problems…so unless someone else shows up…"

The two of them turned toward the door in unison, both of them waiting for the next knock which never came.

"Then as there is nothing else…I will continue my work in peace," Caster said as he placed a sheet of parchment on his desk and began writing another budget report to set aside the costs of the vacation as well as the renovations.

"Don't stay up too late, Gil," Hestia said as she tapped him on the shoulder before hopping off his desk. She then bolted toward the door before Caster could get another word in.

With another sigh, he turned back to his work. Unfortunately it was not meant to be. Not even five minutes later…

"Um, Caster?" Bell's voice came from the door and the quill snapped in Caster's hands as the boy poked his head in. "Can I talk to you-"

"IS THIS THE OFFICE OF THE KING OR THAT OF A THERAPIST!?" He demanded as he slammed his hand on his desk, sending several of his things flying off.

"I'M SORRY!?" Bell screamed back as he flinched away from the door.

X-x-X-x-X

Once Caster had Bell gather up everything that had fallen off his desk, the boy sat down and waited for Caster to sit down himself before speaking.

"Well?" Caster seethed, slowly trying to regain his composure. "What is it?"

"I…what do you think about that war shadow we found on the Upper Floor was?" Bell asked.

"What about it?" Caster asked. "There are countless possibilities that could involve that monster. But the one that is on your mind is that someone released it against the two, isn't it?"

"Yes…" Bell nodded. "But I don't know why anyone would do such a thing. They're only Level 1. Why would someone want to hurt them?"

"…Are you that affected by Emma Flores's injury?" Caster asked and Bell nodded his head, causing the king to sigh. "Do not put so much concern into an injury that Flores herself does not even care about. Just be aware that an increase in fame does not only bring positive changes. That a rise in fame also brings about a rise in mongrels that will lash out, bitter at their own weakness."

"…Are you saying that someone tried to hurt Emma…to get to me?" Bell asked, eyes widening.

"I have stated no such things," Caster replied. "Even if it was, something of that level is mere harassment, not a serious threat. You must become aware that not every Adventurer is filled with compassion for their fellow man…or have you already forgotten what Arde had to suffer through?"

Of course, hearing from another and experiencing it for oneself were two completely different things. For Bell who had only known kindness from everyone around him for all his life, the hatred and jealousy from the Adventurers who have worked for decades and have nothing to show for it to be shown up by a fourteen year brat from the countryside who blew through the record for Level 2 and then proceeded to defeat a Floor Boss. The amount of resentment being leveled his way could not be understated.

"Knowing this now," Caster began as Bell looked back up at him. "What do you plan to do?"

"I want to Level up to Level 3," Bell said, resolution clear in his eyes with no sign of the immature brat that was his default state of being.

"And this is something you felt the need to tell me?" Caster asked. "The decision to Level has always been yours and yours alone."

"It's just that…I don't think just Leveling is enough," Bell said. "I feel like…even though I'm stronger and faster than Lily and Welf numbers wise, I'm way behind them in other ways. Like Saber's been trying to get me to read the moves of my opponents but I can't really pick it up against enemies I never seen before."

"I see…" Caster nodded. "You are aware of your lack of actual combat experience."

Indeed, the only thing Bell had going for him was his explosive growth. The way he was growing, he would no doubt be on the same level as a mid class Servant by the year's end if not sooner. Of course any combat Servant worth their title would still triumph over him as they would have had a lifetime's worth of combat experience versus Bell's short career of barely two over months. Anyone who would lose to a brat who had barely left the nest did not deserve to be called a Hero.

"And so?" Caster asked. "What do you plan to do about it?"

"Is it possible to slow down our progress in the Dungeon a bit?" Bell asked. "I want to fight all the monsters in the Middle Floors over and over until I can read them properly…and without Saber or Archer looking over my shoulder."

Truthfully, Bell's growth and combat experience were much better when training with either Archer or Saber but Caster supposed he couldn't just not go into the Dungeon, what with the need to gather materials for the smith. Even if Bell did not need the Dungeon to grow, Welf and Lily still did.

"If that is what you wish to do then so be it," Caster said. "I have no objectives for you at this time."

"And…I want to summon all three remaining Servants," Bell continued. "Lancer, Rider…Berserker…all of them."

Another expected development from the boy. Instead of annoying Caster however, such a thing pleased him. It meant that he could still properly "read" the boy as it were. And the less unforeseen complications, the better.

"I have no objections to that," Caster replied. "And the timing is perfect. Tomorrow morning, you will spar with both Archer and Saber at the same time and push the rest of your Status up even further. It would not do for your Level 2 Status to fall short that of your Level 1."

"Yes!" Bell nodded after a look of surprise. "But what do you mean by the timing?"

"We will have the new members watch you struggle against Saber and Archer and have them understand _what_ exactly this Familia is. From there, we shall see which two Servants answer the call and see if your body can handle the new costs before we summon the final one after the little vacation."

"…I understand," Bell said with a nod.

"Good. Now away with you."

"Yes sir! I'm sorry for disturbing you!"

As Bell left the office, Caster glared at the door as if daring it to knock again.

But after glaring at it for about two minutes straight, it would seem that he would no longer be interrupted and returned to his work.

X-x-X-x-X

The next morning, Caster stood amongst the rest of Hestia Familia as they watched Bell clash with both Saber and Archer at the same time. Though the two Servants were holding back as usual to avoid seriously hurting the boy, they were not shy about knocking him around. Training weapons clashed against Bell's two daggers, pushing the boy further and further back from their original starting point but he was keeping himself together.

Saber's training sword swung down at Bell and he managed to catch it with his daggers and push it up, exposing Saber to a counterattack…only for a wooden staff to thrust forward, courtesy of Archer, and poke him in the stomach, sending him jumping back instead.

Turning his eyes away from the one-sided fight, Caster's gaze fell on the newcomers of Hestia Familia. Primo and Gina were staring wide-eyed at the spar with their mouths wide open. Emma on the other hand was watching the fight with focused eyes, trying to gain as much as she could just from their movements.

Aspirations were burning around him. The boy that wanted to be a hero and the girl that did not want to be left behind.

Caster found a chuckle escaping from his lips.

As expected, there were quite the magnificent gems hidden in this city of gods and mongrels.

And it was for that reason he shall polish these gems until they shone brighter than the sun itself.


	26. Romancia

**Chapter 26: ****Welcome Party**

"All right, good work, Bell," Hestia said as she finished updating Bell Status. "You're now Level 3."

"Yes, thank you very much Goddess," Bell said as he sat up and put his shirt back on.

"Here you go," Hestia said as she handed the Status Sheet over to Bell. "Mage is there, just like you asked."

Bell nodded as he looked over the sheet.

His Status had reset back to I0 but he had managed to break through to S and SS in everything beforehand once more. Another perk of being Level 3 was that with the Mage skill, the strain of the Servant upkeep was now almost negligible. He didn't get another new Skill though, which was a bit regrettable but he shouldn't get greedy.

It was time to summon more Servants after all. Time to summon another Hero.

Bell stood up and headed to the door of Hestia's office with the goddess following after him.

They headed down to the living room where the Caster and the others were explaining just what they were to Primo, Gina and Emma. When he arrived, the furniture had been pushed to the side, revealing the summoning circle.

"Remember child," Caster was saying to Gina. "You can no longer leave with our secrets. If you attempt to send word back to the Hermes Familia…"

"I told you I have nothing to do with them anymore!" Gina said with a pout, not cowering under Caster's threat. "You're secrets are safe with me, Mister Spirit King."

Rather than getting angry, Caster seemed amused or even impressed by the girl's boldness. Lily on the other hand…

"Miss Gina needs to show Lord Caster more respect!" The pallum said. "Lord Caster is the cornerstone of this Familia!"

"Well maybe if he didn't act like a big bully all the time!"

"What was that!?"

"Now now," Archer said as he and Saber pulled the two of them apart before the squabble got any worse. "We're all in the same Familia so let's all try to get along, okay?"

Lily let out a huff as she folded her arms and turned away while Gina made a face at her.

"Really now…" Archer sighed as he shrugged his arms helplessly. "Oh, Bell. We're all ready for you."

"Yes!" Bell nodded his head as he walked forward toward the circle.

"I've never heard of anything like this…" Primo muttered as she sat on one of the arm chairs that had been pushed up against the walls while kicking her legs. "The elders never mentioned anything about a spell that allow you to summon Spirits. Usually they just come and go wherever they wish. Then again I don't really know much about them to start with."

"Did your village deal with Spirits often, Primo?" Emma asked as she sat down on one of the armrests of the chair.

"Only the occasional fairy or lesser ones. But even then, only the elder really interacted with them."

She then glanced over at Assassin who turned back with a smile.

"…Is everyone really a Spirit?" Primo asked as she waved back.

"Well, just watch," Hestia said as she placed the Holy Grail on the hearth causing it to pulse a bit and a wave of magic to wash over the room and for the magic circle in front of them to start glowing.

"W-what was that? What's happening?" Primo asked as Hestia walked over and placed a finger on the elf's lips to quiet her before pointing at Bell who was beginning his chant with the Command Spells on the back of his hand glowing.

The circle glowed brighter and brighter with each completed verse as lightning arced within it, circulating the magic within. Behind him, he could feel the gazes of Emma, Gina and Primo on his back as they watched the summoning with awe.

And then…

"_You seven souls who reside at the fate I wish to reach. Come forth from the binding circle. Oh Keeper of the Balance!_"

Light and dust erupted from the magic circle prompting everyone to cover their eyes.

Silence fell over the room as Bell waited for the dust to clear. However, a soft voice spoke up from the cloud.

"_**Ahh…Sigurd!**_"

"Huh?"

As Bell let out a gasp of confusion, the dust was suddenly blown away by something large that flew past him.

"Saber!"

Bell called out on instinct despite not knowing where the new Servant was heading. A loud crash of metal on metal followed by the shattering of a wall behind them.

Bell wheeled around and saw that the wall to the kitchen had been destroyed by a massive spear, which was currently being held in place underneath Saber's arm as he stared wide-eyed at the newcomer, a woman with extremely long white hair with a teal accent that seemed to nearly reach all the way to the ground. Archer and Caster were standing beside the woman, weapons out and ready to strike back should she attempt another move while Assassin had also drawn her daggers out and was standing in front of Hestia to shield her. However, Saber was holding his free hand out to stop them and to tell them to remain calm.

He then slowly moved his hand toward the woman's cheek and carefully caressed it as he wiped away a tear that had been falling down her face, completely ignoring the fact that his other arm was shaking as it tried to keep the spear from escaping.

"Ah, Brynhildr…" Saber called out what was probably the woman's name in a longing and loving manner. "To think you would come."

"Ah, Sigurd," the woman replied with equal affection as she released her grip on her spear and placed her hand on top of Saber's instead. "To think you would be here. Oh my, knight…my dear, Sigurd."

"I am here, Brynhildr…my love."

It was as though the two of them had lost sight of the world around them. Their eyes were only on the other, completely unaware that they were being watched.

"WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON HERE!?" Hestia shouted, either finally coming to her senses or the sweet nothings slowly being spoken by the pair was growing too much for her to bear. "Saber! Who is this person?"

"Ah…my apologies," the woman…no, the Servant said as she stepped back without her spear, allowing Saber to wrench it out of the wall. "I am Brynhildr. My class is…Lancer. Please allow me to become part of your strength, Master."

"Y-yes!" Bell nodded as his blank expression turned into a smile. "Nice to meet you, Lancer. My name is Bell Cranel…and…even if it's in such a way…I'm glad that you and Saber got to be reunited."

"Yes, thank you, Master," Lancer replied, a bright smile forming on her face alongside Saber as they looked each other in the eye.

"Another troublesome one has appeared…" Caster muttered as he, Archer and Assassin put away their weapons. Bell's eyes then fell upon Lancer's spear.

The shaft was a golden color which seemed to glow underneath the light and its head was crafted out of some strange purple metal into the shape of a heart with thorns. Lancer herself was adorned with silver armor looked to be made out of the mythril, the same as the axe that Bell brought back from the Eighteenth Floor, and shone beautifully on her slim figure. Above all else, she was beautiful, something Bell could say without hesitation as it was the most obvious thing in the world. Her beauty was as such that it could possibly even rival that of any goddesses.

"T-then, Miss Lancer," Lily spoke up. "What exactly is your relationship to Saber?"

Lancer blinked for a moment before she glanced at Saber who nodded his head to her unasked question.

"She is my wife and the love of my life," Saber replied bluntly, causing Lancer to blush and clasp her hands over her cheeks. The bluntness also caused the other girls to blush as well while Hestia let out a slightly strained laugh.

"Aha ha…well, I can say that the two of you make quite the couple," The goddess muttered. "Then…can you explain why she seemed to have attacked you right out of the gate?"

"The murderous impulses are merely how she proves her love," Saber replied without missing a beat. "And in return, I prove my love to her by surviving against every attempt. After all, I cannot love her if I die. That is all there is to it."

"Is that really all!?" Bell shouted in surprise as Emma giggled into her hand.

"Well, I shall not deny that it is rather difficult."

"Oh boy, just what I needed…a twisted yandere mutual love story right in my own home," Hestia sighed as she glanced over at the destroyed wall. Lancer followed her gaze and winced before walking over to it.

"Umm…I can fix this," she offered as Hestia nodded her head to tell her to do so. With the go ahead, Lancer began tracing several runes in the air and the destroyed wall began to magically fix itself.

"Well?" Hestia asked as she turned toward Emma, Primo and Gina. "Do you believe now?"

"Yes…" Primo nodded, unable to take her eyes off of Lancer. "So pretty…"

The compliment seemed to reach Lancer's ears as she began blushing again.

"Well, she's completely charmed," Archer said with a sigh as Assassin poked Primo in the side, causing her to squeak and fall over. "How are you feeling, Bell?"

"How do you mean?" Bell asked as he turned toward Archer. "The Servant Upkeep? If so, then I'm still good."

"The blessing of a god is not to be underestimated…especially not when used in a container such as that," Caster muttered. "Very well, prepare to summon the next one."

"Eh!? Are Spirits something that you can just call upon one right after the other?" Emma asked in surprise. "The legends said that all of them were powerful beings that were the closest to the gods…"

"Yeah, I didn't expect so either," Hestia admitted. "Then Archer, Caster, Saber and Jack came in one after the other and here we are."

"Is Lancer going to be a problem though, Saber?" Archer asked as Lancer looked away while Saber frowned a bit. Archer then raised his hands in apology. "Sorry, that came out harsher than I meant it. I know the basic circumstances from your legends. I'm just concerned about what might happen to both of you. It would be disastrous if she were to suddenly attack you in the middle of the Dungeon."

"Well, the easiest way to solve that would be to keep them in separate parties right?" Hestia suggested as Bell prepared to summon the next Servant. "But is there a reason for it to happen in the first place?"

"You could say it is something like a curse, Goddess Hestia," Saber explained. "I was tricked by a certain person and Brynhildr suffers the consequences of my actions. If anyone is to blame for these circumstances, it is me."

"Hmm…I don't really get it but I trust you to handle it then, Saber," Hestia said before turning to her Captain. "What do you think, Caster?"

"So long as her affections do not bring misfortune upon anyone other than Saber, then there will be no problem," Caster replied with narrowed eyes. "However…"

"I know," Lancer replied softly. "I will ensure that my actions do not bring harm to our Master in any way…and I am prepared to be struck down in the case that that happens."

"I shall not allow it to get that far," Saber said as he grabbed her arm and pulled her close. "I am right here, Brynhildr. Your eyes…and your 'love' need only to fall upon me."

"Yes," Lancer nodded as Saber gently pushed aside the hair in front of her eyes. "Of course, Sigurd."

"…Is Miss Lancer's spear getting bigger?" Lily asked, looking toward the heart-shaped spear resting against the fixed wall.

"Ohh…I get it now," Gina muttered. "So that's why Saber calls Bell 'Master,' sometimes. It's because of this contract thing. I just thought he was actually some kind of noble."

"Ahaha…nope, just your average farm boy," Bell replied with a laugh.

"If farm boys grew as fast as you do, the world would't need the Falna," Archer muttered as Bell blushed and let out another chuckle.

He then stood in front of the circle and began the chant once more.

As the light and dust settled, the sixth Servant stood in front of him. A woman was down on one knee, sword planted in front of her with a red and gold shield in over her left hand. Her long red hair was flowing down her back alongside a white fur-trimmed cape. She was also a breathtaking beauty although it felt much more earthly compared to Lancer, like it was a level where mortal human could reach compared to one that was on par with the gods. Her eyes opened up, revealing bright and kind clear blue eyes. With a smile, the woman stood up and grasped Bell's outstretched hand.

"Boudica, queen of the Iceni, nice to meet you," she introduced herself as she shook his hand. "Though I don't mind if you just call me Rider if it's easier."

For a queen, Rider's smile radiated an aura of kindness and warmth, much like that of a mother or an older sister…although Bell didn't really know anyone to use as a reference to such a thing. Well, unless one counted Archer but he didn't want to join Lily in that particular form of teasing. He thought that other royalty would be as cold and aloof as Caster but he supposed that they wouldn't all be the same.

"Yes!" Bell nodded with a smile. "Nice to meet you, Rider!"

"Is Mommy Hestia happy?" Assassin asked as she tapped Hestia's shoulder. "More girls got summoned!"

"Ahaha…I suppose so," Hestia nodded with a wry smile. "All right, since Lancer and Rider are now here, everyone introduce yourselves properly!"

After a quick round of introductions, Lancer and Rider were briefed on the conditions of the world. Of the Dungeon and of the Gods living amongst mortals.

"I see…" Lancer nodded as she and Rider sat side-by-side on the couch. "What a strange world this is…for both Loki and Lady Freya to have descended. Lady Freya's habit of collecting Heroes hasn't changed either."

"Ahaha…this world's history must be rather interesting with the gods being so close to humans," Rider added. "Zeus and Hera…and then Loki and Freya. One era passes onto the next. I wonder which will claim the title of the strongest next?"

"Of course it's going to be me!" Hestia said as she stood up with her chest out. "Is what I want to say but I feel like it's cheating with the Grail. Not to mention that you six will disappear along with Bell…and now I made myself sad…"

"N-now now, Lady Hestia," Emma said as she placed her hands on the goddess's shoulders. "We just got three new members in short order. You shouldn't be sad on such an occasion."

"Yeah…you're right!" Hestia said, bouncing back right away as she nodded her head. "And since we're going to Melen for vacation, let's all go out and pick our swimsuits!"

"S-swimsuits?" Bell repeated, turning a bit red. "I thought Melen was a port?"

"Its lake still has sand and salt water since it opens up into an ocean, Bell," Archer replied. "That being said…I am worried at what kind of swimsuits have popped up in a town controlled by gods."

"Well, I won't deny that there are quite a few raunchy ones that only those of Ishtar's ilk would prefer but there are plenty of ones that could just pass off as an Amazon's normal wear."

Everyone then turned as one toward Gina who took a step back and covered her body with her hands.

"What?" She asked defensively, although not quite understanding why she was being singled out. "What's wrong with how I dress?"

"Nothing at all," the constantly bare chested Caster replied with a shrug. "Humans and other races simply do not understand that there is no need to hide what one is proud of."

"I was wrong, Captain! You are the best!"

Gina tried to hug Caster but was held back by the length of the man's arm on her head.

"The feelings and words are accepted. The affection is not."

"Does this mean we're going to a place that caters to Amazons?" Primo asked.

"Well, I won't say we won't go there since we need to see what Gina might want after all," Hestia admitted. "But North Main has stores for everyone so let's window shop and see what everyone likes!"

"…Are there shops that cater to Spirits?" Primo asked with a wry smile.

"I believe we will be fine with human-centric shops," Archer replied with a small chuckle.

X-x-X-x-X

And so, Hestia Familia headed to North Main, also known as the Fashion District.

The many races that called Orario home had a variety of tastes and needs when it came to clothes. Short and thin pallums couldn't shop at the same places that short yet robust dwarves would go and each race had their own favorite types of fabric and designs. In fact, their preferences were so different each store had to be careful to tailor to only their target customers.

That's where the merchants came in.

They built their shops to cater to one specific race and then built up a relationship of trust with individual customers. Several deities had taken note of this and built their familias around the industry. So much so that many people considered Orario to be the trendsetter of the fashion world.

As they were simply going shopping, Saber and Lancer's had eschewed their armor and Rider her cape while also tying her hair into a ponytail to keep it from getting in the way, allowing them to move rather unrestrictedly down the street along with the rest of the Familia.

"Even though I've lived in this city for over two months now, I've never actually been here before," Bell said as he looked around at the various stores and the items displayed in their window. "All of my clothes still fit me after all and I was pretty much fine with patching up any holes myself…"

Such was the life of a small and poor Familia after all.

"It seems pretty busy, even though it's still rather early in the morning," Rider noted as she watched an Amazon leading a reluctant and sleepy looking dwarf into a store to pick out outfits for him. "So many different people mingling with each other too."

"It's rather normal for this city, Miss Rider," Lily replied. "Lily doesn't think there is a single point of time where this city is ever truly quiet."

"Where are we stopping by first?" Saber asked as Lancer clung to his arm happily, causing more than a few men to throw looks of pure envy toward the man who noticed nothing. "A human-centric store to settle the majority first or leave that for last, Lady Hestia? I am fine with either."

"Hmm…let's look for one for Gina first as an apology for picking on her," Hestia said as she directed her Familia toward a store for Amazons.

All of the clothing on display at the other end of the counter would make anyone with a shred of shame want to avert their eyes. Since all Amazons were female, the bright and colorful fabric was sold in two-piece sets that didn't cover much more skin than the outfits dancers wore in a red-light district. The traditional patterns had a unique flair to make the wearer stand out from the crowd. Even the clerk, also an Amazon, wore an outfit that most other races would describe as underwear.

"…Which one are the swimsuits?" Primo asked as she, Hestia and Rider walked in with Gina while the others waited outside, not wanting to crowd the store with their massive party. That being said, the young elf looked like she was already regretting her curiosity as she looked at the displays with her face as red as a tomato.

"The ones with the water resistant cloths, duh," Gina replied with a grin as she walked over to the back.

"I don't particularly see what the problem is," Rider said as she felt the fabric of one of the pareo-style skirts. "They look rather enchanting to me."

"I think your style is a bit different from mine as well, Lady Rider," Primo said as she looked at the woman wearing a shrug and corset over a red skirt.

"Is that so?"

"Find anything you like, Gina?" Hestia asked. "And don't worry about the price. Caster set aside a big budget for our vacation. Just don't go too crazy and get something made out of Undine Cloth or the like."

"Kaaay~"

Undine Cloth, just like Salamander Wool, was a special material made by Lesser Spirits or Fairies for the sake of assisting Adventurers in the Dungeon of the same name. It protected against water-element attacks but can also be used to combat intense heat waves. It's greatest strength however, was that it allowed a greater freedom of movement when underwater and increasing one's swimming speed. For Familias that make their living in the open seas such as the Poseidon Familia, it was an essential part of any equipment.

"Who would make something like swimsuits out of something as precious as Undine Cloth!?" Primo asked.

A few stores away, a certain trickster goddess let out a massive sneeze.

"You'd be surprise," Hestia replied with a long and agonized sigh as a salesclerk came up and started offering some clothes to Primo who shrunk back behind Rider. "But enough about thinking of what-ifs. Does anything catch your eye, Gina?"

"Hmm…how about this?"

The young Amazon pointed to a gold and maroon two-piece swimsuit on the wall.

"Let's see…" Hestia mumbled as she pulled it off. "Hmm, the price is fine so no objections on that front…but you really like these colors don't you?"

"Ehehe…I'm going to go try it on!"

Gina disappeared behind the curtain and after a few minutes came back out wearing the swimsuit.

"Well?" Gina asked, giving a little twirl to show off the swimsuit.

"Hmm…in my eyes it looks a little small for you," Hestia began. "But I guess that's normal for an Amazon? Is it tight at all?"

"Nope," Gina replied with a shake of her head. "It fits perfectly."

"L-Lady Rider!"

Before Hestia could respond, the two of them turned around at Primo's worried voice. Hestia let out a choking noise at what she saw while Gina let out an amazed, "Wow!"

The Servant was wearing an Amazon outfit that consisted of nothing more than a strip of cloth covering her bountiful chest and the long pareo she was looking at earlier. The Amazon salesclerk looked rather satisfied at how it turned out while Primo's right ear and left eye were twitching at the sight of the Spirit in such a dress.

"Hmm…it's a bit tight after all," Rider said as she placed a hand on her cheek and adjusted the band a bit, causing Primo to let out a pained cough. Rider then let out a sigh as she stepped back into the changing room. "And it looks so cute too…oh well."

"…She could give Demeter a run for her money…" Hestia muttered as she walked over and placed a hand on the stunned elf girl.

"Lady Hestia…" Primo began as she placed her hands over her chest. "I want to hurry and grow up…"

Hestia could only let out a dry laugh at that.

X-x-X-x-X

When they left the store, Hestia noted that Bell, Emma, Lily, Caster and Archer were standing an entire building away from where Saber and Lancer were.

"Why are you all standing so far away?" Rider asked as they walked over to them first.

"I refused to be associated with _that_," Caster replied, lifting a single finger to point over at Saber and Lancer as Emma and Bell could only laugh nervously. The married couple were holding each other in their arms while staring into the other's eyes, completely lost in their own world. Of course, the two's divine looks that could rival those of gods had attracted the attention of nearly every single person walking down the street. God and mortal alike.

"Oh Sigurd…to be able to meet again like this…I must offer thanks to the gods for allowing me this fortune."

"No my dear Brynhildr, it is not the work of the gods but Bell. Give your thanks to him."

"Yes, you are correct. It is thanks to him that I will be able to express my love to you."

Hestia was not jealous. Not one bit jealous. She had no deep-seated wishes of being able to do the same thing with Bell. No sir. Not at all. She was not like those gods over there hiding behind the corner crying out tears of blood or that human biting her handkerchief in jealousy.

"Sigurd…no, Saber. Perhaps we should stop for now? People are watching."

"Of course they are. Your beauty is unmatched amongst mortals after all."

"Enough!" Hestia shouted as she got in between the two of them and forced them apart. "We're already moving to the next shop so pay attention!"

"Ah…my apologies, Lady Hestia!" Lancer quickly apologized with a bow. "I lost sight of my surroundings."

"I as well…" Saber added while also lowering his head.

"Geez…at least pay attention to the people around you…"

"Hestia! Those were your children!?"

"Tell them to do it in private not out in the street!"

"Damn it…damn it…why can't that be me instead!?"

"Let me punch him once! Just once! Please, Hestia!"

"Shut up you losers!" Hestia shouted at the peanut gallery of gods. "That's precisely the reason you guys don't have partners!"

"Hey Caster…" Rider began as she stood beside the king. "…Are gods supposed to be so…"

"…So?" Caster repeated, urging her to continue.

The woman placed a hand on her cheek and tilted her head to the side before saying, "…Pathetic?"

Rider's word stabbed into the gods as they fell over onto the road, tears seeping out of their eyes. Caster threw his head back, roaring with laughter at the sight.

"This nonsensical trip was worth it for that alone," Caster said as Hestia came back, pulling Lancer and Saber by the arms.

"You're welcome, Your Majesty," Rider replied with a wry smile as they all continued on their way.

X-x-X-x-X

Shopping for the rest of the swimsuits took up most of the day but they managed to get something for everyone. A bright red Hestia had put her foot down when Caster and Archer went for the rather bold swimsuits called speedos, which in Bell's eyes were swimsuits introduced by the gods that looked just like pairs of underwear, though.

"You ever feel like we're being treated worse than the girls?" Archer asked Caster after the two of them had settled for trunks instead. With the shopping done, they were holding onto their purchases as they walked bac down the main street.

"It is the nature of gods to play favorites," Caster simply replied as if it was as obvious as the color of the sky. He then glanced over at Hestia. "That being said, one would think that it is rather unnatural for one of the Virginal Goddesses to accept men into their Familia in the first place."

"H-hey, I wasn't exactly in the position to be picky, okay?" Hestia said as she clung onto Bell's arm. "I'm not like Artemis you know!"

"Then I suppose I should be glad that there is one who is willing to uphold the image of a proper goddess."

"What shall we do next?" Saber asked as he looked up at the setting sun while ignoring the enraged Hestia being held back at length by Caster's arm. "It is getting rather late. Shall we head home?"

"Best to head back," Archer replied. "The food for the trip still needs to be prepared…and some people are not quite packed yet."

Hestia pointedly did not look at Archer and instead seemed more focused on a nearby stand showing off accessories for women.

As they headed back, Bell glanced over at Lancer. Right now, the woman was still happily clinging onto Saber without any care of the jealous looks the two of them were getting from men and women alike. Though she had an aura similar to the gods, she was still more "human" than they were and no one would ever mistake her for one. Even now, the two looked just like any other embarrassing and sickeningly sweet couple…but the attack she made against Saber right after she was summoned had been serious. One that had been aiming to kill her husband without mercy.

The two of them referred to it as a curse, one that both Archer and Caster knew of and were wary about. A curse that caused one to murder their beloved without warning. How cruel. Who could do such a thing to such a happy looking couple?

Bell wanted to know more about them but he was afraid to ask about something so personal.

"_I hope I don't get an answer through the dream thing…_" Bell muttered. "_Well…it's not like I've been remembering them in the first place._"

However…Bell had a small feeling that the more it happened, the more he would remember them. It was such a blatant violation of his Heroes' privacy that he felt guilty just thinking about it even though Archer told him that it couldn't be helped.

As they passed through the gates, Saber and Lancer stopped following them and moved to the side of the yard.

Caster's eyes followed them for a moment, realizing what they were about to do.

"Do not make so much of a ruckus that you would bring the Guild down on our heads," he said as he continued walking into the manor.

"What?" Hestia asked as she looked from Caster to the couple. "What kind of ruckus do you mean!?"

Her answer came in the form of Lancer's massive spear crashing down at the spot where Saber had just been standing. However, the man had leaped back, materializing his weapons and armor around him.

"Gyaaah! Now!?" Lily screamed. "They're doing this now?"

"You would not be able to stop them if you tried," Caster said. "Ignore them and leave them to their lover's spat."

Lancer retrieved her spear from the ground and charged at Saber with tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Sigurd," she apologized from the bottom of her heart as the massive spearhead lunged forward like a viper. "I resisted the urge as long as I could…but my love for you can no longer be held back."

"There are no worries, Brynhildr," Saber replied as he he deftly knocked aside each blow with his daggers. "Come! I will accept all of your love and survive to prove my own love to you!"

"…I don't know if I should be worried or embarrassed at hearing this…" Hestia said as the clashing of metal upon metal echoed in the sky.

"I believe both is a fair answer," Emma replied, placing a hand on her reddening cheeks. "It's amazing that Saber can say such things with a straight face."

"Best we head inside before we get caught in the crossfire," Archer said as he walked inside as well with Rider right behind him, Gina's hand in her own.

"Gonna be dangerous so let's go inside," Assassin said as she grabbed Hestia and Primo's hands and pulled them into the building while Lily did the same for Emma and Bell.

Bell felt that as their Master, he should stay to see everything through to the end. A blade of wind slashing across the ground quickly put a stop to that presumptuous thought of his as they quickly took shelter inside the manor.

"You two better clean up the yard after you're done, you hear me!" Hestia shouted before Emma grabbed her shoulder and pulled her inside and closed the door behind them.

As Hestia and Caster headed to the top floor to their respective offices, Rider and Archer headed into the kitchen to continue the food preparations for the trip with Lily, Assassin, and Gina following after them. Emma suddenly grabbed Bell's hand.

"Come on," she said as she pulled him up the stairs with Primo following behind them.

She led the group to her room and opened it before dragging him over to the window. Emma's room overlooked the front yard, Bell knew this after seeing her poke her head out to watch his morning training with Saber the other day. From here, they could watch the "lover's spat," as Caster had put it, in relative safety. With Bell on the right, Emma to the left and Primo squeezing in between them, they watched the battle between the two lovers, no…the two legends unfurl.

X-x-X-x-X

Welf was running down the street toward the Hestia Familia home with a bag full of notes and sketches of armors and robes. Ever since seeing the new girls of Hestia Familia, his mind had been working overtime in coming up with new designs and equipment for them to use. Although he was a bit disappointed in not being able to come up with any wands or staves for Primo to use, the robe designs he came up with were more than enough to compensate for that in his mind.

However, as he drew close, he heard the sounds of metal clashing against metal.

Feeling a bit worried, he sped up until he arrived at the front gate. There, looking through the bars of the front gate he saw Saber wearing a full face mask clashing against a woman in a black uniform and silver mythril armor that Welf had never seen before. She was wielding a golden spear with a spearhead made out of unknown material but it was strong enough to go toe-to-toe with Saber's Gram and not immediately shatter. That along with the woman's skill of course.

Saber's red blade and the unknown woman's spear flashed across the front yard like dancing lights exchanging blows with each other. The length of their weapons were currently directing the distance of of their bout with neither of them able to get closer…and the woman's spear was actually getting slightly bigger with each passing second.

Each step back was followed by an advancing strike. The two warriors were refusing to give an inch to the other. Their eyes were completely focused on the opponent in front of them.

Welf was the same. All thought left his mind as he watched the two clash in front of him. Like a member of a theatre audience he was captivated at the way the two of them were moving. He had thought Bell moved fast whenever they were down in the Dungeon…but it was only now that he realized just how much Saber had been holding back in their dives. But still, if they didn't stop soon, something might…

"Oh, Welf!"

A familiar voice called out to Welf and the two fighters stop immediately, ending the show.

Looking up, he saw Bell and the two new girls looking down at him from one of the windows. It looked as though they had been watching the fight as well.

"So…you aren't being attacked?" Welf asked as he looked over at Saber after waving back to Bell and the girls.

"It is nothing serious," Saber replied as the woman walked over to him and Saber placed his arm around her shoulders. "Welf, this is Lancer. My wife."

Welf's jaw hit the floor at the revelation.

X-x-X-x-X

"Geez, you never told me you were married," Welf said after he was invited inside by the Hestia Familia.

"My apologies," Saber replied with a smile. "It just never came up. We were separated on our way to Orario and she only just now managed to reach the city."

"And we have managed to reunite here," Lancer replied as she sat down beside Saber on the couch and rested her head against his shoulder to which he responded by resting his own head against hers.

As imaginary hearts flew out from the couple, one of them bouncing off of Welf's head, the smith turned toward Bell and the others, a question on his face.

"Yes, they've been at it all morning," Primo replied with a twitching eyebrow.

"At least they're somewhat in private," Emma pointed out. "They were flirting in the street while we were out shopping."

"Lost in their own world, they didn't even realize they were repeating lines over and over," Bell added with a wry smile.

Another wave of hearts surged out from the couple as Primo quickly and angrily started popping them before they could hit her.

"Come on you two!" She shouted. "Don't you have any shame?"

"What shame is there in showing our love to one another?" Saber asked.

"What shame is there to bask in our love for one another?" Lancer added.

"…I'm sorry that you have to live with this," Welf said seriously as Primo hung her head while Emma and Bell turned red in embarrassment. "Still, you got some more members since we last spoke, huh?"

Welf leaned forward a bit from his seat and Bell followed his gaze into the kitchen and where he saw Archer working on packing a large amount of food along with Lily, Rider and Gina's help. Assassin met their gaze and trotted out of the kitchen toward them.

"Yay, it's Mister Welf!" Assassin said as she ran over and dived at him.

"Yo Jackie. Still enjoying yourself?"

"Yep! We bought swimsuits!"

"Swimsuits? So you're heading to a beach for your vacation then?" Welf asked.

"Yeah," Bell nodded. "It's going to be for a few days while we get some renovations done with the help of Goibniu Familia. Of course, you're still welcome to join us if you can spare the time. We need to celebrate your Level Up after all. Lily's too."

"A waterside vacation huh?" Welf asked, looking rather happy at the prospect. "I dunno if I'll stay for the entire time but I gotta admit, it sounds pretty good! Count me in. Anything I should bring along?"

"Well, a swimsuit probably won't hurt," Bell pointed out as Welf rolled his eyes at the obvious. "But I suppose anything you feel like is important would be enough. Caster, Archer and Rider's got the food handled."

"If you have any recommendations for drinks then we can use those," Saber pointed out.

"I'll pick up a cask or two in the morning then," Welf nodded. "Where are we going anyway."

"Just to Melen," Bell replied. "Caster said there wasn't any point in going anywhere else since it wouldn't be much of a vacation if most of it was spent traveling."

"Meh, Melen's find with me…oh wait…should I fork over some money for the trip?" Welf asked quickly. "Cuz if I'm tagging along I should at least pay for my share right?"

"Don't worry Welf," Saber cut in. "It's part of your Level Up party remember?"

"Yeah but I wanna do at least something to help out…" Welf said with a wry smile. "I know you guys are just letting me tag along but it still means a lot, ya know? Especially since I'm not even in your Familia…"

"That could be rectified with only a few short words to your goddess," a new voice called out.

Bell turned and saw Caster standing with his back against the frame leading to the staircase. The man pushed himself off the frame and turned toward the young smith.

"Your skills and person are much more appreciated within Hestia Familia as a whole," Caster continued. "Why must you stay and torture yourself in a Familia where only the Goddess has bothered to even say a word to you about your Level Up?"

"I already told you that I owe Lady Hephaistos too much to just leave on a whim like that," Welf replied.

"…Lady?" Lancer repeated in confusion.

"I shall explain later," Saber replied quickly.

"Humph…nevertheless, the offer shall still be open for the time being. Should you ever wish to increase your worth."

With that said, Caster left the room to head back up to his office. It seemed as though he came down simply to try and recruit Welf once more.

"Sorry Bell, but I don't think I'll ever get along with that guy on a personal level," Welf said as he leaned back in his chair.

"Well, he can be a bit direct," Bell admitted as Assassin came over and sat down in his lap. "But I think that that's his way of looking out for you."

Welf simply grunted in response.

"…Do you not get along with your Familia, Mister Welf?" Primo asked, looking rather concerned.

"Don't worry about it, I'm fine," Welf replied with a cheery smile but even Bell could tell he was forcing it.

Bell himself would love it if Welf were undergo a Conversion and join the Familia like Lily did, but unlike Lily, Welf was a lot more attached to his goddess and Bell didn't want to make Welf choose between his friends and his goddess.

"Anyway, let's go over the reason I actually came here!" Welf said, forcibly changing the topic. "Primo, Emmy and Bell's new armor designs!"

"Emmy?" Emma repeated but she seemed more bemused at the nickname rather than upset like Lily got.

"Ohh…these look amazing!" Primo said as she poured over the sheets in front of her.

"We're still going with Pyonkichi, huh?" Bell asked with a wry smile.

"Of course! Now that I have Blacksmith, the MKIV set is going to be a thousand times better than the MKIII! You also wanted some Salamander Wool pieces as well, right?"

"S-Salamander Wool?" Primo asked. "Isn't that expensive?"

"Yeah but His Kingship basically gave me a the go ahead to use whatever I need so I'm taking full advantage of that!"

"And yet you are worried about accepting our hospitality for your own party?" Saber asked, looking rather amused.

"Hey, one's work and one's pleasure. Granted my work is also my pleasure but it's still work!"

Saber shrugged his shoulders at Welf's passionate response while Lancer giggled into her hand.

"So we got few options for you, Primo," Welf said, going back into business mode. "Outer or inner layer and made with either Salamander Wool or Undine Cloth for the best kind of protection."

"Urk…so extravagant…" Primo muttered as she looked between the two designs. "Lord Caster is really spending too much on someone like me."

"That's nothing compared to how much he spent on Bell though, Miss Primo," Lily said as she came out of the kitchen, having finished helping as much as she could. "Bell's knife will cost more than anything Miss Primo will have for the near future."

At Lily's words, Emma and Primo glanced over at Bell whose eyes had glazed over with a deathly sick laughter seeping out of his throat.

"We probably shouldn't ask about it," Emma whispered to Primo who nodded her head vigorously in agreement.

"Agreed…"

"Well let's put aside Bell's knife for now," Welf began as he gestured back to the designs for the two girls.

Granted it would have been more convenient for them to simply buy the Salamander Wool or Undine Cloth themselves. They didn't just come in cloaks but also as shirts, pants and even underwear. But by buying the cloth on its own Welf would be able to make it into any style of clothing the girls wanted.

"Hmm…" Primo looked carefully at the designs before glancing over at Lily who had been roped into playing a game by Assassin. "Maybe some outerwear like this cloak? Something that I can wear over my current outfit."

"Got it. What about you Emma?"

"Umm, let's go with an outer layer as well," Emma replied as she rubbed the back of her neck, though Bell noted that she seemed to just be barely touching her old injury. "If I can have my body completely protected, that would be great."

"Armor that covers both your front and back…I can work with this," Welf nodded before stretching his arms back. "Man, having paid work to do feels so great!"

He then glanced into the kitchen toward the Amazon girl.

"What about the other new girl?" He asked. "The Amazon."

"Gina still has her old equipment from before her Conversion," Emma replied. "So I think she's fine for now."

"Yeah and I guess Amazons don't really go for armor in the first place," Welf replied with a nod while scratching the back of his head.

Just then, thumping could be heard from upstairs as a small figure leaped down to the bottom of the stairs and ran into the living room.

"Oh, Hephaistos's child came to visit!" Hestia said upon seeing Welf inside. "You're Welf, right? Nice to finally meet you."

"A pleasure to meet you too, Lady Hestia," Welf said respectively as he stood up. "Sorry for dropping by unannounced."

"No problem, no problem," Hestia answered with a smile. "Since you're here, why not join us for dinner?"

"Dinner?" Welf asked as Caster appeared behind Hestia.

"Yep. I don't want to force Archer and Rider to make dinner even as they're preparing the food to take with us on vacation. So naturally we're going to eat out before then!"

"So 'natural' that you only just came up with it nary five seconds ago," Caster commented and Hestia ignored him.

"Anyway, you two got most of it done, right?" Hestia asked as she called into the kitchen area.

"Thanks to Lily and Gina we got most of it done," Archer replied. "We still got a lot to do but Rider and I can handle it before we leave."

"Sorry to leave it all to you," Bell said but Rider waved him off.

"It's fine," Rider said. "I'm enjoying myself so it isn't hard work at all. I also don't mind working through the night if need be."

"I appreciate the thought but please don't, Rider," Hestia said. "You're the one that's going to be driving the carriage after all."

"So she's 'Rider' because she's good with horses?" Welf asked with a whisper to Bell.

"Good with animals in general," Bell replied. "I think she could become a Tamer if she wanted to."

"So you're going to lead monsters into battle too?"

"Ahaha…who can say?"

Supposedly Rider could use any animal as a mount but Bell wasn't sure if that also applied to monsters. His eyes then wandered over to Primo who was looking over the design she had picked for her cloak. He had heard stories that the elves of the forest used to get around the weakness of magic by riding on horses and letting them dodge while the riders focused everything they had in their magic. If Rider managed to tame a monster big enough for Primo to ride, would such a style of magic knight make a return in the form of a ten year old mage?

Bell then had the image of the young Primo firing her spell from the back of a minotaur while the monster smashed through a wave of incoming hellhounds. It was such a surreal sight that Bell couldn't help but laugh at it.

"All right, time to go!" Hestia said as she ushered everyone to follow her. "You coming, Welf?"

"Sure but I'll pay for my share," Welf said with a nod. "I insist!"

"Hee hee, you're such a good boy, Welf."

X-x-X-x-X

After a few minutes they managed to reach the pub just as they were opening and Bell could see Syr walking out with the sign showing the daily special.

"Oh, Bell!"

As the waitress placed the sign down beside the entrance, she turned around and spotted their massive party walking down the street toward her.

"Good evening!"

"Good evening, Syr!" Bell returned her greeting cheerfully. "Sorry but can you fit a party of thirteen right away?"

"Of course! Although we might have to split some of you up at the bar. None of our tables are big enough for all of you."

"No problem! Ah but…it's not going to disrupt your business if we take over so many seats, is it?"

"Only if you don't spend any money~"

Syr punctuated her words by tapping the tip of Bell's nose, causing him to blush slightly before Hestia stepped in between them.

"All right, all right!" She shouted irritably. "Just seat us already!"

"Yes, Lady Goddess~" Syr replied with a giggle before stepping into the bar. "Now seating party of thirteen!"

"Is that girl Bell's lover?" Lancer whispered to Saber.

"Not if the Goddess has anything to say about it," Saber replied with a chuckle.

"Jealous gods, huh?" Rider muttered. "I suppose that's just more of the same."

Bell ignored his Servants' commentary as they were lead inside. Bell and the other male members of the party sat at the bar while the girls sat at the closest table to it. Lancer however, chose to sit beside Sigurd as was expected. Once the order for food was placed and the first round of drinks came out, Caster stood up, tankard in hand.

"Well then…" he began as he lifted his cup up. "To a successful expedition, the defeat of the Monster Rex, the Level Up of our Party members and the welcome of our new members!"

"""CHEERS!"""

A loud cheer rose up in response to Caster's toast followed by the clanking of mugs and glasses. Even if Caster didn't think much of the Familia, he could play the role of a proper Captain when it came down to it, Bell thought as the king sat back down in his corner and quietly drank without any care of the conversations going on around him.

"So it was true? Your Familia defeated the Goliath with such small numbers?"

Bell looked up just as Ryuu placed a sampler platter of various fried foods between him and Welf.

"Yes!" Bell nodded to the elf waitress as Welf helped himself first. "It was really touch and go for a moment there but we managed to beat it with just the seven of us!"

"And now your Familia nearly doubled in size," Ryuu noted with a smile on her face. "Congratulations."

"Yes! Thank you very much Miss Ryuu."

Ryuu nodded with a smile before placing a hand on her cheek and tilting her head to the side. "Hmm? I feel as though we've had a similar conversation before?"

"I think it was when you saw Jack for the first time," Bell said, indicating the tiny white-haired Assassin who was sitting between Primo and Gina. "Speaking of which, was everything okay? You had an errand or something right?"

"Ah, yes…do not worry about that," Ryuu replied rather evasively. "There were no problems."

"All right…if you say so."

It wasn't his place to pry either way.

"Oh, while I have you here though, do you know Magic, Miss Ryuu?" Bell asked before he forgot.

"Magic?" The elf repeated. "Yes, I do."

"Then is there any advice you can give Primo?" Bell asked, pointing to the his Familia Mage who was fussing over Assassin who had somehow gotten a foam mustache from her non-alcoholic drink. "She joined the other day and got a spell right away when she got her blessing. No one else in the Familia really knows how to help her get started. She can cast her spell just fine in the Dungeon but…"

"A beginner Mage is it?" Ryuu asked with a rather nostalgic looking smile on her face. "That was a long time ago…very well. I do not know how much help I can be but I am willing to impart some knowledge."

"Thank you very much!"

Ryuu nodded again before walking over to talk to Primo. The younger elf looked up in surprise for a moment before she jumped to her feet and started bowing her head over and over in thanks, flustering the older elf a bit. Seeing that it seemed to have gone well, Bell decided to leave everything else to Ryuu and Primo and turned back to the front where the bar owner, Mia Grand, suddenly slammed a large plate of pasta in front of him.

"Killing a Floor Boss so early in your career is no small feet kiddo," the woman said with a laugh. "You got guts, I'll give ya that. Just don't overdo it. Life's too short to spend it on one grand adventure after another before you're ready to handle it. Just focus on surviving before anything else."

"Yes!"

Bell took the old proprietress's words to heart. He knew from what Syr told him that the old dwarf woman was a former Adventurer who retired from the profession to open up the bar. An Adventurer who achieved what they wanted out of that life and was able to retire peacefully with the blessings of their god.

"Besides, think of how sad poor Syr would be if you bit it."

"Mama!" Syr let out an embarrassed cry as she was bringing out a dish with a massive fried fish on top of it. "Please stop! You're embarrassing me!"

Mia's response was to let out a boisterous laugh and place a dish of fritters in front of Caster, who nodded his head toward the woman before he continued to eat in silence.

"And I haven't seen your face around here for a while," Mia said to Archer who looked up from his stew. "Thought you went and died already."

"Almost but not quite," Archer replied with a smirk. "Took on a Quest that lasted for a while so I hadn't been in the city for some time now. Got paid really well for it too."

"That so? Then feel free to spend all of it here tonight!"

With another cheerful laugh, she pounded Archer's shoulder before heading back into the kitchen.

"She hasn't changed since I last saw her," Archer noted with a smirk as he went back to his food.

"She appears to be much more than a simple pub owner," Lancer noted, taking a bite out of her sandwich before holding it out to Saber. "The way she holds herself is…different."

"Supposedly she was a High Class Adventurer before retiring," Saber replied as he took a bite as well. "Of which Familia, I cannot say."

Caster's eyes flickered over to the couple for a second before they turned back to his food.

"So…how did the two of you meet?" Welf asked looking rather interested in their relationship.

"It was not anything special," Lancer replied with a smile. "I was in trouble…and he came to my rescue."

"No no, that's definitely something special," Welf said quickly as the two Cat People waitresses nodded their heads behind him, clearly interested in the love story as well.

"No…well…"

However, Lancer seemed hesitant to share the tale. Perhaps she was trying to find a way to explain without mentioning anything about her or Saber's "legend." No, it was more like she was too embarrassed to say anything.

"…I had heard rumors in my travels that there was a maiden whose beauty could rival that of the gods that was locked away from the world," Saber said as everyone's eyes turned toward him. "Locked away for going against her family. I had gone to rescue her at my uncle's behest. I had intended for us to go our separate ways after the fact but…"

He then turned toward Lancer and placed one hand over hers while caressing her cheek with the other with a smile on his face.

"I had thought that love was unnecessary in my chosen path. That feelings were useless and all I needed to do was carry out my orders. But alas I can say with complete certainty…I fell for her the moment I laid my eyes on her."

Bell wished he had been sitting anywhere else at that moment because the sheer heat radiating off of Saber despite his cool demeanor was enough to make him completely red in the face. Not just him but even Welf looked rather embarrassed at Saber's words with the pair of waitresses looking on at the couple with envy.

"Nyaaah! It's too hot in here for myeow!" the brown haired Anya said as she ran back into the kitchen.

"I wyant to have a sappy love story too!" The black haired Chloe shouted before squeezing up beside Bell. "Hey boy, how about it? Want to try hooking up with me-ow!?"

Syr had appeared right behind Chloe and was pulling her ears while also stabbing her fingers into them as she pulled her away from Bell.

"Sig-no, Saber…please stop," Lancer said, blushing furiously as well. "Lady Hestia is looking rather…"

Saber turned his head toward the table holding the rest of the Familia and flinched at the sight of the furious goddess glaring back at him for flirting in a public space again. Even her twintails were lashing about dangerously as if they had somehow come to life.

The knight regretfully turned back to his food as Rider came up to them with a wry smile, her arms ladened with several plates as though she was one of the waitresses working here as well.

"It's fine to be all lovey-dovey, Saber," she said as she set a plate down in front of him and Lancer. "And I know you're happy to be reunited with her but there is a time and place for such things, yes?"

"Yes…thank you, Rider," Saber said quietly, looking just a bit ashamed at losing himself again.

Rider nodded her head as she set down a plate in front of Bell as well. On it was several cuts of fish and meat from the larger meals that the rest of the Familia had ordered to share around the larger table. As the bar was too small for Bell and the others to do the same, they had gotten personal meals instead.

After doing the same for Archer and Welf, she then walked over to Caster with the last plate.

"Would you like some as well, Caster?" She asked the Captain. Caster's response was to raise a single finger, telling her to do as she wished. "All righty then."

Leaving behind the plate in front of Caster, Rider then returned to the table, leaving the king to his celebrate in his own way as he idly skewered some fish and brought it to his mouth.

Seeing the large amount of food and drink everyone was ordering made Bell realize just how much money they had managed to come across. Between Archer's Expedition and Caster's personal efforts, Hestia Familia's coffers were fuller than ever before. A part of Bell wondered if it was okay for him to indulge like this but another part reminded him that he had just toppled a Floor Boss and thus it was only natural to celebrate. Not to mention the fact that Archer himself just came back from a journey all the way to the Deep Floors. And Bell and Lily's Level Ups…

Such a success could only demand a celebration. This outing and the upcoming vacation were probably Caster's way of showing his satisfaction toward Bell and the others even if he would never say it out loud.

"You're certainly going all out today."

Bell looked up with his fork in his mouth as Syr leaned against the bar beside Bell. He glanced behind him to see Chloe sobbing in the corner while rubbing her ears in pain.

"A massive achievement, new Familia Members…and spending all this money! I'm falling for you all over again Bell~"

Bell let out a small laugh, unsure how much the third part was a joke and how much was true. Most likely half and half.

"Did you notice how much attention you're Familia's drawing now?" Syr whispered and Bell nodded his head. He had felt eyes on his back ever since the party got into full swing. "Everyone wants to know how your Familia managed to defeat the Goliath with so few members. Can you share your secret?"

"I just followed my Captain's orders," Bell said honestly. The only difference was that his Servants' Levels did not match their actual ability but there was nothing that could be done about that. But it must have seemed very suspicious to the entire city that a Familia with two High Class Adventurers and a mass of Level 1s could take on and defeat a Monster Rex. "I just hope no one else tries to fight the Goliath with the same numbers since even I definitely don't want to do that again."

The sight of the Black Goliath hadn't given him nightmares but its visage was probably going to remain in Bell's mind for quite a while. Besides, even if Bell had dealt the final blow, it was only thanks to the efforts of his Servants and friends that he had been able to do so. His daggers had not been strong enough to pierce through the creature's hide and he had to rely on Assassin and Saber's weapons. And he only got the chance because Caster, Welf, Lily and Mord's party were desperately keeping the other monsters off their back.

He still had so much further to go.

"Hey Bell," Syr said, leaning in to whisper into his ear over the noise of the rest of the bar. "Your Familia isn't lying about the Level of your Adventurers right? You could get into big trouble if you are."

"Everyone aside from me and Lily are still Level 1," Bell replied. "That's the truth."

Syr looked straight into Bell's eyes, no doubt looking for any sign of dishonesty.

"I still can't believe it," Syr finally said before leaning back, her silver eyes turning toward Caster who didn't even bother looking in her direction. "I know that not all Adventurers start from nothing when they come to Orario…such as Loki Familia's Braver. There's a rumor that he trained with some mountain monks for years before Lady Loki found him…but something like that wouldn't give someone strength to defeat a Floor Boss."

Indeed, if something like that was possible, the Era before the Gods' descent would not have been so dark and fearful. An era where people preyed for a hero to save them. An era where heroes had rose up to the occasion, from the bumbling Argonaut to the gallant Albert the Great. Heroes had risen up in the previous era before giving away to the Era of the Familia…and now they returned once more thanks to a small wish from a scared and lonely boy.

His teachers. His heroes. And his goals.

* * *

**Hestia Famila Status as of Now**

_**Bell Cranel  
**_**Alias: **_Moonlit Dawn (Moon-Eyed Rabbit)  
_**Level 3  
****Strength**: I0  
**Defense**: I0  
**Dexterity**: I0  
**Agility**: I0  
**Magic**: I0

**Magic**:  
**Servant Summoning**: Summon a Heroic Spirit into one of Seven Servant Containers. Requires upkeep once servant is summoned.

_Let silver and steel be the essence.  
__Let stone and the archduke of contracts be the foundation.  
__Let rise a wall against the wind that shall fall.  
__Let the four cardinal gates close.  
__Let the three-forked road from the crown reaching unto the Kingdom rotate.  
__Let it be filled. Again. Again. Again. Again.  
__Let it be filled fivefold for every turn, simply breaking asunder with every filling.  
__My dreams form the body  
__Your Spirit shall show me the path as I walk it by my own power  
__And so I hereby swear,  
__That I shall be all the good in the world  
__That I shall defeat all the evil in the world.  
__You seven souls who reside at the fate I wish to reach  
__Come forth from the binding circle  
__Oh Keeper of the Balance!_

**Firebolt**: Quick cast Magic

**Skills  
**######  
**Heroic Desire**: **Argonaut**: Charges an active action.

**Development Abilities**:  
**Luck H  
****Mage H**

X-x-X-x-X

_**Emiya Shirou  
**_

**Level 1  
****Strength**: I47  
**Defense**: I61  
**Dexterity**: I64  
**Agility**: H101  
**Magic**: H176

**Magic**:  
**Reinforcement**: Strengthen oneself or objects with magic.  
**Projection**: Create temporary imperfect objects with the use of magic power. Quality of item jumps up when creating "swords." Can also alter objects slightly from their main form while retaining innate properties.

_Trace On.  
__Judging the concept of creation.  
__Hypothesizing the basic structure.  
__Duplicating the composition material.  
__Imitating the skill of its making.  
__Sympathizing with the experience of its growth.  
__Reproducing the accumulated years.  
__Excelling every manufacturing process…_

**Unlimited Blade Works**: Project one's inner reality out into the world. Reduce Projection costs of "Swords" to zero when within inner reality. Can passively examine and understand the history and blueprint of any weapon on sight and recreate them.

_I am the bone of my sword  
__Steel is my body and fire is my blood  
__I have created over a thousand blades  
__Unknown to death  
__Nor known to life  
__Have withstood pain to create many weapons  
__Yet, these hands will never hold anything  
__So as I pray, Unlimited Blade Works_

**Skills**:  
**Independent Action**: Parameters Increase when fighting alone.  
**Hawkeye**: While on a vantage point, can see and target opponents within a four kilometer range  
**Mind's Eye**: Using one's insight, one can calmly grasp the current battle situation and find a way to escape.

X-x-X-x-X

_**Gilgamesh  
**_

**Level 1  
****Strength**: I3  
**Defense**: I1  
**Dexterity**: I9  
**Agility**: I5  
**Magic**: I24

**Magic**:  
**Melammu Dingir**: Long-range bombardment spell symbolizing a long forgotten kingdom.

Hear my voice! All embrasures, open!  
_I permit you to ready your arrows!  
__Show me how you would defend Uruk and its unrivaled fortune!  
__It is my will that shall wash over the land!  
__The King's Signal Cannon!  
__Melammu Dingir!_

**Skills  
****Gate of Babylon**: The Treasury of the King is always accessible to him and able to connect to the treasury across space so that the tools within the vault are available to use. Can be deployed at will to retrieve items from within and magic wands can be fired directly from within the gate. Most weapons are currently sealed.  
**Territory Creation**: Creation of a Temple to draw in Magic Power is available.  
**The King of Heroes**: Release restraints on the Gate and draw out its full power.  
**Omniscient and Omnipotent Star: Sha Naqba Imuru**: Able to discern truth from lies and see through the eyes of all creation.

X-x-X-x-X

_**Liliruca Arde**_

**Level 2  
****Strength**: I0  
**Defense**: I0  
**Dexterity**: I0  
**Agility**: I0  
**Magic**: I0

**Magic**:  
**Cinder Ella:** Shape-shifting magic. Target will take the envisioned shape at the time of the spell magic will Fail without a clear image. Imitation is recommended.

_Trigger: Your scars are mine. My scars are mine  
__Release: Stroke of Midnight's Bell_

**Skills  
****Artel Assist:** Activates when carried weight exceeds a certain level. Amount of assistance is proportional to weight carried.  
**King's Follower: Crownsguard**: Parameters increase when acting on orders from a leader. Strength and Dexterity increases when defending a leader.

**Development Ability  
****Abnormal Resistance I**

X-x-X-x-X

_**Sigurd**_

**Level 1  
****Strength**: I7  
**Defense**: I10  
**Dexterity**: I27  
**Agility**: I32  
**Magic**: I30

**Magic**:  
**Primeval Rune (Warrior)**: Quick cast spells through the use of runes carved onto a surface or drawn in the air.

**Skills**:  
**Dragonkind Modification**: Formation of a dragon core within self.

X-x-X-x-X

_**Jack**_

**Level 1  
****Strength**: I17  
**Defense**: I3  
**Dexterity**: I30  
**Agility**: I41  
**Magic**: I5

**Magic**:  
**The Mist: Darkened Misty Metropolis**: Create a poisonous mist that also interferes with the channeling of Mind and can prevent people from entering.

_This is the beginning of Hell  
__We shall be the flame,  
__We shall be the rain  
__We shall be the power  
__Shroud Us and Burn Us  
__Let Us begin the Slaughter  
__Darkened Misty Metropolis  
__The Mist_

**Skills**:  
**Presence Concealment**: Completely hide one's presence and becomes almost impossible to be detected. Loses efficiency when preparing to attack  
**Murder in the Misty Night**: Erases ones presence completely when attacking from mist or fog.  
**Maria the Ripper**: If certain conditions are met, deal massive damage to the target.  
The time must be night.  
The target must be female.  
The weather must be misty.

X-x-X-x-X

_**Primo Libera**_

**Level 1  
****Strength**: I2  
**Defense**: I1  
**Dexterity**: I6  
**Agility**: I7  
**Magic**: I15

**Magic**:  
**Lumine Pleiades**: Wide range bombardment magic

_Glittering stars crossing the night sky.  
__Hear my naïve prayer and guide these falling lights.  
__Descend o starry tears!  
__Blast away these hapless rejects!  
__Lumine Pleiades!_

**Skills**:  
(None)

X-x-X-x-X

_**Emma Flores**_

**Level 1  
****Strength**: I7  
**Defense**: I10  
**Dexterity**: I4  
**Agility**: I8  
**Magic**: I0

**Magic**:  
(Open)

**Skills**:  
**Rein Amur – Beloved Blooming**: Causes a _Rhapsodia _among those with the same Falna for a short time.

X-x-X-x-X

_**Gina Gwen**_

**Level 1  
****Strength**: D510  
**Defense**: F321  
**Dexterity**: E419  
**Agility**: D501  
**Magic**: I0

**Magic**:  
(Open)

**Skills**:  
(None)

X-x-X-x-X

_**Brynhildr**_

**Level 1  
****Strength**: I0  
**Defense**: I0  
**Dexterity**: I0  
**Agility**: I0  
**Magic**: I0

**Magic**:  
**Primeval Rune:** Quick cast spells through the use of runes carved onto a surface or drawn in the air.

**Skills**:  
**Mana Burst (Flame)**: Imbue strikes with the strength of flame  
**Hero's Bridesmaid**: Synchronize magical energy and give a bonus to parameters to targets of the same Falna. Bonus increases when used on a target of one's affections.

X-x-X-x-X

_**Boudica**_

**Level 1  
****Strength**: I0  
**Defense**: I0  
**Dexterity**: I0  
**Agility**: I0  
**Magic**: I0

**Magic**:  
**Chariot of Boudica**: Support magic used to create a barrier around user. Strengthens Defense and Strength of those within.

_I will protect those who cannot protect themselves  
__Let these wheels that trampled my enemies now defend the defenseless  
__My oath to the Goddess roars across the land  
__Chariot of Unpromised Protection  
__Chariot of Boudica_

**Skills**:  
**Battle Continuation**: Enables user to continue fighting regardless of wounds.


	27. Vacation Days

**Chapter 27: New Incident**

"H-hey Rider…can you make the wagon stop shaking so much?"

"This is the best I can do on a dirt road, Goddess Hestia. Please bear with it."

"Ueeehhh…"

Early the next morning, after the party had winded down to a close, Hestia Familia set off to the Port City of Melen, a mere three kilometers from Orario itself and was considered by many to be Orario's gateway to the sea as it rested on Lolog Lake which opened up into the sea. This allowed ships from all over the world to reach the harbor, bringing with them merchants, goods, and prospective Adventurers from their homes.

Of course, they didn't set off without anyone watching the Hearthstone Manor, even if Goibniu Familia would be working on it for the time being. Hestia had decided to ask Takemikazuchi and his Familia to watch their Home and Caster even offered to pay them for the trouble and would not allow the War God to refuse the payment. As such, the Manor was in good hands and Takemikazuchi and his Adventurers could make use any of the accommodations and food left behind during their time away, aside from the bedrooms of course but it seemed that they didn't mind.

Bell could have sworn he heard someone cheer before diving into the bath as they left though.

Hestia Familia's method of travel was a large red and gold wagon fitted with several accommodations for the trip such as cushioned seats and enough space for twelve people to ride in the back with their belongings and another two up front. The wagon was being pulled along by two horses that belonged to Rider and had been summoned alongside her. Like the Servants, they could dematerialize until they were called upon and thus didn't need a stable to rest in. The two beasts were also strong enough that the wagon and all of its passengers were pulled along without any problems and neither of them needed to stop for a break.

Of course, Welf was not told about this, and he simply thought they were normal horses that were owned by Rider.

"Lily hasn't ever been outside of Orario before," Lily said as she gazed out from underneath the canopy of the wagon with Primo, Assassin and Gina packed next to her doing the same. "It's such a nice day too…if it weren't for the sick goddess…"

"Please be quiet Miss Supporter…" Hestia groaned as she rested her head on Emma's lap while the girl was fanning her. Having had a little too much to drink at the party last night, it was only natural for Hestia to wake up with the Monster Rex of all hangovers. Although it had been much worse earlier to the point that Hestia couldn't even move, a quick concoction from Rider made with Gina's help had allowed the goddess to recover enough so she could actually join them for the trip, albeit still nursing the painful headache.

"Please be sure to drink in moderation next time, Lady Hestia," Emma said as she raised Hestia's head a bit to help her drink some water. "Also please remember to drink at least one glass of water between each cup of alcohol."

"But then I'd have to drink less…" Hestia whined. "And how come no one else is like this!?"

"Because no one else drank as much as you did, Lady Hestia," Lancer said with a soft smile, causing Hestia to let out a soft whine before wincing in pain.

"Have you been to the port before, Welf?" Bell asked his friend who shook his head in response.

"Nah, came from an inland route so I never been there before," Welf replied. "Never had a reason to go there before now either."

"It's amazing!" Gina said as she pulled her head back in. "There's a lot of fresh fish there and their prices are usually much lower than the ones you find in Orario. They're even bigger too!"

"I suppose that's only natural for a port town," Archer muttered as he looked toward the front, past Caster and Rider's heads toward the massive lake they were heading toward. "Is there a central authority in the city like the Guild?"

"Well, the Guild does have a branch office there," Gina replied. "But I think Njord Familia's the one calling most of the shots there. They own most of the fisheries from the lake all the way to the sea itself so they have a lot more pull than the Guild."

Njord Familia. It was a rather household name even in Orario in terms of food. Ninsun's meat, Demeter's vegetables, and Njord's fish. The names of those three deities carried with them a promise of quality that could not be beat when it came to food.

"Njord, huh?" Saber muttered as he and Lancer shared a glance before looking out to the port as well. "I suppose that is only natural for a god of the sea and wealth."

"Speaking of which, where exactly are we going, Caster?" Rider asked, turning to her fellow. "Is there a beach somewhere between all those docks?"

"No," Caster replied. "Although the resort inn I have booked is within the city itself, the beach destination I had in mind is much further south of the city proper. Loath I am to admit it, it was a recommendation from the Sea God himself."

"Oh? A beach vacation area recommended by Njord and one that even you approve of, Caster?" Hestia asked as she sat up, seemingly all better. "Now I really can't wait!"

"Aww, so we won't be stopping by the city first?" Gina asked.

"Was there something you wanted to buy?" Rider asked.

"Nah, I just wanted to sight see a bit."

"You shall have plenty of time to do that in the evening," Caster replied without turning around. "If not, then during the rest of the trip."

"Oh right. It's not a one day trip, ahaha…"

The wagon ride overall didn't take very long as it was only a few kilometers from the city but it was a bit tough being cramped inside the wagon with all of their luggage. But when they reached the spot that Caster was talking about, Bell thought that it was worth it.

The alcove was hidden behind some trees and rocks but there was enough room for the wagon. The spot itself was a large inlet off the lake's banks and surrounded by massive trees and boulders with massive cliffs shielding the area from view. It was frankly the perfect spot for a private outing.

After tying up the horses, the girls stayed in the wagon to change while the men got to work setting up the beach area, having worn their swimsuits from the start out of convenience.

Bell had on a blank white t-shirt with yellow trunks similar to Caster. The king had chosen to wear golden colored trunks covered in stylish scribbles along with a white sweatshirt with the front zipper open, revealing his bare chest. Saber had chosen one that looked as though it was meant for deep diving and clung tightly to his body, exposing only his arms below his elbows and legs below the knee. Archer and Welf were wearing a pair of rather simple trunks as well, with Welf's having a simple orange design at the bottom while Archer's had a black and white symbol on them that was the same as the two blades he often used.

"Anyone else feel like there's a difference in treatment between the guys and girls?" Welf asked as he skewered another large umbrella into the ground.

"It is merely the separation of tasks," Saber said as he laid the blankets under the umbrellas, drawing a rune in the air above them to blow off any sand on them, before setting up folding chairs beside them. "And I believe the reward will arrive at the same time the women exit the wagon, will it not?"

"Damn straight!"

Saber let out a soft chuckle at Welf's rather honest show of his desires.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the beach.

"…You can even make a grill…" Bell said in awe as two fully functional grills appeared in front of Archer.

"Compared to Magic Swords, this is much easier to make," Archer joked with a smile as he bent down to make sure the Magic Stone was inserted properly. "Saves space when packing as well as some money too."

"Humph, we are not so destitute that we would need to save every Valis possible," Caster said as he deposited several coolers containing meats and vegetables onto a table Archer had also created.

"I'd rather not be forced to use your money regardless," Archer said as he picked up and examined a piece of meat that was the most amazing mix of red and white marbling that Bell had ever seen. "…And just how much did you spend on this thing anyway?"

"It was a prize," Caster answered with a smirk. "Do not fret over such small details."

Archer shook his head as he turned the grills on to pre-heat them in preparation for cooking all the meat and veggies in front of them.

"Since utensils are a bit inconvenient here…" Archer muttered to himself before reaching into one of his bags where he pulled out a large container of wooden skewers. "Let's make them into kebabs for the most part."

As Archer began cutting up the veggies into large chunks, Bell was about to ask if there was anything he could do to help when Hestia's voice reached to them.

"All right, boys! We're ready!"

Bell instinctively turned toward the goddess's voice…and saw paradise.

When the gods descended, they brought with them not only the Falna, but their divine and otherworldly culture and inventions. These inventions included what was commonly referred to as the Three Sacred Treasures. Naturally, like everything else in the world, what these Three Sacred Treasures are differed between each race and cultural groups. Things such as fake ears people could wear to mimic an animal person or the elastic material used in Saber and Lancer's swimsuits, or even the legendary sailor uniforms. Though debates raged on amongst those whose eyes were opened by the gods which were the best to truly be included in the Three Sacred Treasures (which usually resulted in bloodshed), there was one item that was unanimously declared by all to belong in the top spot.

And that was the bikini.

And today, at this moment, Bell had decidedly joined the faction that espoused such words. All the women in his Familia were wearing bikinis of different colors and designs, from the simple pure white ringed one of Rider's to Hestia's bold blue one with a wavy ocean design on them. The sole exception was Assassin who was wearing a one piece with horizontal blue and white stripes and a pair of glasses with dark lenses used to block the sunlight from reaching one's eyes.

Welf let out a loud cheer as Hestia boldly strode forward, leading the other girls toward Bell who had no idea where to look. The goddess's swimsuit was just barely containing her massive treasures and the same went for Rider.

Saber also had gone completely quiet as his gaze was completely locked onto Lancer's dark purple and black one with a feathery design on the side with her long white hair carefully bundled up into braids.

Only Archer and Caster seemed to have been able to keep their wits on them.

"Well, what do you think, Bell?" Hestia asked with a smile.

"Y-you all look amazing, Goddess," Bell said as he couldn't keep his eyes from wandering.

"Umm…it's embarrassing if you stare too much, Bell," Emma said as she was shyly covering the area in front of her stomach which wasn't covered by the frilly red swimsuit she was wearing.

"I-I'm sorry!" Bell replied quickly as he turned his head to the side.

"Well, he is a young man after all," Rider said as she patted his head as she walked past to help Archer with the grill. "Can you make another table for me?"

"You don't need to help, Rider," Archer said even though he made another table to serve as a workplace for Rider. "This is a trip to welcome you into the Familia. So take the chance to just sit back and relax."

"Oh but I find cooking to be a relaxing activity," she replied with a smile. "Aren't you the same?"

"…Well, I won't deny that."

"Good boy. Now let me grill a bit of this meat first…"

As the preparations for lunch started a bit early, one group felt the need to play to their heart's content in the meantime.

"Let's go, let's go!" Gina shout as she, Primo and Assassin ran past them with squeals of glee, intending to dive straight into the water.

"Get back here you three!" Lily called out as she ran after the younger, yet still taller than her, girls while waving a small bottle in her hand. "Put on this lotion or you're going to regret it when your skin starts peeling like a fruit! And Lily will tell you, it's not fun!"

"And don't forget your stretches!" Hestia shouted as she ran after Lily.

"""Kaaaaay!""" Came the reply from the three girls in unison.

As everyone aside from Archer and Rider started to stretch, Caster ignored them all and sat down on a folding chair under an umbrella and closed his eyes with the intent in a nap.

As they were finishing up their warm-ups, a loud shriek caught Bell's ears in the direction of the wagon. He turned just in time to see a familiar red haired goddess running toward them.

"Gaaah! I thought that Emblem reminded me of someone!" The goddess Loki shouted as she gripped the sides of her head in dismay. "It was you guys after all, damn it!"

It would seem that Hestia Familia was not the only Familia that wanted to use this inlet as a vacation spot. Behind the goddess were several members of Loki Familia that Bell had seen before on the Eighteenth Floor camp…or rather only a portion of the female members seemed to be here.

"Geh! Loki!" Hestia growled as she jumped up to her feet and glared at her enemy. "As you can see, we were here first!" The smaller goddess gestured toward the already set up grills, tables, chairs, umbrellas and beach blankets. "So find your own spot!"

"Ngh…no way! There's plenty of room for everyone! And I didn't walk all the way here just to find another spot…stop waving those things in front of me!"

"Oh? What could you possibly be talking about? Could it possibly be these babies here that you could never have?"

"Grrrrrrrrrrr!"

Before the argument between the two goddesses could go further though, Rider suddenly appeared beside them and shoved two pieces of meat into their mouths, silencing the two goddesses immediately and causing them both to fall forward into the sand.

"So soft…" Hestia gasped with tears flowing out of her eyes as she started chewing.

"Meltin…" Loki added, also in tears. "It's like the meat's meltin in my mouth…"

"Now now, Lady Goddesses," Rider said with a smile. "The day is too beautiful to ruin with such a nonsensical argument. Also, Goddess Hestia, Caster had only just fallen asleep. Let's be neighborly and let them join us after coming all the way here before you wake Caster up with your arguing."

"F-fine," Hestia said as she and Loki both stood up, both still chewing and savoring the flavor of the meat in their mouths. "Out of consideration for Gil, I'll let you join us."

"W-well aint that kind of ya…" Loki said as she swallowed.

"My apologies, Lady Hestia," the green haired elf that Bell recognized as the object of Primo's admiration, Riveria Los Alf, said. Of course, Primo was so starstruck at seeing Riveria that she didn't even blink when Gina and Assassin waved their hands in front of her eyes. "We were planing on doing some investigating around this area. We didn't plan on interrupting your vacation."

"It's fine, Miss Elf," Hestia said, waving the apology off. "There's plenty of room for you guys to do whatever you came here for. Just keep us out of it! I don't even want to know what you're investigating!"

"As you wish," Riveria said with a smile and a bow.

Seeing that Hestia had allowed them to join, the girls of the Loki Familia walked pass the two still glaring goddesses to look around the inlet…with more than a few of them throwing glances at Bell and the other guys…although Bell felt like the looks he was getting was different than those of Welf and the male Servants…

"Don't worry about it, Bell," Emma said with a kind smile. "You're just as cool as the others."

It was't a compliment out of pity but one straight from her heart which made Bell kind of happy but he knew that he didn't compare to his Servants or even Welf at all. He really wanted to grow a bit more muscle at the very least.

"Anyway!" Loki suddenly called out as she stepped away from Hestia. "You guy probably don't want to stand out on the beach like that do ya?"

She was talking to her Familia members who had came to the lake still dressed in their traveling clothes.

"That's why I brought you all a change of clothes!"

Everyone stared at the goddess as she struck a strange pose and opened the large bulky bag she had been carrying on her own. And as if it was the most natural thing in the world, it contained swimsuits.

X-x-X-x-X

"It's paradise," Welf muttered. "No, the promised land!"

"While I understand and share your appreciation of our surroundings, please mind and control yourself," Saber warned him as he placed a hand on Welf's shoulder.

Bell himself wanted to look as much as he could reasonably get away with but the cold stares of his goddess and Lily prevented him from truly appreciating the sight in front of him like the others.

Loki had commandeered their wagon and forced her girls to change into swimsuits of their own. Their shy forms covering their exposed skin was almost too much for him to bear.

"Come on guys, there's nothing to be shy about," Tiona said.

"Easy for you to say…" Aki muttered. "You Amazons expose yourself like this all the time."

"I mean, the Hestia Familia girls don't have a problem with it," Tione pointed out as Gina nodded her head in agreement.

"I suppose it's the difference of willingly putting it on and being forced to," Emma replied with a soft laugh.

"Why is this more embarrassing than the baths?" Lefiya muttered, her blush reaching all the way to her ears as she glanced over toward Bell who quickly averted his gaze although he couldn't tell if it was for her sake or his own.

"Is it because there are men here too?" Another golden-haired elf suggested. Bell didn't know her name but he did recall her being there when he was being "interrogated" about Spirits and their roles in Legends.

To the side, Bell dared to chance a glance at Ais, wearing a white two piece with a long pareo-style skirt that dangled down to her knees.

"_No! I have to stop looking at them all with impure eyes! I need to cool my head!_"

"Uooooooaaaahhhhh!" Slamming his eyes shut, Bell let out a roar as he ran as fast as he could toward the lake and dived in with a splash.

"Ahh! That's not fair, Mommy!" Assassin said as she picked up a circular tube filled with air and ran in after him. "We wanted to be first!"

"Wait up, Jack!" Gina said as she ran in as well.

"Hey wait…where's Riveria?" Loki asked as she looked around. "Where's my darling adorable little Riveria?"

"I believe she has yet to come out of our wagon, Goddess Loki," Saber answered as he pointed back at the Hestia Familia wagon.

"Whaaaaat? C'mon, I need to see the goods! Hurry up or I'll put that thing on for ya!"

Loki hadn't taken even two steps toward the wagon before the golden-haired elf, Lefiya, and Primo dived at the goddess.

"You will do no such thing!"

"Stop right there, Loki!"

"I won't let you defile Lady Riveria like that!"

The three of them tackled Loki into the sand, causing the goddess to let out a scream of surprise…before it devolved into extremely satisfied laughter at the bare skin pressing against from all sides.

"…Loki appears to be about what I expected," Lancer noted as Saber chuckled beside her with his arm around her shoulders.

"Umm…by the way, who are you?" Lefiya asked Primo as she restrained Loki's arm.

"Oh, umm, my name is Primo Libera," the youngest elf of the group replied, sitting on top of Loki's legs. "I'm the Mage for Hestia Familia's Second Team…and you two are Lefiya Virdis and Alicia Forestlight, right!? I'm a huge fan of all of you along with Lady Riveria!"

"My, how cute," Alicia said with a giggle. "Another ally against Loki's perversions is always welcome."

"Madam, are you all right?" Rider asked as she peered inside the wagon. "Do you need any assistance? No? You wish to remain inside? Very well, I'll let the others know."

Of course, Riveria did not actually speak up at all, having completely froze with the cloth pressed against her chest, still fully clothed.

And throughout this chaos, Caster remained asleep, purposely shutting himself off from the outside world.

X-x-X-x-X

As things began to calm down a bit, Hestia and Loki Familia began to mingle with one another without any problems despite the animosity of their two goddesses.

"T-this is Ninsun Familia's top grade beef isn't it?" Aki asked Rider as she held a plate in her shaking hands. "Are you sure it's okay to share it with us?"

"The more the merrier," Rider replied with a smile. "Consider it a reward for your hard work in putting up with that goddess of yours."

"Normally I would say that I don't need your pity but I won't reject it this time~"

"Just be sure to give your thanks to Lord Caster," Lily said as her head popped up beside Rider. "Though as he is currently asleep, please wait until he is awake before doing so."

"Ahaha, got it."

A bit further out in the sand, there was a small commotion as a net had been set up courtesy of Archer as he and Saber stood on one side and Tione and Tiona on the other side with Archer holding a beach ball in hand and a rather amused smile on his face.

"Got it?" He called out. "Don't go easy on us just because we're Level 1!"

"Wasn't gonna!" Tiona replied with her own eager smile.

"I believe the gods would say, 'Good luck and have fun,'" Saber said as he adjusted his glasses slightly before taking a ready stance.

"Back to you, Saber," Tione nodded as she did the same.

"Then on your mark," Lancer said as she stood to the side of the impromptu court, holding a whistle Archer had projected to her lips. "Get set…!"

_Pweeeee!_

The sharp whistle was the signal for Archer to toss the ball high into the air before jumping after it. Then with perfect form, he spiked it straight toward Tiona. The Amazon's eyes widened in surprise for a split second before a massive grin replaced it. She caught the ball with her forearms and bounced it up high.

"Tione!"

"Nice pass!"

Tione appeared right behind the ball and smashed it back down. The ball cut through the air like a knife as it shot to the spot right behind Saber.

"Too slow!"

In a flash, Saber moved toward the location of the ball and uppercutted it back upwards toward Archer. The other man then smacked the ball up, allowing Saber to punch it back toward the Amazons' side of the court.

"Not bad, but not enough!"

Tiona intercepted it and knocked it toward Tione who set the ball up for her younger sister, allowing her to smash it toward Archer.

"Faster than usual! As expected of Level 6!"

The back and forth exchange of blows and compliments went on as the cheers from the crowd slowly fell into silent in awe.

"Careful there!" Rider called out. "You might break the ball if you play too roughly!"

"That's what you're worried about!?" Lefiya asked.

"No worries," Archer called back as he smashed the ball away. "If it pops, I'll make a new one!"

"Please stop before it comes to that, Master Archer!" Lily begged but Archer simply chuckled and shook his head. "Uuu…"

Then…

"Damn!" Saber misjudged his position and the ball slammed into the sand, kicking up a storm.

Tiona was about to cheer for her victory but Lancer's whistle cut her off.

"Out of bounds," Lancer declared. "Point, Hestia Familia."

Indeed, the crater the ball had been sent into was just outside the border depicted by the net pole.

"Aww man…" Tiona groaned as she rubbed her head. "So close."

"Get your head in the game, Tiona!" Tione chastised.

On the other side of the court though Saber shook his head in self-disappointment.

"Apologies, that was my miss," Saber said as if he was disappointed that they had scored a point in such a way.

"No worries, Saber" Archer replied as he picked up the ball again. "We just need to kick it into higher gear then!"

"Agreed!"

"…This isn't just a friendly game anymore, is it?" Hestia asked off to the side where she sat on a blanket with with Loki, the two goddesses enjoying several grilled meat and vegetables skewers sitting on a plate between them as they watched the back and forth spiking which was slowly reaching to the point of lethality if it were to hit someone without a Falna. Such as the two goddess themselves.

"At this point I'm just happy they're playing beach volleyball instead of sparring with their weapons," Loki muttered and Hestia couldn't help but nod in agreement. It would seem that the Trickster Goddess wasn't batting an eye at the Servants keeping up with her Level 6 Amazon twins.

"Oh…I heard several of your kids Leveled Up again," Hestia added blankly as she watched another pillar of sand get kicked up to the shrieks of some of the girls. "Congratulations. That's…what, seven Level 6s now?"

"Yep and thanks. Gratz to you too for getting those three bombshells and cute lolis in too."

"…Thanks…I think."

"You uh…you're not gonna make me pay you back for this meat, are ya? Cuz we're kinda, maybe, a little bit broke right now."

"…Let's call it even for the sandwich party."

"Well, okay then!"

"You accepted that quite easily, didn't you? Maybe I should charge you per head instead."

"Nope! No take backs! It's free! You said so already!"

Hestia sighed and shook her head before poking Loki in the side with her skewer, causing Loki to yelp.

"What!?" She demanded.

"Eyes off the married woman," Hestia said simply as Loki was staring a bit too hard at Lancer for Hestia's liking.

"I wasn't-wait, married? To who?"

Hestia simply pointed at Saber who had winked at Lancer before serving, causing Lancer to blush and look away.

"…Talk about picture perfect," Loki muttered as Hestia couldn't help but nod her head in agreement.

Out in the water, another group of people were enjoying themselves.

"They're really going at it…" Bell said in amazement while walking in the chest high water and pulling along a rather satisfied looking Primo lying on top of her water ring.

"Really now," Primo said with a long sigh. "I don't know how that's supposed to be relaxing at all. Sorry for asking you to do this, Bell."

"No worries, this is pretty fun as well…ah, here comes a big wave."

"Ooooooohhhh. This is the life~"

A small waved brushed by them, bringing the water up close to Bell's chin even as he stood on his tiptoes but Primo simply rode the wave like a champ as he released her, allowing her to spin a bit as she was carried along by the water. The young elf was so content with her situation that she didn't see the pair of brown and white shadows closing in below her.

"Boom!"

"Shark attack!"

"KYAAAH!?"

Gina and Assassin surfaced at the same time, knocking Primo out of her ring and into the water, causing her to flail around a bit before Bell quickly grabbed her and pulled her up and out of the water.

"Bleh…salty…" the elf stuck her tongue out to spit out the water before turning and glaring at the two shorter girls. "Why you…"

"Ah, she's mad."

"Run away, run away!"

"GET BACK HERE!"

"Don't do that again you two!" Bell called out after them. "It's dangerous!"

""Kaay!""

"When I get my hands on you two, you both are gonna be so sorry!"

Bell let out a chuckle as he grabbed the ring and watched the two girls swim away from the angry elf splashing water at them. He then felt something brush by him and let out a yelp when Emma and Welf surfaced right next to him.

"Woah, sorry there Bell," Welf said with a smile as Emma let out a small cough to get the water out of her throat.

"Trying to see who can hold their breath longer?" Bell asked and the two nodded.

"Yes…" Emma replied with a small frown.

"I don't know if its my bigger body or because I'm Level 2, but I'm winning, easily," Welf said with a smile as Emma's frown turned into a small pout.

"Muu…I was the best in my village though…and making faces underwater is cheating, Welf!"

"All's fair in love and war! After all, just look at that game."

The two members of Hestia Familia turned just in time to see another explosion of sand kick up followed by the two men slapping their hand against the other's.

"Who's winning?" Emma asked.

"I think we are," Bell replied. "Though that's only because the first ball landed out-of-bounds."

"…Hey you two…"

Emma and Bell turned toward Welf who was still looking at Saber and Archer playing against the Amazon Twins.

"Amazon and Jormungand are Level 6…" he began. "Their Level Ups were announced just after we got back from the Boss Fight…so how is a pair of Level 1s keeping up with them?"

"Umm…" Bell began but Emma beat him to it.

"I'm sorry Welf," Emma replied apologetically. "But that's a Hestia Familia secret so we can't say…"

"Yeah I figured," the man nodded. "…But they are still Level 1 right? You guys aren't hiding their Levels?"

"That's right. Everyone except for Lily and Bell are still Level 1."

Welf nodded his head again as he took it in. Before he could say anything else though, Rider called out to him from the waterline.

"Welf! The cuts you wanted are done!" The woman said and Welf's expression went from pensive to sheer glee in no time flat.

"Yes! Coming, Rider!" Welf shouted back. "Sorry, gotta get me some grub!"

"Enjoy yourself," Emma said with a smile and a wave as Welf waddled through the water back to the sand. Emma then turned toward Bell. "You really want to tell him, don't you?"

"Yes…" Bell admitted with a nod. "He shared his past with us but we're still keeping secrets from him like this. It feels like we don't trust him enough."

"I don't know if I can say I feel the same way you do since I haven't known him for as long," Emma began. "But I do agree that it doesn't feel right to keep a secret from your friend. But it's Caster's orders after all. We can't really do much against that."

Bell could only sadly nod in agreement, feeling slightly disappointed in himself that he had to have his junior remind him of something like that.

First rule of Hestia Familia: **The King's word is law.**

And Bell had no desire to go against it. Both because he was absolutely terrified of Caster's fury and because he would be betraying one person's trust for another. Why couldn't things just be simple? Or at the very least, why couldn't the Falna take into account the Servants' previous life as well?

As Bell struggled with his own thoughts, Emma scanned the beach and her eyes fell onto a lone girl who was sitting under one of the umbrellas next to a sleeping king.

"Hey Bell," Emma whispered. "That girl over there doesn't look like she's having too much fun. Why don't we invite her for a swim?"

Bell turned toward the direction Emma was pointing at and he saw that she had been referring to Ais. Although the girl was watching the volleyball match between the Amazons and the Servants, she didn't seem to want to join…or even stand up out of embarrassment of her outfit.

"I agree it's not fair for her to be the only one not having fun but…shouldn't we leave that to her Familia members?" Bell asked.

"Come on, it wouldn't hurt to ask," Emma said with a smile as she dragged him to the shore. "No need to be shy."

"I-I'm not being…shy…"

"Then come on!"

With a small whine, Bell found himself back on the shore.

"Excuse me," Emma said as they stood in front of Ais.

"Yes?" The girl replied as she looked up at the two of them.

"Isn't it boring just to sit on the side?" Emma asked. "Why not come for a swim?"

At Emma's suggestion, Ais's face seemed to pale a bit as she shook her head so fast that Bell was worried it might come off.

"N-no, I'm fine here," she said quickly as she turned around and away from the water to look at the cliffside. "Really…"

Bell and Emma shared a glance at the girl's strange behavior.

"Umm…Miss Wallenstein," Bell began. "Are you afraid of the water?"

Ais's body gave a violent jerk at Bell's question, confirming his suspicions.

"B-but aren't the Twenty-Fifth to Twenty-Seventh Floors full of water?" Bell asked. "How did you get past them if you're scared of water?"

"I…can use my magic to get out if I fall in. If I can touch the bottom…it's also fine…I'm not afraid of water…I just…can't swim…"

"Ahh…that's why you had no problem in the-ah wait…never mind! I'm sorry!"

Bell quickly apologized and looked away as Ais's cheeks started to redden, prompting a confused Emma to look between the two of them. She seemed to be putting the clues together as she turned toward Bell with a sly smile on her face.

"Bell, are you a pervert?" She asked.

"I'M SORRY!"

"Oh my…"

Though Emma seemed to have meant it as a joke, it looked as though there was something she did not know about Bell and Ais.

"But for you to be unable to swim…" Emma continued as she touched her hands together. "Despite being a Legendary Adventurer, Miss Wallenstein is rather cute…ah I'm sorry, that's kinda rude to say to someone older than me, isn't it?"

Ais just shook her head to say that she didn't mind, although she did seem embarrassed by the compliment regardless.

"What are you three talking about?" Lefiya asked as she came over carrying a plate loaded with food for Ais.

"Ah, Miss Lefiya," Bell greeted her. "We were just surprised that Miss Wallenstein couldn't swim and-"

"Miss Ais, you can't swim!?" Lefiya repeated rather loudly, causing Ais to tearfully reach toward Lefiya to try and quiet her but it was far too late. Lefiya's voice had carried across the beach and everyone seemed to have heard her. Even Tiona, who was in still the middle of the volleyball game, heard and her movements stopped in surprise…right in the middle of trying to intercept an attack from Archer, causing the ball to bounce off her arms and smack her right in the face.

"Ah…" Archer winced as Tiona flew back and hit the ground with a thud. "Oi Tiona! Are you all right?"

"G-Gimme…a minute…" Tiona replied, her eyes spinning as her sister rushed over to check on her.

X-x-X-x-X

Once Tiona was back on her feet, no worse for wear, Loki pulled her Familia to the side to discuss their plans.

Meanwhile, Hestia Familia was now preparing the food proper with the sound of sizzling meat and vegetables rising up against the cries of birds and sound of the waves crashing against the shoreline.

"Should we consider something besides just the meat?" Saber asked as he walked back to the wagon. "Perhaps some fish would be good for a change of pace…oh, my apologies."

Ignoring the still frozen High Elf clutching the swimsuit against her chest, having not made a single bit of progress in getting undressed, Saber withdrew one of his daggers from his luggage and headed toward the water.

"Oh good idea, Saber," Rider said. "Some fish would be perfect as well."

"…Do we even know what's edible though?" Archer asked.

"There is no problem," Saber replied as he slightly adjusted his glasses. "My crystalized wisdom shall see me through."

"…You mean your glasses?" Welf asked, tilting his head to the side.

"I'll help you look, Mister Saber!" Gina said as she grabbed one of her daggers as well as a branch from one of the nearby trees. "There are a few monsters mixed in with the fishes after all and I don't think anyone wants to try eating a monster…"

"How would you tell the difference?" Rider asked.

"The ones with Magic Stones are monsters, I suppose," Archer pointed out. "Well, I guess we'll have to properly gut everything you bring back to make sure they're edible."

"I will return soon," Saber said as he nodded toward Lancer.

"Be safe you two," Lancer said as with a smile and a wave.

"Do you think we'll find any shellfish in the sandbanks too?" Primo asked as she pointed at the shoreline.

"Only one way to find out!" Hestia said as she pointed a finger at Archer. "Archer! Rakes, shovels and buckets now!"

"Am I just a convenient store to you?" The man asked with a wry smile as several of them appeared on the table.

"Of course not!" Hestia said as she, Assassin and Primo each grabbed a bucket. "After all, it's not like I'm paying for anything! Wahahahaha!"

"That is some crazy convenient magic there, man," Welf said as Archer let out a long sigh with a shrug as Rider giggled into her hand behind him. "You'll put us smiths out of business."

"Sure, except they're just temporary things," Archer replied. "They'll disappear by the time we leave. That way we won't have to carry them back and we won't be ruining this beach with litter."

"They do know that even if they do find clams and the like it takes quite a while to filter the sand out, right?" Rider asked as she watched the four of them dig in the sand.

"Well, if we can't eat them all we can just put them back."

As everyone else was busy doing their own thing, Lancer, Bell and Emma sat down on their blankets beside the still napping Caster.

"He is sleeping right?" Emma asked as she peered at the king who was completely still save for the rising of his chest with his breathing. "He's not faking it, right?"

"Even if he is, we should not disturb him," Lancer said, looking toward the Loki Familia party as Tiona and Tione dove under the waves, both of them holding a short blade the same color as the sea.

"Yeah, he's probably really tired either way," Bell said, remembering how angry he had made him two night ago just by visiting him rather late.

Bell then stretched his arms over his head and flopped back onto the blanket, which felt delightfully warm thanks to the sand underneath it. Oh no, now he wanted to just sleep the day away like this as well. His face must have loosened up tremendously as he heard Emma giggle before lying down on her stomach beside him.

"Ahh…I'm really glad I joined this Familia," Emma said with a relaxed smile.

"And we're happy to have you," Bell said as his eyes wandered over toward Emma. Bell's gaze took in Emma's figure as her light pink skin was pristine and unmarred by any blemishes or scars. As if she had never been injured at all. Bell let out a sigh of relief. His carelessness hadn't scarred the girl in front of him forever and it was now nothing more than a and scary memory for her. He knew he was being as overprotective over her as Archer and Saber were over him and he found that he no longer had the right to feel annoyed at them for it.

Caster's words from the other night still rang in his head but he just couldn't help it. He was her senior, both as an Adventurer and as a Familia member. He felt…responsible for her in a way he never had been before…which was strange since he wasn't nearly this overprotective of Lily. Was it because the pallum had more experience in the Dungeon than he did?

"…You're staring a bit too much, Bell," Emma said as she opened her eyes and turned to look into Bell's own with a blush on her face. "You perv."

"S-sorry!" Bell said, not having realized how his concern must have looked from her point of view. He quickly turned away, looking straight up at the blue sky past the umbrella. It really was a nice day after all.

"Mommy!" Assassin's face suddenly popped up in his field of view, causing Bell to yelp and sit up. "Look at all these clams we found!"

As Assassin shoved a bucket full of the things in Bell's face, Primo walked over to Emma with a sly smile and placed a few on her back, causing the older girl to shriek.

"Be careful you two," Lancer chastised them as she picked up the clams from Emma's back and tossed them into Assassin's bucket. "You'll wake our Captain."

""Sorry!""

Primo and Assassin apologized in unison before walking over toward the grills.

"Geez…those two…" Emma sighed as she buried her face in her hands as Lancer giggled into her hand.

"Come to think of it, have the two of you eaten yet?" Lancer asked. "You should hurry before Loki's Familia comes back for more."

"What about you, Lancer?" Emma asked as she and Bell stood up.

"Of course, I shall partake as well," Lancer nodded as she followed suit.

After a bit, Loki came back with the rest of her Familia and they started mingling a bit once more with Aki and Lefiya offering to help with the cooking.

"But this sauce is really amazing…" Aki muttered as she layered it over the meat which was promptly stolen by Loki. "Where did you guys get it?"

"It's homemade actually," Rider replied with a smile.

"Eh? Really?" Lefiya asked in surprise. "Did you make it, Miss Rider?"

"No, it was Archer who did," Rider said, gesturing toward the man who sported a self-satisfied grin. "His skills are pretty amazing after all. Well beyond my own."

"No, I only have the advantage because I had access to more seasonings and recipes in my area," Archer pointed out. "The fact that everyone praises your cooking as well means that once you are more familiar with them you'll surpass me in no time."

"Oh there you go acting all humble again…"

"Uwah…there's a flirting couple over here too!" Primo stage whispered to Lily who nodded her head in agreement.

"Who's flirting!?" Archer called out as the elf and pallum giggled and ran away.

As time passed, Saber and Gina returned with several skewered fish in tow but the Amazon twins were nowhere to be seen.

"…And I thought Welf had a good lung capacity," Emma muttered as she stared out at the lake.

"That's Level 6 for ya," Loki said. "Combined with the Development Ability Dive, they could last for an hour down there no problem. Ah, pass me a few more of those skewers. Are those clams ready yet? Hey, you wouldn't happen to have any alchohol to go with them, do ya?"

"It takes about an hour to remove the salt and sand from the clams," Rider said to the curious goddess poking at the clams sitting in the tub. "You could eat them now if you don't mind the grit though."

"Uhhh…yeah, I think I'll wait," Loki replied as she leaned in close to the tub to watch the spewing shellfish…only to get water squirted into her face by one of the clams. "Mugyah!?"

"I'm truly sorry about this…" Lefiya said as she lowered her head to Hestia in response to her own goddess's lack of restraint.

"Don't worry about it," Hestia said with a wave of her hand. "I've prepared myself for this to happen the moment I invited you all to join us. I've known her longer than you guys have after all."

"It would be unfortunate if the food was gone before they return," Saber said as he turned toward the lake. "Should I go looking for them?"

"No need," Loki replied. "They'll be back sooner or later….hmm? Something wrong, Archie?"

Archer's hands had stopped moving as he was staring out into the lake with a frown.

"There's a ship in the distance," Archer replied as he quickly got back to work without taking his eyes off of the lake. "About four kilometers out…bearing an emblem of a Familia I don't recognize."

"And?" Hestia asked. "Lots of foreign Familia travel to Port Melen to reach Orario. What makes this one so eye-catching?"

"I only see Amazoness on board…and there seems to be a goddess with them."

Loki's eyes opened slightly as she stared out into the distance as well but couldn't see it. She then turned toward Ais who was staring out into the lake as well.

"Do you see it too, Ais?" Loki asked and Ais nodded her head.

"Yes…but I can't make out any people."

She then described the emblem, causing Gina's eyes to open wide in shock.

"T-that's…Kali Familia," she said as Loki turned her head toward her.

"Kali Familia?" Bell asked.

"It's a Familia based in Telskyura, the country of the Amazons," Loki explained for Bell's sake as well as the others. "As the name implies, it's run by Kali, who I get along with just about as well as chibi over there."

"Do you want me to cut you off from the food or something?" Hestia demanded as Loki fell to her knees to beg for mercy. "Though I would say you were way worse to her than you ever were to me back in Tenkai. Duels to the death over and over."

"Yeah yeah, enough about the past," Loki waved the words away as she jumped back to her feet. "Hey Archie, does that goddess have a creepy ass mask and red hair?"

"Yeah."

"Shit, it is her then," Loki sighed. "What a way to spoil my vacation."

"Is that all there is to it, Goddess Loki?"

Bell jumped as he wheeled around toward Caster whose eyes had finally open.

"Oh, when did you wake up, Goldie?"

"The moment when Kali Familia was mentioned," Caster replied as he sat up. "In exchange for me overlooking the consumption of my prizes, tell me what you know about the Familia and the land of Amazons."

"Well, first off, it's a powerful country off the south east coast," Loki began. "Like Ares with Rakia, the entire country itself is one big Familia, though Rakia ain't got shit on them. Pretty nasty monsters make that peninsula their breeding ground and death matches are held daily there…between the monsters and fellow Amazons."

At that everyone glanced over at Gina who quickly shook her head.

"I uh…was born outside of the country," Gina admitted. "Mom was too but she told me she visited once when she was part of a traveling Familia before settling down with Dad. She shared some old stories about it but never really had anything good to say about the country…"

"Did they tell you anything about the customs?" Primo asked and Gina nodded her head.

"Yeah. Death matches supposedly happen every day like Lady Loki said," Gina continued. "But that country was always like that, even a thousand years ago. Goddess Kali didn't change it when she came down and took over. Duels to the death are just part of the way of life in that country."

"Then… Miss Tiona and Miss Tione?" Lefiya began and Loki shrugged her shoulders.

"Not for me to say," the goddess replied but she didn't have to. Such an answer was enough.

"And their war strength?" Caster asked.

"Well, you know…Amazons," Loki replied with another shrug. "Just Amazons. Any man on that peninsula is either a slave or a living dil-"

"FINISH THAT LINE AND I WILL MAKE YOU REGRET IT!" Hestia screamed as she clamped her hands over Assassin's ears.

"Fine," Loki replied as she rolled her eyes. "Anyway, rumor has it that they got two captains running the place and that they're both Level 6?"

Loki turned toward Gina again for confirmation.

"I'm not sure?" Gina replied, tilting her head to the side. "I've only heard that they were Level 5s at the highest. I wouldn't be surprised it if were true however if they had to fight other Level 5s and the like every day. Like they pit the same Levels up against each other. Level 2s vs Level 2s to make Level 3s. Level 3s vs Level 3s to make Level 4s and so on."

"I see…'cannibalization,' huh?" Saber muttered. "Battles meant to sift out those without ability. They feed upon each other in order to grow stronger…"

"It is only something a Familia encompassing an entire country can accomplish," Lancer added with a nod. "But to be able to afford to sacrifice so many of their number…the population growth must be rather high."

"Well, they're Amazons after all," Loki pointed out.

"I don't feel happy when you say it like that, Lady Loki!" Gina protested.

Two Level 6's…and from a Familia outside Orario. They were rare enough in the city where the Dungeon exists but for them to achieve it outside the city where monsters were weaker was an amazing achievement…but was it worth the cost?

"It's easy to forget that there exists a whole world outside the walls of Orario," a royal voice spoke up.

Primo let out a squeak of surprise before hiding behind Bell. Turning around, Bell noticed that Riveria had finally stepped out from the wagon…although she was still fully dressed. It would seem that the talk of Kali Familia had snapped her out of her stupor.

"Are you all right, Lady Riveria?" Alicia asked and Riveria nodded.

"I'm fine, where are the twins?" The High Elf asked.

"Still underwater," Ais replied as she turned back to the ship which was slowly heading toward the port.

"Hmm…it would be best if they returned without seeing the ship," Riveria said.

Seeing that no one was in the mood for eating, Rider turned off the grill and everyone was quiet as they watched the ship move across the lake.

"…!"

Caster suddenly got to his feet with sharp eyes glaring out toward the boat.

"Lord Caster?" Lily asked. "What's wrong?"

Her answer came in a loud explosion of water as massive tentacles broke through the surface of the water and started grappling the Kali Familia boat.

"What the hell is that!?" Welf shouted as Bell got a horrible feeling of déjà vu.

"Miss Lefiya, are those…?" He began and Lefiya nodded her head.

"Violas!" Lefiya answered.

Soon after, the head of the giant plant-like monster exploded out of the lake as well.

"Ais! Everyone, go go go!" Loki shouted as Ais sped off toward the water, completely forgetting her fear with Saber and Lancer making to follow her. But before they could hit the water, something jumped off the boat and sent the head of the creature flying in a single strike, freeing the boat from its grasp.

"…Tione and Tiona have surfaced," Archer said, spotting the twins staring at the figure that had killed the viola.

"Shit!" Loki cursed as she looked around. She then clapped her hands together in apology toward Hestia. "Uhh, sorry to eat and run, Chibi, but we gotta-"

"Just go before there's a war in the middle of Melen," Hesita said waving her off.

Loki thanked Hestia for being understanding and quickly had her Familia members change back into their regular clothes back in the wagon before they quickly made their way to Melen.

"I suppose the vacation's over?" Saber asked Caster who sat back down on his chair.

"Why would it be?" Caster asked as he flipped his legs back onto the chair as well. "The motives of Kali Familia have nothing to do with us. We have no one directly connected to them after all."

"But what about Miss Tiona and the others?" Bell asked.

"What about them? That is Loki Familia's business, not ours. Unless you wish to challenge the Level 6 Captains?"

Bell let out a grimace as he reluctantly shook his head. He could barely handle Saber's basic training course right now. There was no way he could fight someone on par with Loki Familia's elite. As everyone else returned to relaxing, Bell just couldn't connect the image of the smiling hero loving Amazon girl to someone killing other people in death matches.

"Don't think about it too hard, Bell."

Bell blinked as a plate of grilled meat and veggies appeared in front of him. Looking up he saw that it was Archer offering it to him.

"Archer…"

"Wherever they came from or whatever their past is, they're still who they appear to be," Archer said as Bell accepted the plate. "Tiona won't be happy if you worry about her like that."

Bell looked up from the plate into Archer's smiling face and nodded.

"Yeah…you're right," he said as he started eating. "Thanks."

"No problem."

Bell wasn't sure if he could completely let it go, but he pushed aside those thoughts for the time being. He was on vacation and he didn't want to ruin it for the others by being a downer. So, he'll enjoy himself a bit.

As he sat down on one of the chairs, he looked toward the shoreline where Saber and Lancer were sitting side by side, with Lancer resting her head on Saber's shoulder. Gina and Assassin waved at Bell and the others to get their attention before standing a few meters behind the couple with their arms curved to form a circle…no, a heart like a frame around the pair causing Emma and Welf to laugh while Hestia ran to get them to stop.

Perhaps it was best just to let things remain peaceful after all.

X-x-X-x-X

As the sun started to set, Hestia Familia plus Welf headed to the port to check into the resort inn that Caster had reserved for them.

"Heh…it's Far Eastern style," Hestia noted as she ran her hand across one of the straw mats of the room. "Didn't think you were interested in it, Caster."

"I am not," Caster replied. "This inn was the only one that could accommodate our number at the time of my reservation and is fit to my standards."

"Caster…did you forget who you're talking to?" Hestia asked with a sly smile as Caster turned his head away. "You can't lie to a goddess."

The Servant merely grunted in response.

"Mmm…I really should have invited Take and his kids along after all," Hestia mumbled as she turned back to look around the room. "He really deserves a break for working so hard all the time…I know I wanted someone to reward me and tell me that I did a good job!"

The suite they had was a massive room on the top floor that was separated down the middle by a large sliding door for the men and women. Both sides had a large low to the ground table and several cushions to sit around in their inn provided robes. There was also an opening out to the balcony where one could enjoy the night sky. There was even a massive wooden bathtub in a split off in the corner of the room.

"Still interested in paying for your share, Welf?" Saber asked the young man as Welf stared sweating a bit.

"W-well, I am being paid a lot to work on Bell and the girls' equipment so…" Welf began with a gulp.

"Now now, you should be enjoying yourself, Welf," Rider said as she appeared behind him and started massaging his shoulders. "Not worrying over the little details."

"Y-yes Ma'am…sure…"

"Is it really okay for Us to stay here?" Assassin asked as she looked around the room. "It looks expensive."

"I-I wonder about that too…" Primo muttered, looking just as uncomfortable as Assassin was as the two of them sat in a corner, hugging their knees to the chest, looking too afraid to touch anything.

"It's fine you two," Emma said as she and Gina pulled them out of the corner and onto a cushion around the center table. "We paid for it after all."

"Please be seated everyone," Lancer suddenly called out from the front of the room where an employee was standing. "The food has arrived."

Hearing that, everyone quickly moved to the center of the room with Caster and Hestia sitting at the opposite ends. The food consisted of several small portions of various cuts of meat, fishes and vegetable dishes all carefully arranged on personal trays from the colors of the plates themselves to the positioning of the food. It was clear that presentation was a rather important part of the meal itself in this place.

"It's so pretty that it's almost a waste to eat it," Primo muttered as Emma nodded her head beside her. To their side though, Assassin and Gina had no problem stuffing their faces immediately. Across from them, Welf also had no qualms about eating as quickly as he could.

"At least savor the food," Archer muttered with a sigh.

Bell on the other hand had no idea where to start. He was both intimidated by the obviously expensive and foreign food in front of him and the fact that it felt wrong to disturb such a beautiful tray by picking off the food.

"Is something the matter, Caster?"

Hearing Rider's question, Bell looked up and saw that the woman and Lily were looking at Caster who had not even made a move to pick up his utensils and start eating. The Familia Captain was wearing a deep frown with his arms folded in front of his chest with his eyes glancing over toward his right shoulder as if sensing something that no one else could see.

"Is the food not to your liking, Lord Caster?" Lily asked.

"I have no objections to the meal," Caster replied. "I was merely contemplating on something irrelevant. Do not mind me."

Saying that he finally moved to eat.

Seeing that Caster hard started eating, Bell and the others who had yet to touch the food themselves quickly started as well, with Bell carefully eying Archer's tray to see where he should start.

"Hey Archer, you're from the Far East right?" Gina asked. "What do you think of the food here?"

"Unfortunately I never had the opportunity to try high-class food such as this before so I have no comparison to make," Archer replied. "But I will say that it isn't bad."

"So what do tomorrow's plans look like?" Primo asked. "Just free time?"

"There is nothing particularly scheduled for tomorrow," Caster replied. "You are free to do as you wish. So long as you avoid the Kali Familia Amazons."

"Hmm…I wonder if any of the ships are merchants bringing along rare materials," Welf wondered as he looked out the window. "Wanna take a look, Bell? Emma?"

"Would there be materials that are better than what you can find in the Dungeon?" Emma asked.

"Who knows? That's why it's good to check it out, right? And even if there aren't, you might find something that is good enough for your current level."

"You have a point there…all right, I'm in!"

"Same here," Bell nodded. It might be a good idea to just walk around and window shop once in a while.

"Since we're going to sightseeing…Caster, allowance!" Hestia said with a smile as she held her out expectantly causing Caster to let out a grunt while leaning forward at the goddess's audacity. "Come on, I know you already set aside a budget for that!"

Caster responded by opening up his treasury over Hestia's head and dropping a bag onto the goddess's head, causing her to scream in pain and fall back, clutching her head as the bag fell onto the mat and spilled out its coins everywhere.

"A-are you okay, Goddess?" Bell asked as he rushed over to Hestia to help her back up.

"Ugh…a simple 'Okay,' would have worked, Gil…" Hestia groaned as she sat up, rubbing the slight bump on her head.

"'Okay,' would you like another?" Caster asked with a rather dangerous looking smile while holding up his hand.

"Eek! Bell, save me!"

"The Captain can joke around when he feels like it, huh?" Gina asked as she leaned over toward Emma to whisper into her ear.

"I think he's quite serious though…ahaha…" Emma pointed out with a wry smile.

X-x-X-x-X

"All right, now that dinner's done, time to play until we drop!" Hestia said as she held up two stacks of playing cards. "So let's play cards until we all clonk out!"

"Oh? What kind of game?" Rider asked as she placed a hand on Gina who was sitting in her lap and resting her head on Rider's chest with a rather relaxed expression..

"Let's just do something simple like Old Maid," Hestia said as she opened the pack. She then turned to the male members of the party. "You boys play too!"

"All right," Bell nodded.

"Sure, I'm down for a few rounds," Welf agreed as the two of them stood up and walked over.

"That means all of you!"

Archer and Saber glanced at each other before letting out a sigh in unison and walking over, leaving Caster alone by the window. The Servant looked toward Hestia who was giving him an expectant look before letting out a growl and standing up to come over as well.

"Fine," the king said as he sat down beside Rider. "But you will regret inviting me into this trivial game."

"Hoho, is that a challenge, Gil?" Hestia asked as she started shuffling the cards.

"It is a _promise_, Goddess Hestia."

"All right, you're on!"

…

An hour and several games later, Hestia was reduced to a sobbing wreck on the mat, holding a single card in her hand that slipped out onto the floor and revealed itself to be the Joker card.

"…Ten losses in a row," Lily noted with a raised eyebrow in surprise. "Lily did not think that it was possible to be that unlucky."

"I told you did I not?" Caster asked with a smirk. "That you will regret inviting me."

By some luck or miracle, Hestia had lost every single game they played. Even though Primo and Bell had terrible poker faces, Hestia still somehow ended up with the Joker at the end while Caster was always the first one to empty his hand with Bell a close second.

"Ueeeehhh…" Hestia sobbed as she clung onto Bell's waist. "Bell! Share some of your luck with me!"

"I don't know how to do that even if I wanted to," Bell pointed out before looking at the others. "Though I think it might be time to call it a night."

Gina, Primo and Assassin were leaning against each other, their breaths steady and soft as they were unable to keep their eyes open for as long as the others.

"Such a lovely sight," Lancer noted as she picked up Assassin in her arms while Rider and Emma got the other two. "Perhaps we should put these three to bed…and take care of the other business now?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Welf asked as the other mortals plus Hestia turned toward the Servant.

"There has been a striped owl watching us a few rooftops away ever since we entered the suite," Saber reported. "It has not moved an inch all this time."

"Eh? What? No way!?" Hestia babbled as she quickly looked between the Servants but none of them refuted Saber's claims or questioned them.

"It would not do to refuse such an obvious invitation," Caster said as he glanced at Archer before standing up. "Keep watch. In the meantime, I shall see what this interloper wants."

"Got it," Archer replied with a nod.

"B-be careful," Hestia said as Caster simply huffed, telling the goddess that her worry was unnecessary.

Then as Caster left the suite and shut the door behind him, Bell could feel his presence weaken and move quickly into the night sky.

X-x-X-x-X

Caster's feet touched down on a rooftop several buildings away from the inn next to it. "It" being the white feathered owl perched on the smokestack in front of him. One that had been staring at their party for hours on end without moving.

"…You have five minutes to relay your message before I find your appearance insulting, mongrel," Caster said as he glared at the owl.

The owl let out a hoot before flying away. In its place, a black shadow appeared on the building to Caster's left.

"My apologies, oh Spirit King for pulling you away from your celebration and to meet you in such a form."

The unknown figure was draped in cloth the color of night, and the space beneath their hood was so dark that it erased any facial features. Black gloves decorated with intricate patterns completely encased its hands. Not a single strip of skin was exposed to determine their identity.

"Do not waste what time I have given you," Caster said impatiently, not bothering to turn to face the figure. "Say your piece or begone."

"Very well," the figure nodded, their voice had a strange echo to it, mimicking both a male and female voice at the same time to further hide their identity. "Oh great Spirit King…this one is called Fels. I wish for your aid in protecting Orario's future."


	28. Hero's Resolve

**Chapter 28: Heroic Will**

"Protect Orario's future?" Caster repeated, an eyebrow raised incredulously. "What sort of fairy tale are you involved in, Magus?"

"One where the legends of old appear to walk amongst us once more," the one called Fels replied simply.

"I see…" Caster muttered. "Well then, for what reason do I have to humor your request…and your silence to our little secret will not be enough. I would sooner bring down Babel Tower and crush the entire city myself than listen to any threats that would come out of your mouth."

"I would never dream of it," Fels replied simply. "I would offer regular compensation in exchange for completing my request. Either in items that can be traded in for Valis or with information."

"…You are the one who contacted Hermes Familia before."

It was a statement of affirmation rather than a question seeking confirmation.

"Yes…although their quest ended in success, the losses they suffered in the process were irreplaceable and the reward I prepared for them would never be enough to compensate for it."

Caster frowned at that. Gina had told him that after the other Hermes Familia members had returned they had received jewels, Drop Items and artifacts worth several hundreds of millions of Valis including several Grimoires for their efforts…but something like that meant nothing to a young girl who lost her friends without being told why and she had chosen to leave the Familia in the first place.

However, such information was now valuable to Caster, telling him that the one in front of him had the backing of a powerful figure…or they themselves were capable of acquiring such things relatively easily.

"Then answer me this, Magus. How did you come to believe that we are Spirits?"

"Ais Wallenstein," Fels replied. "She had on her an Oculus I lent her during the Loki Familia expedition to the Fifty-Ninth Floor. It is a magic item I have created that allows me to see through to the other side through the use of its twin. There it saw the magic the one known as Archer performed that is beyond human ability or understanding. I am also aware that you and the one called Saber also possess ability beyond that of what the Falna can possibly give to the mortal races. Thus I came to the conclusion that you all are some form of Spirit instead. Stories of Spirits that created weapons for heroes to wield date back to the first Legend of Argonaut, the Radiant Dawn, after all. The fact that she still had it on when she spoke to you on the Eighteenth Floor also helped."

Caster resisted the urge to massage his forehead. That cursed child was as slow as she looked it seemed.

"And I trust only you and the god praying below the Guild know about us?" Caster asked as he saw Fels twitch slightly, telling him that they had not expected him to know about them. For a moment, Caster wondered if Fels would try to deny it but to his pleasant surprise, the figure nodded, albeit rather hesitantly.

"Yes. As far as I am aware, no one other than myself and the one you speak of knows about your identities…aside from Ais Wallenstein of course. A few others have made their own assumptions but that is as far as I know."

"You are rather more open than I anticipated," Caster admitted. "Are you truly in such dire straits?"

"Yes," Fels said again. "Although we have several allies amongst the Familia, it is useless if the enemy's first blow succeeds."

"You speak of the use of the so-called Demi-Spirits that Loki Familia fought down in the depths of the Dungeon?"

"Indeed. My patron already believes there is already one close to the surface of Orario but they do not know where its exact location is…but that is not the topic I wish to discuss with you tonight."

"Speak then. You have my attention…for the moment."

"There is a certain group of scoundrels that are about to make their move within this port," Fels explained after lowering their head to thank Caster for hearing them out.

"Evilus."

"Yes. Though their ally, the figure called Enyo is more dangerous in the grander scheme of things, this sect of Evilus deals in the absolute worst kind of trading. Males and females of all races are targeted and moved beyond our reach. I request your help in removing them and recovering our lost one."

"Such a boring request…" Caster sighed. "Is it really necessary to involve outsiders in such a meagre thing?"

"Unfortunately I do not have the strength to mount a rescue myself," Fels replied. "I am more of a researcher and a healer than a combatant. I cannot ask Loki Familia or Hermes Familia for their assistance at this time and no other allies will be able to reach them before they are moved."

And therefore Fels and their god had decided to ask for help from those connected to both Hermes and Loki Familia.

Hestia Familia.

"There is only one captive that is being moved," Fels continued when Caster didn't say anything. "I humbly request that Hestia Familia…no, that you or your fellow Spirits take on this request to save them."

"I promise nothing, but let us hear where they are located," Caster replied as Fels looked up at him in surprise. "I care little for your little captive…but it would be remiss of me not to share the information with the rest of the Familia. Though you shall not be receiving my direct assistance…I suspect that there will be at least two among Hestia Familia that will jump at the occasion to assist you."

"I thank you for your generosity!" Fels replied with another bow. "Then allow me to share what I know…"

X-x-X-x-X

Bell and the others, aside from the young girl trio anyway, were still awake when Caster returned. As the three girls were sleeping in the female section, the others gathered in the male section to listen to Caster, who told them about Fels, their patron god, and the captive that was being moved tomorrow night.

"A god living underneath the Guild…" Hestia repeated after Caster repeated the information he learned to them.

"You have an idea who it could be, Lady Goddess?" Lancer asked.

"If I had to make a guess, it would be Ouranos," Hestia replied. "Though I haven't seen him for like a thousand years or so…not since he, Zeus, Hera, and a bunch of others became the first ones to leave Tenkai and live in Gekai anyway. Hephaistos said that Ouranos was one of the ones who first built Babel to seal the Dungeon up in the first place before setting up the Guild as the mediator between the Familias that stayed in Orario. Though I thought he left the city ages ago. Then again, that old geezer's not really one for public appearances."

"It would seem we are being dragged into the darkness of the city despite your best efforts, Caster," Saber said as Caster simply growled in response.

"But…we _are_ going to help them, right?" Bell asked. "We're not just going to let whoever these people are make off with this person, right?"

Bell's gaze found itself upon Archer as the man raised an eyebrow.

"Putting me on the spot there," Archer said with a laugh. "You're our Vice Captain, Bell. Just say the word and we'll do it."

"Well, perhaps not all of us," Rider said quickly. "If something happens, we need at least one or two people here to make sure it doesn't drag Lady Hestia, Emma or the other girls into it. Oh, and Welf too, of course."

"Gee…thanks," Welf said with a chuckle.

"Do be aware that our enemies will most likely be of the same group that controls those Violas," Caster said to Bell. "A group that can control monsters of around Level 3 and 4. You will be of minimal assistance in this fight, mongrel."

Bell made a bitter face at that. New Level 3 or not, they were still pretending he was only Level 2. Even so, Bell wasn't entirely sure he could handle something like that trap monster on his own.

"Even so…I want to help in some way," Bell insisted.

"Then, perhaps we should split our forces?" Lancer suggested. "Archer and Saber will handle our enemies while Bell and I shall flee with their captive? Rider should remain behind to keep guard over the others."

"I have no objections to that plan," Saber replied with a nod. "We do not know the enemies' numbers nor their fighting strength. It is also unlikely that they do not have allies within the city itself so it would be best to strike in force."

"…You think they're with the Kali Familia?" Welf threw out a suggestion that caused everyone to look at him.

"It…does seem like a rather huge coincidence that they are moving the captive when Kali Familia is in the port," Lily agreed. "But then the plant monsters did attack their ship so they might not actually be aligned at all."

"Even more of a reason not to take any chances," Rider said before turning to Caster. "What will you be doing, Caster?"

"I will remain in the suite and watch over the entirety of Melen from here," Caster replied. "I have no desire to play hero but I shall intervene should I am needed."

"…Is this situation something so dire that Lord Caster might need to move?" Lily asked.

"It is best to prepare for anything when the plans of several parties will come clashing together at the same time," Caster replied. "It is likely that whatever Loki Familia came to find will reveal itself soon as well."

"Right…" Archer muttered. "If whoever these people are are connected to the Violas, then they might use them as a distraction and move the hostage under the cover of the commotion."

He then glanced over at the sleeping trio.

"For the time being let's turn in for the night," Archer suggested. He then pointed toward himself, Saber, Rider and Lancer. "Then starting tomorrow morning we move in groups with at least one of us at all times."

"The three of you are planning to go shopping near the docks, correct?" Rider asked as Bell, Emma and Welf nodded. "Do you mind if I tag along?"

"Are you sure?" Welf asked. "We can hold it off for later if you guys are going to be mounting a rescue operation."

"There's no need to be overly cautious," Rider replied. "They won't be moving until nightfall and we could get a good idea of the town's layout. If someone else has been watching us, it would be strange for a Familia that has gone sightseeing to suddenly hole up in their hotel all day, right?"

"You got a point there…"

"Then I'll take the rest of the girls with me for our own sightseeing," Hestia said as she glanced toward Assassin and the other two before looking toward Lily. "What do you want to do, Miss Supporter?"

"Lily will…" Lily began as she glanced at Caster.

"There is no need to turn to me," Caster said simply. "This is a time of merry for those who have succeeded in surviving the Floor Boss. You need not spend it catering to me. That is what the staff of this inn is for."

"Then…if Lily can join Bell and the others?"

"Of course!" Emma said with a smile. "If you're around then I won't have to worry about being overcharged for anything."

"Then you should come along with us as well, Lancer," Rider said as the woman turned to her, surprised at the sudden invitation. "Let's leave it to the men to look after the goddess."

"T-then…if you will have me," Lancer replied with a nod.

"Will you be all right holding down the fort on your own, Caster?"

"I shall find my own entertainment here," Caster answered. "I need not repeat myself but I shall do so anyway. Avoid the Kali Familia Amazons at all costs. If they are indeed involved in this, then alerting them even further will be a foolish action."

"…You know…" Hestia began. "The more you say that, the more I am absolutely convinced one of our parties will run headfirst into an angry group of Amazons without even trying."

At Hestia's words, the king released the most defeated and resigned sigh that Bell had ever heard. As if he knew it was already hopeless with Bell and the others in front of him.

X-x-X-x-X

As they had entered the port town rather late the previous day, no one really had a chance to look around before checking into the inn.

Now that it is morning, Bell and the others could experience what the entirety of what Port Melen had to offer.

"…Look at the size of that dodobass…" Bell said as he and his party stared at a massive fish hanging on display.

"It's…bigger than Lily…" the pallum muttered in awe.

"That's the fish we ordered at the Hostess, right?" Rider asked examining it a bit more closely. She then glanced up and down the market area. "It seems to be a rather popular and delicious fish despite looking like a monster."

Indeed, it looked like a moss covered log with fins and several rows of teeth and yet it tasted so good. Bell couldn't help but be amazed at whoever was the first person to look at the fish and think, "I'm going to eat that."

"Perhaps the fish in this lake evolved to look similar to monsters to avoid being eaten by them?" Lancer suggested. "I have heard that monsters do not feast upon each other outside of abnormal events."

"That's right," Lily nodded. "Some Adventurers who have seen monsters eat another monster's magic crystal say that they become an enhanced species…or was it only enhanced species eat other monsters? Lily can't remember."

"Speaking of which, is fishing really that enjoyable?" Emma asked looking at all the fishing boats and fishermen in the distance. "I never had the patience for it so I never managed to catch anything myself."

"I believe it is more of an acquired hobby," Rider admitted. "Though it is a good hobby to take up to pass the time and you can catch dinner while you are at it."

"More grilled fish does sound pretty good," Welf admitted. "Not that the food at the inn wasn't good but all that fancy stuff is wasted on me. Just grill some fish or meat over a fire and that's plenty for someone like me."

"My, such a 'manly' way of cooking and eating, Welf."

"Hahaha, what can I say?"

From there, the party ended up near various merchant stalls that were selling materials like ores and monster parts that appeared from their corner of the world.

"Lily thinks we should avoid any monster parts when browsing," Lily said. "Drop items from surface monsters can't compare with the ones from the Dungeon."

"Sounds about right," Welf agreed as he examined some hide from some unknown monster. "The Al-Miraj furs we got a while back is better quality than this."

"Master Welf never did finish any cloaks with those, did he?" Lily asked as Welf looked the other way.

"H-hey, I've busy, all right? I mean, I followed you guys right into the Dungeon for the Floor Boss right afterward and then I got caught up in designs for Emmy and Primo and now we're on vacation."

"So Master Welf admits he is procrastinating."

Welf let out a grunt before slumping in defeat, unable to refute Lily's words as the girl smiled in victory.

"A-Anyway!" Welf said as they moved to the next stand where ores were being sold. "Let's see if we can't find any treasures here!"

"I think that's more your specialty, Welf," Bell admitted with a wry smile. "They all look like the same kind of rock to me."

"No problem! Leave it to me!"

After a half an hour or browsing with only Lancer being able to offer any suitable suggestions for Welf in terms of which of the product might be useful, and Lily helping in haggling down the price, the party left the stand with a sack full of ores.

"So…what are you planning with these?" Emma asked.

"Well, these are going into your new breastplate," Welf said, taking a few of them out and setting them aside. "And this baby's going into a sword."

It was a bright red metal still lodged in the rock. It was supposed to be some rare Far Eastern metal according to the merchant and Welf became interested in it immediately.

"It probably won't do me or Bell any good but it could work as a better starting weapon than those basic Guild swords, Emmy."

"Eh, really?" Emma asked, looking rather surprised. "Well…I won't say no if that's what you recommend."

"You use two swords though right?" Welf asked and Emma nodded. "Mmm…I'd love to be able to get on some more but that merchant only had enough to make one. Well, I'll think of something else to go with Emmasuke."

"…Excuse me?"

"Emmasuke. That's the name of your new sword."

"Please no!"

Rider couldn't help but giggle into her hand at Emma's desperate refusal of the proposed name for her new sword.

"While I don't think there's anything wrong with naming weapons after their wielder," Rider began. "Why not let Emma name her first real weapon herself?"

"Yes, please!" Emma agreed immediately, looking more haggard than Bell had ever seen her.

"Mmm…well if you insist."

"I do!"

"Uhh…your eyes are looking rather scary there, Emmy…grk!"

"Emma, calm down, you're gonna strangle Welf if your hands move any closer to his neck!" Bell said as he and Lily grabbed her hands.

"No…as a new Level 1, Emma should not be strong enough to harm a Level 2 like Mister Welf, right?" Lancer asked.

X-x-X-x-X

After Emma managed to calm down, they decided to take a break at a park with some grilled fish on a skewer that they bought from a nearby stall.

"Come to think of it, why did Miss Emma come to Orario in the first place?" Lily asked, making conversation. "Was it just to be an Adventurer and dive into the Dungeon?"

"Heh? Ahh…" Emma sounded surprised at the topic as she looked around to find a place to start. "Well, not exactly. I came here to look for someone."

"Looking for someone?" Rider repeated with a teasing. "As in finding someone who went missing or finding love?"

"M-my family!" Emma stuttered, blushing a bit at Rider's words. "I'm looking for my older sister. Last I heard, she was somewhere in Orario."

"Is she working as an Adventurer?" Lancer asked. "If so, would the Guild not have some record of her existence?"

"I thought that at first but when I asked them on my first day in Orario, before I joined the Familia, they said that they there wasn't a registered Adventurer with her name," Emma replied sadly.

"What's your sister's name?" Welf asked as he was picking his teeth with the skewer.

"Sophia. Sophia Flores."

Welf turned to look at Bell who shook his head. The name wasn't familiar with either of them.

"Honestly, I hadn't planned on joining a Familia at first," Emma admitted. "I was planning to just find work normally for my stay in Orario until I bumped into Primo who got kicked out of the inn she was staying at due to running out of money as she couldn't find a Familia to take her in. Not wanting to leave her alone, I invited her to share my room while she looked for a Familia to take her in. During that time, we talked a bit and her stories of Familias and Lady Riveria Los Alf got me thinking of joining a Familia too."

Bell remembered the trouble he had with finding a Familia and his shock that the inns in the city cost over ten times as much as the ones in his home village that he suddenly felt a bond of kinship with the young elf girl.

"Lily thinks she understands," Lily muttered. "If Miss Emma were to join a Familia and become famous then Miss Emma's sister might hear of her and come to her instead."

"Haha…yep that's what I ended up thinking," Emma admitted with a laugh as if embarrassed at being found out so easily. "That and I didn't want to leave Primo alone since she looked so heartbroken after being rejected by every Familia she came across until we ran into Lady Hestia working at her stall."

"The goddess does have a habit of picking up lost kids," Bell admitted with a warm smile as Lily nodded her head in agreement.

"Let's see…" Rider muttered as she counted off her fingers. "First was Bell, then Lily, then Jack, then Emma and Primo and finally Gina. Indeed, she does make a habit of picking up children with nowhere else to go."

Across the city, a certain goddess sneezed, causing her to drop her treat with a wail.

"Well, I suppose you picked the perfect Familia then," Welf said with a smile. "One crazy enough to fight a Floor Boss with only seven people and win."

"Did you not willingly join them yourself, Welf Crozzo?" Lancer asked with a smile. "What would that say about you?"

"That I'm as crazy as the lot of ya," Welf replied with a laugh.

"It sounds as though you all had quite the adventure together before we came along," Rider noted with a laugh. "It's almost enough to make me jealous."

"I think it's amazing that you all want to keep going into the Dungeon every day," Emma said.

"It's just something you get used to over time, Miss Emma," Lily said. "It's tough but as long as Miss Emma goes in often then Miss Emma will get used to it."

"I wonder if getting used to going into a deep, dark underground cave every day to fight monsters is a good thing though."

"Of course it is," Welf replied. "For Adventurers."

"Ahaha…I wonder if I'm cut out for it after all…"

"Ahh…but we still don't know what your Skill does, right?" Bell pointed out. "Maybe it's a good time to get started with that?"

"Oh, you got a Skill too, Emmy?" Welf asked sounding surprised. "Then you're definitely cut out to be an Adventurer. Getting a Skill right off the bat is practically the Falna saying you got what it takes. Maybe."

"'Maybe,' huh?" Emma repeated with a wry smile.

"Well it could be something like my Crozzo Blood or Lil'ly's Artel Assist, right? Those are more for supporting roles than for a regular Adventurer. I can't say anything for certain if you don't even know what it does."

"Mmm…I haven't really had the opportunity to figure out how it works though. There's no trigger or anything listed in the Status but the description didn't sound like it was a passive effect."

"Ahh…one of those. A pain in the ass to figure out but once you do, they're pretty flexible in the ways you can use them."

"Well, the best way to figure it out is in the Dungeon so we'll have to wait on it," Bell said.

"I suppose so," Emma agreed with a nod.

"Anyway, let's decide where to head next," Welf said as he looked around.

"I wonder if anyone's selling any books on foreign legends?" Bell said as they followed after Welf.

"Would you even be able to read it?" Emma asked. "It might not be in Koine after all."

"Ahh…maybe I could ask the goddess to translate it?"

"It would be rather interesting to see what kind of stories one can find around here," Rider nodded with a smile.

"Miss Lancer? Is there something wrong?" Lily asked as Lancer was staring off to the side.

At Lily's words everyone stopped to look at Lancer and then toward where she was looking at. Several Amazons were walking around in a group. Although their outfits were as skimpy as one would expect from their culture, their outfits also gave off a rather sensual vibe. It was the difference between an outfit that said that they did not care to be seen and one that wanted people to look at them.

"…They don't seem to be Kali Familia Amazons," Rider noted. "From what I got from Gina and Goddess Loki's words were that they were warriors. And I don't think they would be the type to dress in such a way."

Gone were the colorful patterns that adorned most Amazons with their tribal wear and instead were soft silks that were nearly translucent as they blew in the wind.

"Indeed," Lancer replied with a nod. "I believe those would be 'night workers.'"

At Lancer's words, both Bell and Welf gulped and tried not to stare.

"…Lily thinks…those are Berbera," Lily muttered looking rather worried.

"Berbera?" Bell asked as Welf let out a noise of recognition.

"Amazons of the entertainment district," Lily replied with a frown. "Ishtar Familia."

Bell blinked in surprise as he and Emma shared a glance.

Rule Two of Hestia Familia: **Do not mention Ishtar in front of Caster.**

"But why do you call them 'Berbera?'" Emma asked.

"Because those 'night workers,' as Miss Lancer puts it, are also warriors and Adventurers in their own right," Lily explained. "Most of them are Level 2 or 3 but Lily has heard that plenty are also Level 4 with their Captain being Level 5."

"As expected of Amazons I suppose," Welf muttered. "Think little Gina will end up Leveling soon as well?"

"Hmm…her Status are pretty decent I think," Bell muttered. "I wouldn't be surprised if she did if Caster makes all of us do something crazy again."

"I really hope that doesn't happen any time soon…" Emma muttered before glancing toward Bell. "On the other hand, what you're going to be doing is already crazy, isn't it?"

Bell gave her a wry smile but neither Rider nor Lancer look happy to see the Berbera in town.

"Ishtar Amazons showing up en masse at the same time as Kali Amazons arrive in town?" Rider muttered. "Can one really simply pass it off as a coincidence?"

"Indeed," Lancer nodded as she turned toward the others. "Everyone…perhaps we should head somewhere else?"

"Well, considering we probably won't find anything else with this high quality, I don't mind," Welf said. "But do you have a place in mind?"

"Hmm…I have an idea," Rider replied with a rather mischievous smile.

X-x-X-x-X

To Bell's surprise, Rider had led them out of the port and back to the inlet where they played the other day.

"Are we going swimming again?" Welf asked. "Cuz I kinda left my trunks back at the inn."

"Nothing like that," Rider said as she tugged on a nearby branch with an inquisitive hum before quickly drawing her sword and slicing it off. "We're going to do a little training for Emma!"

"…Huh?" Emma let out a noise showing that she had no idea what Rider was talking about.

"Your Skill, dear. Your Skill. We're going to practice a bit until we find out how you trigger it!"

"Eeeeeeh!?"

"Oh, so that's why we bought all these snack foods on the way here," Welf said as he looked down at the bags he, Bell and Lily were holding. "We're gonna watch Emmy get smacked around for a bit I guess?"

"W-wait a minute," Emma said trying to back away from the smiling Rider, only to back into Lancer who placed her hands on Emma's shoulders to keep her from running. "S-should't we save the training until at least after the vacation? Or at least until after tonight?"

"Hmm? But it's not like you're going to go along with them, right?" Rider asked as Bell and the others sat down on some logs, food in hand, and ready to watch. "Don't worry, I won't be hitting you that hard. Just hard enough that you don't want to be hit a second time."

"That's plenty hard already!" Emma said as she tried to wriggle out of Lancer's grip. "Lancer! Please say something!"

"Please wait one moment, Rider, Miss Flores." Lancer said as she pushed Emma to the center of the inlet before drawing several runes in the sand with her foot.

A moment later, the sand suddenly hardened and smoothed itself out, causing a small arena to rise up in the sand, causing Welf and Emma's eyes to boggle and for the former to choke on his snack a bit.

"Koff koff! That's the same kind of magic as Saber's isn't it?" Welf asked as Bell rubbed his back.

"I would expect so," Lancer replied with a nod and a smile. "After all, I was the one who taught it to him. Would you like to learn as well, Mister Crozzo?"

Welf held a hand to his chin, looking as though he was seriously considering the offer.

"Let me get back to you on that," Welf said as Lancer nodded in understanding. "I don't want to say 'yes' unless I'm one hundred percent sure that I'm committed."

"I understand. Please speak to either my husband or myself once you make your decision. There are also plans to teach Miss Flores and Miss Gwen as well."

"But for now we're going to try and trigger your Skill, Emma," Rider said, one arm around Emma's shoulder to keep her from fleeing. "So prepare yourself, Emma."

"P-please give me a break!" The girl cried as she was dragged up onto the ring.

"Good luck, Miss Emma!" Lily called out. "Lily will save Miss Emma a potato puff for when she's done!"

"Ahhh geez! I don't care anymore!"

X-x-X-x-X

Back in town, Hestia led the girls plus Saber and Archer down the main road, stopping at almost every concession stall on the way to buy some of the local food for herself and her precious children.

"Is this trip going to solely consist of us sampling the town's specialties, Goddess Hestia?" Saber asked as he held up a skewer of breaded fried shrimp.

"Of course!" Hestia replied without any shame. "The inn food was pretty high class but you just can't beat street food when on a vacation!"

"Will you be able to eat dinner when we get back if you fill up on these snacks?" Archer asked.

"Archer, it's because you act like that that Miss Supporter calls you 'Mama' all the time, you know?"

Her Second Child let out a grunt at that remark.

"I think I prefer this over the inn food to be honest," Primo admitted as she nibbled on the fried onion ring skewer. "I think it was good but I spent so much time thinking of how expensive it must have been that I don't know if I really enjoyed it."

"I _completely_ understand!" Gina nodded earnestly. "I was the same way when I first joined Hermes Familia. Asfi's tastes were much more high class than I was used to. As expected of a former princess I suppose. Well, I think I got used to it pretty quickly though~"

"What about you Jack?"

Assassin stopped taking big bites out of the fish in her hands and swallowed before answering Primo.

"We just like being able to eat as much as We want!" Assassin replied with a smile. "Ahh…but We don't really like the big pretty rooms."

"Well, it's _that person's_ tastes after all," Archer noted with a wry smile. "It's as much his vacation as everyone else's so of course he'd pick the most expensive option available."

"'Of course,' huh?" Hestia repeated. "I always played around with the idea of what I would do if I suddenly came into a boatload of money but now that I have, I feel like it's scary spending so much at once."

"We have already spent quite a bit on just the street food, Goddess Hestia," Saber pointed out.

"I don't mean spending little bits at a time that it amounts into a grand total or something like that. I mean casually dropping several million Valis in a single transaction like it's money to buy candy!"

"I wonder what kind of candy the Captain would buy in the first place?" Gina asked, falling into the tangent.

"Maybe he's the kind that would buy as much candy as he possibly could rather than buy a little bit of high class candy?" Primo suggested.

"Having a lot of good candy is better than having a little bit of great candy!" Assassin said with a smile.

"Should we ask him?" Gina wondered.

"Do not, under any circumstance, accept any candy he offers you," Archer said quickly.

"I'm sorry I brought it up," Hestia mumbled as she rubbed her forehead. "Anyway! Let's move onto the next place!"

As they walked a bit further, Hestia noticed Primo tapping Gina on the shoulder.

"Hey Gina, you've been an Adventurer for a long time right?" Primo asked.

"Well, only a little over a year but longer than everyone else in our Familia I suppose," Gina replied with a nod.

"Then, do you know why some people don't join Familias? Normal people can't fight monsters without it, right?"

"Ahh…that's because if you join a Familia you have to listen to what your god tells you to do, you know?" Gina explained. "Not every god is as nice as Lady Hestia after all. Some will make you do bad things or things that you don't want to do and you can't really go against them."

"Ohhh…like how that other goddess made everyone wear swimsuits even though they didn't want to?" Assassin asked, referring to Loki and her Familia from the other day.

"Yep yep. And if you don't listen to your god, you'll be hated by the rest of your Familia and bad things will come from it. Well, unless the majority of your Familia don't like your god more but then that wouldn't be much of Familia in the first place. Most people can't help but do what a god asks them to do after all."

"Oh, does that mean we should prepare for war with Loki Familia, Goddess Hestia?" Saber joked.

"It wouldn't be that difficult," Archer joined in with a smirk. "I can snipe Loki while she's in town then the rest of her Familia will lose their Status, right?"

"D-don't even joke about things like that!" Hestia said quickly. "I might not like Loki but her kids are one of the main reasons that Orario isn't a complete lawless zone. With so many gods and mortals looking to get rich quick, we need them to maintain order."

"Oh, but didn't you want to be the next big player? We're just following your wishes, right?"

"Don't use my words against me, Shirou!"

As the goddess started punching Archer, who was holding out his hands to block her ands, Gina leaned in closer to Saber.

"Hey Saber," Gina began. "Is there really nothing we can do to cure Lancer's curse?"

Saber seemed rather surprised at the change of topic but shook his head nonetheless.

"Unfortunately, I do not believe it would be possible by any conventional means," Saber replied. "Her curse is a part of her very being and identity. Just like how being an Amazon is part of yours, Brynhildr…Lancer's attempts on my life are part of hers."

"That's not fair! Love stories are supposed to have happy endings! No one wants to read one that ends in tragedy!"

"No, I think most love stories tend to end horribly for all involved," Hestia spoke up. "It's the 'drama' part of a 'Love Drama' after all."

"You're not helping, Lady Hestia!" Gina shouted with a pout.

"It is all right, Gina Gwen," Saber said as he crouched down to get on eye level with Gina and placed a hand on her head. "I thank you for your concern but Lancer and my love story is not over just yet. We managed to get a sudden sequel after all."

"Geez…how can you say such things with a straight face all the time?" Gina asked with a giggle as she turned away from Saber.

"I have had plenty of practice."

"Hmm…I just remembered something," Archer said as he pounded his palm. "According to some of the girls in Loki Familia, Amid Teasanare of Dian Cecht Familia has a spell that can remove curses. I don't know if it'll help considering the true nature of it but…"

"Dian Cecht, huh…" Hestia mumbled with a rather displeased look. "That old fart's potions are the real deal but he overcharges like hell. Miach's stuff is way more affordable and just as good, if not better…that said I don't know if a spell would be enough to stop something like what Lancer has. I really don't want to see how much that guy's gonna charge us if it works though."

"We will consider it but I do not hold much hope in that regard," Saber replied with a bitter smile.

"I heard that curses will go away if you destroy the source," Gina suggested. "Would that work?"

"Unfortunately not…but let us not dwell on this. This is a vacation, is it not? This is a problem between Lancer and myself. I do not wish to burden anyone else with this."

"…Is that what it means to be an adult?" Primo asked looking down with her feet. "To keep things to yourself and not ask for help from anyone?"

"Primo?" Assassin called out her name as she leaned forward to try and look at her face but the elf turned her head away in response.

"No. That's what it means to be a Hero."

It wasn't Saber who answered but Archer.

"To take on not just one's own burdens, but the entire world's upon their own shoulders and continue to strive forth without fail. That is a Hero."

Primo looked up at her senior but the man was staring off to the side.

"Hero."

Pillars of hope for the children of the Lower World. They had to be strong, steadfast, and above all else, inspiring even in the face of certain death. Hestia had forgotten about it due to the sight of Archer and Rider in matching frilly aprons, Saber and Lancer flirting with each other every waking moment, Caster acting like a tsundere parent, and Assassin clinging onto her and Bell like a baby…but half of her children were not just merely Spirits. They were Heroic Spirits. Manifestations of legends that gave people hope in the era of darkness…and an enigmatic existence completely unknown to her.

"But…what's the point?" Primo asked, hands clutching onto the front of her dress. "What's the point of being in the same family…the same Familia if I can't do anything to help you?"

Hestia was sure Primo already knew the answer. What exactly was a ten-year-old elf girl going to do to help an ageless Spirit who has yet to solve a problem plaguing them for who knows how long?

But Saber simply smiled and reached out and affectionately placed his hand on the girl's head.

"I'm grateful for your concern, Primo," Saber said. "If I have something I need your help on, I will ask. I promise you."

"You better…" Primo sniffed.

Hestia smiled at the sight. Just because a "Hero" was what they were doesn't mean they can't change into something else upon interacting with the mortal races. After all, the gods themselves, once considered to be stagnant and eternal, have changed tremendously due to their lives in the Lower World, Hestia included.

X-x-X-x-X

Emma's blades once again bounced off Rider's shield and Emma herself was bounced back by a powerful push from the woman, sending her flying off and landing flat on her butt. Again.

It was painful and just a little bit annoying how she couldn't get pass Rider's defense but Emma didn't complain. Although she had been less than enthusiastic about the impromptu Skill Training Session, she knew that the sooner they figured out how to activate it, the better she would perform in the Dungeon.

And the less Bell would have to worry about her.

"Hmm…perhaps this isn't going anywhere?" Rider asked as she tilted her head to the side.

"It did not activate while attacking, while being attacked, or while being injured," Lancer reported. "Successive strikes, and successive damage taken also does not trigger it. Frustration and anger do not either."

"I-I'm not mad!" Emma denied quickly as she stood back up while rubbing her back.

"Hmm…active Skills are always a pain to figure out after all," Lily muttered as she looked over toward the horizon. "Especially when they don't tell you how to activate it. Lily was lucky in that regard."

"Hey Emmy!" Welf called out. "If you don't hurry all the snacks are going to be gone!"

"Don't you guys dare eat them all without me! Wait, isn't this bullying? Aren't I just being bullied right now!?"

"Becoming flustered and impatient doesn't seem to work either," Lancer noted as Bell let out a rather dry laugh.

"Maybe just one more bout before we head back?" Bell suggested as Emma brushed sand off her clothes. "It's getting late after all."

"G-got it!" Emma nodded.

Using ones emotions. Attacking in a certain way. Defending in a certain way. Calling out its name. Eina had explained that most active Skills could be triggered using those conditions and yet nothing seemed to be working.

As Emma prepared herself for another bout, the words of her goddess echoed in her mind.

"_Think about what motivates you and maybe that will activate it._"

It was just like the goddess to give vague and unhelpful advice and tell Emma to have "fun" as she tried to figure it out herself. Well, she definitely wasn't having fun right now, that's for sure.

"_But…what exactly is it that motivates me?_"

Her long term goal wasn't something grand like Bell's. It was merely to be reunited with her sister, Sophia. To that end, she wanted to use Hestia Familia and in return be of use to them as well. And to do that…

Her eyes fell on the younger boy who was cheering her on from behind Rider. The boy who had dreams of being a Hero. Ones that were so strong that he could actively call them to his side and learn from them. So where did that put her? What did she want to do? How did she want to grow?

The answer came to her as she flipped the sword in her left hand over into a reverse grip.

"_I want to catch up and stand beside him too._"

"Oh?" Rider let out a gasp of surprise as she raised her shield up.

"_I don't want to make him worry. I'm not a little kid that has to be protected by my older sister anymore…and definitely not someone that can only make people younger than me worry!_"

She felt something burning against her back where the Goddess Hestia's grace had been inscribed onto her back. Her body felt lighter…like there was a surge of energy flowing through her. No, something was really flowing through her body!

Bright pink lights were slowly rising up from her body. This has to be it! Her Skill must have finally activated!

With her newfound power, she lunged forward towards Rider. To her great surprise, and Rider's as well judging from her face, Emma found herself right in front of the woman within a blink of the eyes, only for the woman to step to the side…and for Emma to be unable to stop herself.

"KYAAAAAAHH!"

"EMMAGAAAH!?"

Unprepared for her newfound speed, Emma flew right out of the ring and crashed right into Bell, sending both of them flying back before crashing into the sand.

Lancer, Welf and Lily were immediately at their side and quickly pulled the two of them apart.

"You two okay?" Welf asked. "…Probably not huh? You kinda knocked your skulls together there."

"I…think I'm okay?" Emma replied as she rubbed her forehead only to wince as she felt a bump there. "Ahhh…ouchie…"

"T-that hurt?" Bell groaned as he rubbed his own forehead. "I didn't think someone crashing into me would actually hurt…"

"Then it is likely Miss Flores's Skill increases both her strength and speed to rather…uncontrollable degrees," Lancer said as she knelt down in front of Emma to examine her forehead, causing the girl to wince. "But at the very least we know that it can be activated and that it will be useful for when you are in the Dungeon."

"I'm so sorry, Emma! Bell!" Rider apologized as she ran up to them with her hands clapped together. "I probably shouldn't have dodged like that and caught you instead."

"It's fine, Rider," Bell replied as Lily held out a potion for Emma. "I should have been fast enough to dodge that too but I was too surprised. Saber's going to be disappointed in me, haha…h-huh?"

As Bell tried to take a step, he suddenly fell down to his knees.

"Bell!?" Lily called out, turning away from Emma just as the girl went limp in Lancer's hands. "Miss Emma!"

"Is this a side effect of the Skill?" Lancer muttered as she picked up Emma in her arms.

"Let's worry about it later!" Welf said as Lily helped put Bell on his back. "For now, let's get back to the inn!"

"Agreed," Lancer nodded before turning to Rider and holding Emma out to her. "Rider, if you'll please."

"No problem," Rider nodded as she took the girl into her own arms.

Lancer then walked over toward Welf, hand outstretched.

"One moment, Mister Crozzo."

"Y-yeah? What?" Welf asked, stopping just before breaking out into a full sprint.

"This will help you get back faster," Lancer replied as she held out a single finger and swiped it across his chest. Immediately, several runes lit up in the space above his clothes before sinking into his clothes.

"Yikes! Hot! And…whoa…"

A soft light began to emit from Welf's body as he let out a gasp of awe.

"There, you should be able to keep up with us now," Lancer said as she picked Lily up. "Let us make haste."

"Right!"

With that, the three of them and their passengers made a beeline back for the inn. And yet, even as Emma felt her body sway listlessly in Rider's arms, pure joy was filling her body. Her Skill worked properly! Even if it felt like it drained all the energy out of her body, she still had a proper Skill! It'll probably take more training until she could use it properly though.

X-x-X-x-X

When they arrived, they found the rest of Hestia Familia already back, staring at them as Welf threw the door open.

"Bell! Emma!" Hestia shouted as she quickly stood up and ran over. "What happened?"

"We tried to get Emma's Skill to work," Rider replied as Caster sat up from his reclining position. "Well…'tried' implies that we failed so…I guess that's not really accurate."

"Then how did it end up like this!?" Hestia demanded as they set Bell and Emma down on the Far Eastern style beds.

"It is merely fatigue, Goddess Hestia," Lancer replied. "When Emma's Skill activated, her speed jumped up to a level beyond her control and she ended up crashing into Bell outside of the training area. Although they were more or less fine aside from the bump on their head, the two of them suddenly collapsed."

"Something happened with the Skill then…" Hestia mumbled before looking toward Emma. "Emma, can you get on your stomach and show me your back? Boys turn around!"

At her order, Welf, Archer, Saber, and Caster turned their backs toward Hestia and Emma as flipped onto her stomach and allowed Hestia to pull her shirt up. Lily also sat down between Bell's head and Emma to keep the boy from seeing anything but Lily's back.

"Uuu…this is a bit embarrassing…" the girl complained.

"Sorry but just bear with it for now," Hestia said as she looked around. "Does anyone have a needle or a knife?"

"Here!" Welf said, reaching into his pocket and tossing something in her direction. Snatching it out of the air, Hestia saw that it was a sewing kit.

"You carry that around with you?" Gina asked in surprise.

"Hey, you never know if your coat needs a quick patch job," Welf said, patting his shirt.

Hestia simply smiled as she pricked her finger with the needle and allowed her blood to drop down onto Emma's back, unlocking the Falna with a faint light.

"Let's see, let's see…" Hestia said as she scanned the hieroglyphics for Emma's Skill section. "Here we go…oh and Welf…"

"Should I leave?" Welf asked quickly without turning around.

"No, it's fine…" Emma replied. "You'll probably just worry if you don't hear what's happening with this Skill."

"Well I won't deny that but…"

"If you're okay with it Emma then I won't say anything else," Hestia said. "What about you, Caster?"

"I have no objections as well," Caster replied with a nod.

"Right…so Emma's Skill's effect says that it 'causes a Rhapsodia among those with the same Falna for a short time.'"

"Rhapsodia?" Archer repeated. "Like a song?"

"Lily didn't hear anything like a song or anything," Lily replied. "Just Miss Emma glowing…kind of like how Bell does when he activates his Skill. Except pink instead of white."

"Hmm…" Hestia let out a low hum as she relocked Emma's Falna and pulled down Emma's shirt, allowing the boys to turn back around. "Bell, how are you feeling?"

"A bit drained but it's getting better," Bell replied and Emma nodded her head in agreement.

"Emma getting drained after using her Skill isn't anything weird but it's strange for Bell to also be tired," Hestia muttered. "Rhapsodia…a collection…I got it!"

"Then by all means, share your wisdom," Caster urged her.

"I mean, I probably won't know for sure unless I see it happen in front of me but from the sound of things, when Emma activated her Skill, she took on Bell's Status or at the very least a bit of his parameters. That's why she suddenly moved so fast. Because she went from newbie to High Class Agility in a blink of an eye! As a result of that Bell, being the one who had their Status borrowed, felt tired since a part of his grace was gone and Emma becomes tired because she was running with two different Status overlapping each other!"

And the fact that Bell lost his high Magic parameter for the Servants' upkeep for a moment.

Silence hung in the room after Hestia's declaration as everyone just stared at the goddess with Bell even sitting up to get a better look.

"That is…potentially amazing, is it not?" Saber asked.

"That's crazy!" Gina shouted, slamming her hands on the mat excitedly. "I never heard of such a Skill! Wait, does this mean if Emma had joined Freya Familia she would have been able to copy Ottarl's Status!? We would have potentially two Level 7s running around Orario?"

"If I can barely move after taking on Bell's Status…I don't want to know what will happen if I took on the Status of someone like that…" Emma muttered with a dry laugh.

Off to the side, Caster was leveling a glare at Archer who glared back with a look saying "Don't blame this on me."

"Hey hey, Emma?" Assassin spoke up as she crawled over toward Emma's head. "Do you think you can copy more than one person at a time?"

"…That actually scares me more than copying a Level 7," Emma replied, voice barely above a whisper.

And to be honest, it scared Hestia too. Like this, once the drawbacks were minimized from familiarity or from further training, it wouldn't be too farfetched to say that Emma would become the literal embodiment of Hestia Familia. If Emma was some day able to "collect" all of Hestia's children's Status into her own container and use them as her own…forget Bell's amazing growth, Emma might overshoot that by a mile. Even that small impromptu training session burst made Emma's Agility grow by a full fifty points…and her Defense by ten but that wasn't as important.

"I suppose the next test would be to see if she could copy Magic and Skills as well," Archer spoke up. "Maybe we should have Emma take on Lily's Status?"

"Oh right!" Lily nodded. "Lily has both Magic and a few Skills! It should be easy to check how much of the Falna Miss Emma borrows."

"Even so, we will have to put it off for another time in a more controlled environment," Caster said as Rider clapped her hands together in apology again. "For now, the ones that will be out tonight should rest properly."

Archer, Saber and Lancer nodded in unison before Archer turned toward Bell.

"You sure you still want to come with us?" The man asked.

"Of course!" Bell replied. "I want to help as well."

"I'm not asking if you wanted to help or not Bell," Archer said with a shake of his head. "I'm asking if you are sure you want to come along. We aren't going to be fighting Dungeon Monsters. We're going to be fighting other _people_. I'm asking if you are prepared for that."

It was as though the temperature dropped down several degrees at Archer's words.

Their target this time were not mindless beasts but people who actively chose to commit crimes and were doing so under orders of their god.

As Bell fell silent to Archer's question, Hestia turned toward Caster.

"Hey Caster," the goddess began. "We're sure that this Fels person is telling the truth, right?"

"My method for detecting falsehoods is different from the gods but there were none that arose from their mouth," Caster replied. "Our enemy is currently the same one as the one the boy fought on the Eighteenth Floor. There will be no problems in removing the nuisances with the blessing of the Guild."

"No, that's not what I mean…"

Hestia knew she was overprotective, but she didn't want to put Bell in a position that could have him killing other people or seeing them killed by his beloved Heroes.

"I'm fine."

But of course, the boy in front of her could not remain a child forever.

"I'm not someone who can weigh the differences between the lives of an innocent person and that of a criminal when I haven't met either of them," Bell said. "All I know is that I want to save that person."

Archer's eyes remained on Bell for a short while before he turned his head to the side and let out a sigh.

"Really now, who exactly are you taking after?" Archer wondered as Bell let out a smile.

Watching the scene before her, Hestia found a smile on her face as well.

X-x-X-x-X

As night fell over the port, four figures were moving silently across the rooftops, their footsteps not even clanking against the wood and stone rooftops despite their heavily armored forms with full face helmets bearing the visage of various birds of prey.

"Keeping up all right?" The one in red with the visage of a hawk asked as he look over his shoulder toward the smallest form in the rear.

"Y-yes!" The smallest one in black with the visage of an owl replied with a nod. "I think we can go a bit faster too!"

Although it would seem that they were speaking to each other normally, an outside viewer would not have heard any of the words exchanged between the two.

"Still…this is really amazing," the owl muttered as he looked at his arms and at his companions. "I can't believe runes can do something like this."

"Please keep in mind that there is a limit to everything, Master," the one leading the charge, clad in black with the visage of an eagle, cautioned. "Though the runes will protect you should you be struck by weapons, it will still hurt."

"If things go well, that situation should not arise in the first place," the figure in white with the visage of a falcon pointed out.

During their preparations, Saber proposed the use of disguises so that the chances of their actions being traced back to Hestia Familia could be minimized. Thus through the use of runes, both Saber and Lancer created these false armors to hide their faces while also using them as some minimal protection for Bell who had yet to get a new set of armor from Welf.

Of course, it wasn't something Bell should overly rely on in any case. His strengths relied on not getting hit in the first place after all.

The four of them did not stop until they made their way toward the warehouses lining the edge of the lake. As it was rather late at night, only a few guards were around and only about two pairs of them were patrolling inside the complex itself.

"The guards are rather sparse," Archer noted. "Is this how it usually is or is it just for tonight only?"

"We should not make any assumptions just yet," Saber suggested and Archer nodded in agreement. "Do you see our target?"

"Yeah. Smack dab in the middle of all these buildings."

Supposedly, the building had been marked with a star by Fels beforehand. Although the mysterious figure had been able to get close and find the criminals udetected, they did not feel confident about their ability to escape while protecting the hostage. Though the mark was small and the clouds were blocking both the light from the moon and the stars, Archer's eyes could see it even at such a distance.

"This Fels person worries me," Lancer muttered. "Were it not for Caster and Gina's words, I would not be sure about taking on this Quest to begin with."

"They did claim that their strengths lie in research," Saber pointed out. "Perhaps they created some Magic Tools to keep themselves hidden?"

"Wouldn't mind getting my hands on some of those after we finish this Quest," Archer muttered as he scanned the area. "The guards' patrols don't seem to hang around our target warehouse for very long. Either they've been bribed or they've been told to ignore it."

"Wait…but isn't this area owned by the Guild?" Bell asked quickly. "Does that mean the Branch here is working with Evilus?"

"We can't be sure of that," Lancer replied. "It might only be the guards acting on their own."

"Let us worry about that later," Saber said. "Although it would explain why Fels chose to contact our Familia for help. Aside from our battle with the Floor Boss, we are still relatively unknown after all. If a larger Familia like Loki Familia were to move, the Guild Branch would be put on guard and if they were aligned with Evilus, they would misdirect them as much as possible."

With another round of nods, the four of them silently made their way closer to their target before Archer held up his hand to signal them to stop.

"There really are no guards outside this place…" Archer muttered. "Now _I'm_ the one starting to get worried."

"Fortunately we have a foolproof way of scouting before we strike," Saber said as he turned toward Bell and Lancer. "As planned we shall strike first. Please keep watch."

"Yes…be careful," Bell nodded as the other two dematerialized and faded away from the world.

"You have nothing to worry about, Master," Lancer said with a quick nod of her head. "The only one who would be able to kill that person would be me."

"…I really wish that wasn't the case though," Bell sighed.

Silence settled between the two of them for a few minutes until Archer reappeared by their side.

"It's done," he said.

"Were they actually human traffickers?" Bell asked.

"From what we overheard of their conversations, yeah," Archer replied with a nod. "They've been neutralized."

Bell flinched at the word "neutralized" but he didn't say anything as they hopped to the target warehouse which Bell noted had been marked by a star on one of the tilings, causing Bell to gape in awe at Archer's ability to spot such a thing.

Lancer traced a rune on the roof and the tiles burned away, creating a hole big enough for Bell to slip through while the other two dematerialized and reappeared at the ground floor where Saber was examining the bare back of a body.

"How is it?" Archer asked.

"No good," came the reply as Saber shook his head. "I cannot remove the lock of the Falna. It is sealed by the blood of a god after all."

"Were you trying to find out which Familia they belonged to?" Bell asked and Saber nodded his head.

"Yes. But a lock sealed by the blood of a god can only be undone by the blood of a god…and I doubt our goddess will be pleased with us if we skinned the man's back to take back with us."

"_I _wouldn't be pleased with that," Bell pointed out as Saber chuckled and stood up.

"We must hurry," Lancer said as she looked around. "Lady Hestia said that the gods are connected to the Children who received their grace. If these people were acting on orders of their god then they would no doubt know of their deaths."

"But…where do we start?" Bell asked as he also glanced around. There were crates stacked all the way to the roof. It would take too much time to open up and check each one.

"We have to start somewhere," Archer said. "And calling out that we're here to rescue them probably won't work."

"Leave that to me," Lancer said as she traced a rune in the air, creating a small light. The light hovered in front of them for a moment before it floated off, prompting Bell and the others to follow it.

"…Ngh!"

Lancer let out a grunt of disgust as she stopped right in front of a large metal crate that had been pushed off to the side with several tiny holes that no doubt acted as air holes. However, there was currently a foul stench coming from inside it…as if whoever was inside it was forced to stew in their own filth without any care by their captors.

Carefully, Lancer raised a hand and tapped the side of the crate. To Bell horror and relief, a weak knocking sounded back. And then…

"Help…" a voice called out. The voice was rather weak and high pitched. A child or a woman perhaps? "Please…help me…"

"How cruel," Lancer said as she placed a hand on the crate only to stiffen and freeze.

"What's wrong?" Saber asked quickly.

"I…do not know," Lancer replied as she stepped away from the crate. "I feel…apprehensive all of a sudden. As if I do not wish to see the inside of this crate."

Although Bell couldn't see it, he could tell Saber was frowning behind his helmet as he drew a rune over the lock, causing it to melt and then placed his hand on the lid.

"…I see," he suddenly said. "I understand what you mean, my love. It feels as though my instincts are screaming at me to step away."

Curious, Bell placed his own hand on the crate. Immediately he was overwhelmed with the desire to avoid looking into the crate and leave as soon as possible. Like if he were to look inside, his entire world would turn upside down and everything he knew would come into question.

But even so…he couldn't let whoever it was inside suffer like this.

Bringing out his will, Bell forced opened the lid, and felt his breath hitch as he stepped back, eyes wide in horror.

Inside the box, shivering in a corner and staring back up at him caked in a layer of refuse and blood wasn't a human like he had first thought. Nor were they an elf, a dwarf, an animal person or an Amazon. The one in the crate was not one of the races of humanity.

It was a harpy. A monster found in the Dungeon. Looking just like a woman from the waist up, to the point that it even had breasts, the harpy instead had large wings the size of shields forming at their forearms. Everything from the waist down was covered in red feathers caked in a layer of filth. While normal harpies had hideously wrinkled old faces like witches from fairy tales meant to scare children, the one in front of them looked closer to that of a young woman that one would find walking down the street…filth notwithstanding.

The harpy stared fearfully at them for a moment before the faintest signs of hope appeared in its eyes as it stretched one wing forward.

"Help…please…" it begged.

Bell felt that all three of his Servants were as speechless as he was. Trapped and captured by those criminals from earlier, the monster was now speaking to them…begging them for help..and it was only now that Bell remembered what that Fels person had said to Caster.

"_Males and females of all races are targeted and moved beyond our reach._"

They had been referring to monsters…_intelligent_ monsters that could speak to people.

"_Please…_" the harpy begged once more before its wing fell limp.

Before Bell could fully comprehend what he was doing, he reached out and grabbed her body before she could fall.

"Don't worry…" he found himself saying even though the harpy wouldn't be able to hear him. "It's going to be all right."

It was slight…but Bell could swear that a little light returned into its…no, her eyes.

Whatever happened, no matter how much trouble his act of selfishness would bring him and the others in the future, he wanted to believe in his own path.


	29. Evil Strikes

**Chapter 29: Attack of the Amazons**

"I have no idea what's what anymore," Archer sighed while leaning against a wall.

After they regained their senses and Bell carefully picked the harpy up in his arms, the four of them made their escape from the warehouse. There was no way they could bring the harpy back to the inn so they put as much distance between them and the warehouses as possible after removing a rather large metal plate that had been inserted into the harpy's back until they reached an old factory that appeared to have been abandoned judging from the scattered machine parts scattered about with the trash and pieces of scrap iron. It must have been used to build ships once upon a time.

"It is…no…_she_ is very weak," Lancer said as she examined a potion in her hands while Bell rested the harpy against the cleanest wall he could find. "The wounds are rather old and may be infected from the filth. She is also rather emaciated…would giving her a potion in such a state worsen her condition?"

Thankfully all of the filth had been removed due to Lancer's runes so they wouldn't be found out by the smell in any case.

"I…don't know," Bell admitted. "I only know that you have to reset bones before administrating a potion since it could heal improperly if you don't. I don't know anything about what might happen if you give a potion to a starving…err…"

He was about to say "person" but he wasn't even sure potions worked on monsters in the first place.

Lancer nodded her head as she gripped the harpy's wing. The harpy seemed to realize what she was going to do as she clenched her eyes shut. One rather awful sound later, the bones were reset properly as tears seeped out of her eyes.

"We are rather far from a pantry though," Saber noted. "Then again, if that was all monsters ate, we wouldn't have any on the surface."

"Sharp teeth," Lancer noted as she gently tapped the harpy's jaw making it open her mouth to allow Lancer to slowly feed her the potion.

"Carnivorous then. Like most monsters."

"Sorry, but Caster is the one holding onto all of our meat," Archer joked as he shrugged his shoulders. "And I didn't think to bring anything with me."

Saber let out a rather dry laugh before turning toward Bell.

"Your orders, Master?"

"We…were never really told what we should do once we finished with the rescue, did we?" Bell asked and the others nodded their heads.

"I suppose we all assumed that our captive would have been human," Archer sighed. "If that were the case, we could have just brought them back with us into the inn. We're just going to have to wait until that Fels person contacts us."

"Thank…you…" the harpy suddenly said as Lancer wiped off her mouth, causing the woman's hand to jerk in surprise before she gently patted the harpy's shoulder.

"…It is way too late for this…" Archer sighed as he placed a hand to his forehead.

"Agreed," Saber replied with a nod.

"Then I guess we're resting here for the night?" Bell said before turning to Lancer. "Lancer, can you head back and report to everyone?"

Bell felt that it wasn't a good idea to leave Saber and Lancer together just in case Lancer lost herself again. Bell himself wasn't confident in making it back alone without being spotted and also wasn't confident in protecting the harpy if Lancer and Saber were to have another "spat."

"Understood," Lancer replied, giving the harpy a soft pat on the shoulder before turning on her heel and vanishing, causing the harpy to stare at the spot where she disappeared with wide eyes.

"You get some rest as well, Bell," Archer said as a blanket materialized in his hands and he tossed it over to Bell. "Saber and I don't need sleep so we can afford to keep watch without any problems."

"Got it," Bell replied as Archer created another blanket for the harpy.

Archer then jumped up, toward the ceiling, only to disappear just before hitting the roof, no doubt to take watch up top for the night while Saber walked over to a spot where he could keep an eye on the entrance, Bell and the Harpy and simply waited there like a statue.

Bell glanced over at the harpy just in time to see her turn toward him in confusion as well. He could only shrug his shoulders in response as he pulled the blanket over himself. It was probably going to be a long night.

X-x-X-x-X

"What."

Hestia wasn't sure who exactly said that. It could have been anyone really, even herself. After all, that was the only reaction one could have when Lancer returned, saying that the target they went to rescue was an intelligent monster that could speak.

"Yes, that is what happened," Lancer said, kneeling on one knee as she gave her report. "Not only that but it…_she_ also…thanked me for helping her. Master, Saber and Archer are watching over her right now as we judged that bringing her back here as was originally planned would not be the best idea."

"This has got to be some cosmic joke…" Welf muttered rubbing his head.

"If it is, Lily isn't laughing," Lily agreed with a nod. "…Lily doesn't suppose everyone could just…leave the harpy behind, right?"

"That would indeed be the safest choice," Caster began, propping his head up with his arm on a stool. "However…for that god, Ouranos, to choose to have placed this mission upon us…means it is most likely that there are more than just this single harpy that is intelligent."

"Ouranos…what the hell have you found in these last thousand years?" Hestia muttered before glancing toward Gina. "…Hey Gina, did Hermes ever mention anything like this?"

"Nope," Gina replied with a shake of her head. "I'm just as surprised as everyone else…"

"Hey, Mommy Hestia?"

Hestia suddenly found Assassin right next to her with her hands clinging onto her arm.

"We're going to help right?" She asked. "We're not going to abandon her?"

"_Stop!_" Hestia screamed in her head. "_Don't look at me with those begging eyes! It's cheating!_"

"What should we do, Captain?" Primo asked turning toward Caster who shook his head. "This sounds pretty…bad right?"

"I had no interest in this rescue mission in the first place," Caster reminded them. "The one who decides what to do with that harpy is the Goddess Hestia."

"Me!?" Hestia asked, looking surprised at suddenly being the one to make the big decisions.

"Who else _but_ you? You are the one who approved of the boy's decision to rescue the harpy in the first place and it is your duty to decide how the Familia should proceed as its Goddess."

"Ngh…uuu…grrr…" Hestia could not respond to that but she wasn't sure what to do.

"Hey…" Welf began drawing everyone's attention. "I know I'm an…outsider to all of this…but I was just wondering. Can't you just say that Rider is a Tamer and it's a Tamed Monster?"

"That's it!" Emma said, clapping her hands. "If it's a tamed monster then no one should bat an eye, right?"

"It doesn't work like that," Gina said with a shake of her head. "Only Ganesha Familia has permission from the Guild to bring monsters into the city and that's because they host Monsterphilia and do research on them as well."

"But if Fels really is from the Guild then they should be able to give us permission, right?"

"That's…"

It would seem that Emma was on the side to help the Harpy. From Hestia's point of view the ones who want to help the Harpy were Bell, Lancer, Emma and Assassin. The ones who were against helping for one reason or another were Caster, Lily and Primo. The others weren't leaning toward any direction in particular and seemed to still be reeling from the implications of a monster that could speak.

"You're sure it's intelligent?" Hestia asked Lancer. "It's not some trick, right?"

"Yes," Lancer answered with a nod. "She was… begging for help. Injured, lost, trapped, she had no choice but to hope and seek help from us."

Hestia looked up toward the ceiling and took a deep breath to try and calm herself and get her thoughts in order.

"I'm going to say what I think now," Hestia said as everyone aside from Caster seemed to sit up a bit straighter. "Without seeing the harpy for myself, I don't think I can make any final judgments."

She then turned toward Lily, Emma, Primo, Gina and Welf. The true children of the mortal realm.

"Monsters and you children are enemies," she said simply. "That's how it was and how it has been for millennia. However, I and this Familia cannot turn away someone asking for help. No matter who…or what they are."

Assassin was beaming at her while Lily turned away with a slight blush on her cheeks.

"We'll help them," she decided with a nod. "For the time being anyway. I don't care if this turns out to be some sort of test by Ouranos or whatever but I admit that I'm a little curious about this so-called Intelligent Monster. However, it'll be your job to make sure that nothing bad gets traced back to us, got it, Lancer?"

"Yes!" Lancer replied with a bright smile. "I thank you for your magnanimity, Lady Goddess!"

"So, how do we proceed?" Rider asked. "Get them out as soon as possible?"

"I know it is urgent but I would recommend against moving her immediately," Lancer replied. "She is still very weak."

"Should we wait until tomorrow night then?" Emma suggested. "Maybe bring over some food as well?"

"Do monsters even eat people food?" Primo asked.

"Lily thinks monsters will eat anything that doesn't stink," Lily pointed out. "Though monsters will also happily eat people for food too."

"N-not what I had in mind…"

"Well for now you should rest here for the night, Lancer," Hestia decided. "Running around so much must have tired you out. For now, take a break and tomorrow we'll figure out how to get some food over to the others."

"Yes, I understand," Lancer replied with a nod.

"We can't all go, right?" Gina asked. "If the harpy's being targeted we shouldn't go with too many people, right?"

"Yeah so we'll just leave it to Lancer to head back to wherever it is you're hiding the harpy with food for the boys," Hestia said. "Go out on your own tomorrow to go shopping. The rest of us…well, I suppose it's just more free time then."

"Would it be strange if most of us stayed inside all day?" Emma asked.

"Tis a long vacation," Caster said. "A beach trip on the first day and a long shopping trip on the second. No hypothetical watchers would find it amiss if you all were exhausted on the third day."

"You're okay with this, Gil?" Hestia asked.

"A mindless beast that has grown the mind of a human? Although its nature intrigues me, its fate is no concern of mine. If you wish to protect it then simply demand permission from the Guild to house monsters from Fels as part of the reward. If this Ouranos truly is in control of the Guild, such a thing would be simple, would it not?"

A hum escaped Hestia's lips as she glanced off in the distance…no, she was looking in the direction of Orario.

"Ganesha," she said suddenly. "He's in on this too."

Her realization caused the mortal children to stare at her in shock.

"I have no proof other than 'a goddess's intuition,' which admittedly isn't worth very much to begin with," she continued. "But the fact that they work so closely with monsters has been nagging at me that I can't help but think so."

"Monsterphilia…" Lily suddenly said. "The Guild works together with Lord Ganesha every year to put on that festival. Lily heard that it used to be a show but nowadays…"

"People have become more or less used to seeing monsters in the city at that time of year to the point that some are even bored of it…" Welf added, realizing what she was implying. "You think Monsterphilia is a way they're using to make people get used to monsters?"

"Even so it probably backfired this year with all those monsters breaking out," Gina pointed out. "Speaking of which, didn't you and Bell get chased around by a Silverback, Lady Hestia?"

"Geh…don't remind me," Hestia grumbled.

"Should we send a message to Lord Ganesha for help?" Rider asked but Hestia shook her head.

"No…I don't want to bet everything on just my hunch," Hestia replied. "First off, let's worry about getting it outside the town first. Then we'll worry about whether we release it into the wild or try and smuggle it inside."

"Umm, would Lily's ring be of any help?" Lily asked, pulling out a ring attached to a small chain around her neck.

"Ring?" Emma repeated as Lily slipped the ring onto her finger. "Wha!?"

"Lily disappeared!?" Gina shouted.

Gina and Emma suddenly looked around in bewilderment while Primo and Welf looked at them like they had lost their minds.

"She's…right there you two," Welf said pointing to the still seated Lily who had a small smile on her face.

"Are you still tired from your Skill, Miss Flores?" Primo asked.

"It's Lily's treasure," Lily said as she removed the ring, causing Gina and Emma to start in surprise. "Anyone without Magic can't see Lily when she wears it. It doesn't work against monsters though…"

Hestia glanced over toward Caster to see if the Servant had any reaction to his little "toy" being treated so preciously by Lily but the man had simply closed his eyes and kept on a neutral expression.

"It is a good idea but the harpy doesn't have any fingers to put a ring on and its talons are too big as well," Lancer replied. "But it does give me an idea…oh!"

Lancer then turned toward Hestia again.

"Lady Hestia, may I ask for a favor?"

"Go ahead."

"May I have some of your blood?"

Hestia found herself leaning back away from Lancer who blinked and quickly raised her hands up.

"I-I do not mean it in a nefarious way!" She said quickly. "We came across Adventurers guarding the harpy and defeated them. If we come across some more, we would need your blood to unlock their Falna and reveal their Familia."

"Oh, like a Status Thief?" Gina asked, prompting confused looks from Emma and Primo. "A Status Thief is an item that unlocks the Status of an Adventurer without help from their God. It's uh…not exactly legal in Orario though, obviously."

"I suppose that would be for a good purpose…" Hestia agreed. "Fine. Come here."

For a vacation, this trip sure was one endless source of stress.

X-x-X-x-X

When Bell woke up, the first thing he thought was that he was amazed at himself for being able to fall asleep with a monster in the same room. Glancing over at the harpy, he found that she was sleeping peacefully in spite of the ordeal she went through.

"Are you awake, Master?"

Bell turned at the sound of Saber's voice and found him sitting in the same spot he had been the previous night.

"There have been no incidents last night," the knight reported. "Not from the harpy nor from her captives. Archer is still keeping watch from the rooftop."

And an invisible sentry that could see for kilometers and didn't need sleep was an invaluable one indeed.

"Hey Saber…" Bell began. "Am I doing the right thing?"

"It is not my place to question my Master's decisions," Saber answered dutifully. "However, I will say that wanting to save the maiden is what a hero should do."

"And wanting to help others isn't wrong," Archer added as he fell through the roof and landed on the floor across from Saber. "That said, sometimes you have to think of the consequences of saving someone. And I can't even begin to fathom how saving a monster would come back to bite us."

"…Are you mad?" Bell asked, feeling a bit worried but Archer shook his head.

"No, I just don't know what to make of that harpy. I guess we'll have to wait for Lancer to come back and see what Caster and Lady Hestia want to do."

"We may be here for a while then," Saber noted. "Perhaps we should get to know our charge in the meantime?"

The three of them turned toward the harpy who seemed to have woken up and was staring at them with slight trepidation in her eyes.

"Kinda hard when we can't talk to her, right?" Archer asked, tapping his neck.

Saber let out a small chuckle as he traced a rune over everyone's necks, removing the enchantment that only sent their voices to each other. With that done, Bell walked over to her and knelt down.

"Are you feeling all right?" He asked. "Can you understand me?"

"Yes," the harpy replied with a nod. "Who are you?"

"Umm…we can't give our names just in case something happens but would you trust us if we said Fels asked us to help?" Bell replied and the harpy nodded her head, prompting Bell to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Do you have a name?" Archer asked, standing next to Bell.

"Fia…" the harpy replied, shifting slightly at the sight of Archer. "Everyone calls me Fia."

"Then Fia…Fels hasn't told us what to do after rescuing you…but you're from the Dungeon, right? Do you want to go back?"

"The Dungeon…" Fia muttered, looking clearly unhappy about it.

"Were you not from the Dungeon?" Saber asked.

"No…I was," Fia replied. "But…I don't want to go back!"

Bell looked over his shoulder back at the others as Fia continued speaking.

"I finally made it to the surface! I want to fly in the open air! To feel actual wind underneath my wings! I want to see the giant ball of light go up and down and watch it turn red!"

"You mean the sunset?" Bell asked, feeling awkward at someone wanting to see something as mundane as that. "But…you've never been up here before now, right? How do you know about such things?"

"I don't know," Fia admitted. "But I see strange things in my dreams sometimes…Lido, a friend, says that we probably see into our past lives or something."

"Past lives…" Saber muttered. "Reincarnation, is it?"

In this world, the gods still remaining in Tenkai oversee the souls of the departed and judge their fate. The judging is completely left to the whims of the individual god in question, the life that the soul had lived up until then did not come into account whatsoever, with reincarnation being the most common choice for the soul.

If the souls of mortals could reincarnate…did that mean that the soul of monsters did too?

"You mentioned someone named Lido," Archer said. "Are there more of you? More err…monsters that can talk?"

"Yeah. We call ourselves Xenos. I think there are about twenty of us right now."

"T-twenty…" Bell repeated as he fell back onto his butt in shock. It wasn't a lot but it was still much more than he thought possible.

"With so many comrades, you do not wish to return to the Dungeon?" Saber asked.

"No! Even if there are others, everything else in the Dungeon still wants to kill us! I've had enough of wanting to live down there!"

Bell grimaced underneath his helmet.

Even if he wanted to help her, it wasn't as though they could keep her hidden in the Hearthstone Manor. Monsters weren't allowed in Orario without the Guild's permission, of which only Ganesha Familia had and Bell wasn't sure it was something that they could just throw Caster's money at to solve.

"We could try asking Ganesha Familia to take her in," Archer pointed out. "But I'd worry about her mental health if she were to be kept in cages without anyone to talk to like the rest of their tamed monsters."

At the mention of cages, Fia quickly shook her head in refusal.

"There is the choice of simply parting ways once we leave Melen," Saber pointed out. "We return to Orario while Miss Fia simply flies off to parts unknown. That said, I do not believe her captors will give her up so easily."

A monster that could speak and understand Koine was a near unique existence after all. Even Bell didn't have to think hard of how many people would want to get their hands on her, gods and mortals alike. Deviancy was not something unique to either after all.

"I…don't want to cause you all any more trouble," Fia spoke up, wrapping her wings around her body. "You all will get in trouble if I'm seen with you up on the surface and Fels would want me to return to the Dungeon where it is safer than being up here too. So…"

Her words were interrupted by a knock on the doors to the factory, causing Bell and Fia to jump and for Saber and Archer to wheel around. However, the three Familia members calmed down when they sensed who was there.

Saber quickly moved toward the doors and opened them slightly to allow Lancer to squeeze in.

"I have returned with food," Lancer reported causing both Bell and Fia's stomachs to growl.

As Fia and Bell ate, the latter wearing a hood that Lancer had made to hide his face, Lancer repeated what Hestia and the others decided on last night.

"So in short, we will continue helping you until we return to Orario or until we are contacted by Fels," Lancer said as she sat down in front of Fia. "If we can get permission to allow you to live with us, you may, otherwise…you are free to do whatever you wish."

"I…don't know what I want…" Fia admitted as she nibbled on the fish Lancer held up to her mouth since the harpy couldn't exactly grab it with her wings or feet making Bell wonder just how or what she normally ate. Perhaps she ate the sap from a Dungeon Pantry like other monsters or one of her friends helped her? "All I ever wanted was to be on the surface and fly in the sky. I hadn't thought about what to do once I was there."

"Certainly if things were different and mortals could learn to distinguish Xenos from monsters you wouldn't need to worry about such things," Saber muttered with a nod. "As it stands though, thousands of years of mutual hatred cannot be wiped clean so easily. I would also admit that I am surprised that you are willing to trust us after how harshly you have been treated by your captors."

"You killed them and you said you know Fels," Fia pointed out. "But…yes…I don't know if I can trust you all but I do trust Fels…and…"

She glanced over toward Bell for a second but when Bell looked back at her she turned her eyes away, prompting a small chuckle from Saber.

"So the plan is to get Fia outside of Melen then try and contact the Guild god and see what goes on from there?" Archer asked.

"Yes," Lancer replied with a nod.

"Then can I ask you to continue keeping watch?" Bell asked Archer who nodded his head. Then without using their names, he asked Lancer to help by patrolling the area while dematerialized, leaving Saber and himself to keep watch over Fia.

"Hey Fia," Bell began as he sat down beside her, helmet back on his head, causing her to stare at him. "If we could get permission for you to stay with us, would you?"

Fia gave a little jerk in response as she looked down at her feet and hugged her body closer.

"Please don't…" she said in a voice quieter than a whisper.

"Don't?"

"Don't make me hope."

Now it was Bell's turn to stare, unsure of what she meant by that. Wasn't this something that she wanted? To be able to live and fly freely on the surface? Or was it because she knew she would have to return to the Dungeon that she didn't want to see the life she wanted right in front of her face?

"Unfortunately for you, it is in the nature of Heroes to selfishly bring hope to others," Saber said in his usual stoic nature. "It is also in our nature to make them come true. So you best prepare yourself."

Fia glanced over at Saber for a moment before pulling her knees up to her chest and burying her face into them, not showing her face to either of them.

Bell wished he knew how to handle things like this.

How could he become a Hero if he couldn't cheer up a single person in front of him?

X-x-X-x-X

"Archer."

The man in question looked over his shoulder and down from the smokestack he had been standing on to see Lancer looking up at him. A moment later, she jumped up and landed on the smokestack closest to him.

"What is it?" He asked.

"I feel as though something might happen in town today," Lancer replied. "Yesterday, the streets were filled with Amazons. Today, they were few and far in between."

"Maybe they already moved on from Melen," Archer suggested without really meaning it. "But yeah…I've noticed that too. I wanna say that they're all behaving themselves but…"

Even though he only personally knew three Amazons closely, he knew that the three of them wouldn't sit still if they could help it.

"It also might be because of Fia, but I feel like there's this tension rising up within the city," Archer continued and Lancer nodded her head in agreement. "Evilus, Kali Familia…"

"And possibly Ishtar Familia," Lancer said, prompting Archer to stare. "We saw what looked to be members of their Familia yesterday before we went to test out Miss Flores's Skill."

"…That guy is going to blow a gasket if her finds out," Archer muttered. "No…he probably already knows. That's probably why he hasn't left the inn. He's probably worried what might happen if he were to meet her or a member of her Familia in the street or something."

"Would he truly lose control like that?" Lancer asked. "I know of his…grievances with the goddess but…"

"Let's put it this way. What would happen if you were to meet Grimhild in the middle of the street?"

The sounding of metal twisting and bending in Lancer's hands was the answer that Archer expected.

"…Yes…I suppose it would be hypocritical of me to criticize Caster in this regard," Lancer nodded as she drew a rune on the smokestack to repair her damage to it.

Archer nodded his head in response as he turned his eyes to look back over the city.

"Hmm?"

"Is something the matter?"

"I'm not sure…" Archer replied. "I'm just seeing a lot of familiar faces running around looking worried."

In the distance he saw several members of Loki Familia being carried away by their fellows, their injuries clearly telling a story of having been in a rather brutal fight.

"Will you go assist them?" Lancer asked. "Different Familia or not, they are your friends, right?"

"…One thing at a time," Archer decided. "We have to worry about Fia first. Then I'll worry about Loki Familia. I can't put others before the Familia."

"Should we tell Master?"

"Tell him and he'll tell us to help."

Lancer gave a soft giggle in response as they returned to their positions.

Time slowly ticked by and the sun began to set.

The time to move was drawing closer. By now, the others should be heading to the rendezvous point, a spot between Orario and Melen. Caster, Lily and Hestia would remain behind for the time being and would meet up with them in the morning.

Frankly, Archer was surprised that the unknown Familia hadn't shown any sign of activity. Even the warehouse where they had pulled Fia from had been left alone. Not even the regular guards went to investigate it. Not that they'd find anything but a rather smelly crate. No corpses or stains had been left behind. Saber and Lancer had been rather thorough about it.

Did they simply decide to cut their losses after losing so many of their members without a trace? Granted if Archer had a base where all the staff and cargo had disappeared without a single trace…he would have suspected that his staff had made off with the cargo rather than an outsider. Then again, a god would immediately know if their Child had died so whichever god was leading the Familia would already know that his Children were dead and that their cargo was most likely taken.

"It'd be nice if they just did decide to cut their losses," Archer muttered as the lights in the town began to light up in response to the sun disappearing beyond the horizon.

X-x-X-x-X

"You know…what part of 'Leave us out of it,' did you not get, Loki?" Hestia asked, sitting crosslegged on the mat while propping her head up with her arm. To her left, Caster was lying on his right side supporting his head like a rather famous statue and to her right Lily was sitting on attention. Emma, Primo and Gina had gone off into town with Welf following them as their body guard while Rider and Assassin had left in the wagon to retrieve the package, leaving only the three of them to entertain the unwanted guests in the form of Loki, Riveria and Ais.

"Come on, don't say that," Loki said with a wide smile. "Shouldn't we get along for the sake of our kids?"

"Our relationship has merely been one of give and take," Caster pointed out. "Neither side owes the other any favors."

Archer's trip to the Deep Floors had been a job which he had already been compensated for.

Caster delivering potions and antidotes to the Loki Familia Expedition had been repaid by allowing Hestia Familia to make use of their campground in preparation for the Boss Fight.

Even Loki checking in on a lonely Hestia had been repaid by Hestia giving Loki the last of her wine and sharing their food with them during the beach party.

"Wait, didn't our side actually spend more money in those exchanges?" Hestia pointed out.

"Now now, no need to fuss over the little details," Loki said quickly, trying to brush the matter under the rug. "Is Archie around? I wanted to borrow his eyes for something."

"Does it have to do with the missing Thousand Elf?" Caster asked, prompting the three to turn toward him. "Do not act so surprised. One can see quite far when one properly uses their eyes on the proper vantage point."

"Do you know where they took her?" Ais asked, leaning forward toward Caster.

"Such information holds no worth to me so I do not mind giving it away freely," Caster said, lazily examining his fingernails. "But perhaps the goddess would like to squeeze something out of this deal?"

Hestia gave Caster a wry smile before shaking her head.

"No, I don't mind just telling them where their missing Child is," Hestia said. "Though I expect you guys to help out on the chance one of my kids goes missing too!"

"Yeah yeah, that's fair," Loki said, looking a little relieved that that was all it took.

"The exact location cannot be described but she is currently being held to the west, outside of the port town within the caves along the cliffside," Caster replied. "There's quite a network of them but she is being held in an area where the moonlight can reach."

"So somewhere near the outer wall," Riveria muttered. "But how do you know this?"

"As I've said, I've seen her myself. These eyes can see further than even the gods if I so wished, Riveria Ljos Alf. Although, I suppose I should caution any reckless rescue mission. She is being watched at all times by no less than four Amazon guards, at least Level 4 by my appraisal. It wouldn't take much for one of them to snap her neck should they become pressed."

Loki and her Familia members grimaced at the thought. Even if they were to destroy Kali Familia in retaliation, it wouldn't replace Lefiya's existance.

"Are they all waiting there?" Loki asked. "All of Kali's Amazons, I mean."

"Information of Kali's war strength would cost you, Goddess Loki," Caster said with a smirk, causing Loki to sigh and scratch her head in thought.

"Then how about Riveria or Lefiya help nurture your little elf cutie?" Loki offered, causing Riveria to blink in surprise. "You said during the beach barbecue that you were looking for a teacher for her, right?"

"I'm not Converting her," Hestia said immediately.

"Nah no need to go that far. Maybe a lesson once or twice a week? That would help Lefiya's studies too, right?"

Loki turned to her Vice Captain who held a hand to her chin in thought.

"Certainly taking on a student of her own would instill a sense of responsibility in her and reinforce her own studies," Riveria agreed. "But is it okay? Considering how busy we are with our investigation?"

"Well, let's consider it a vacation for Lefiya," Loki said with a shrug. "Besides, once or twice a week wouldn't hamper us much. Not like we're making all that much progress looking for that-"

"Ahhhh! Ahhh! I'm not listening!" Hestia shouted, covering her ears and playing dumb.

"Fine, fine," Loki sighed, rolling her eyes again. "We'll iron out the details later but is that good enough for ya, Goldie?"

"It will suffice, for now…" Caster nodded as he stood up and walked toward the window. Immediately, Loki and Ais followed after him. "The Goddess Kali's interest in your two Amazons are like those of a mother wishing to see the growth of their children that have left the nest and made a life of their own. She expresses this love in the form by having them perform the Rites of Telskyura here in Melen."

He pointed out to the cliffside.

"The younger one has headed to those cliffs in the same network of caves that they are holding Thousand Elf. The goddess herself is also present with the younger of her Familia Captains and half of her Familia. The rest…"

He pointed out a ship sailing into the harbor.

"…Are on that ship with the older sister along with the first Familia Captain."

"Fuck," Loki cursed.

The ship was being propelled by oars operated by the powerful Telskyuran Warriors. Even if they were to leave on another ship to give chase, they would never catch up to them in time.

Before anyone else could say anything however, the water around the wharf suddenly exploded.

"…Well now," Caster said with a slight frown. "It would appear that more weeds have sprouted up after being culled, as they often do. A clear distraction, if nothing else."

Seven Violas have exploded out of the water in the middle and had begun attacking the sailors around the area.

"And not one I can ignore either!" Loki growled as she turned to Ais. "Get Narvi and the others and get rid of them!"

Ais gave Loki a nod before jumping from the balcony toward the commotion while Loki turned to leave.

"One final message before you leave, Goddess Loki," Caster said, not taking his eyes off the Violas. "And a request if you will."

"What, you wanna help out after all?" Loki asked.

"A king does not weed his own garden," Caster shot down the request for help with a wave of his hand. "This information is free of charge. Be aware that there are more than one set of Amazon Warriors currently residing in this town."

Loki's eyes actually opened at the information.

"And the request?"

"…When you see him, give the God Njord my thanks for his recommendation for a vacation spot."

"Bah, so you did learn of that place from him too," Loki sighed before nodding her head and leaving with Riveria in tow.

"You think 'that one's' involved in this mess too?" Hestia asked, being careful not to mention the name of a certain goddess.

"I do not merely believe it to be the case, I would say that that one is the perpetrator of this chaos."

"Does that mean Lord Caster will help Loki Familia after all?" Lily asked, finally speaking up.

Caster did not respond and instead simply continued to stare out the window and down at the Violas, watching the Adventurers of Loki Familia converge on the plant monsters.

"I have some business to attend to," Caster finally said, procuring a small bottle containing several strange pills. "I leave the Goddess's safety in your hands, Arde."

"Y-yes…" Lily nodded in obedience, finding herself unable to say anything more as Caster seemed to be exuding a strange pressure. It was like a layer of pure rage and hatred simmering underneath a mask of calm that should only ever appear on the king's visage.

With that said, Caster left without another word.

"…I think that's the first time I've ever seen Gil actually pissed," Hestia muttered as Lily nodded her head in agreement.

It wasn't as though Ishtar didn't have a million different reasons for someone to not like her, but Caster's rage seemed to be on another level. The Servants seem to understand but for one reason or another no one was willing to share.

She just hoped Melen would still be standing after everything's finished.

X-x-X-x-X

Of course, on the other side of the town, the commotion did not escape Archer's eyes.

"Looks like Evilus is making their move," Archer said as he dropped back down inside the Factory where Bell was carrying Fia on his back with Saber and Lancer beside him. "They're attacking the wharfs with Violas."

"Are they trying to draw us out?" Saber asked.

"Even if they aren't we should use this opportunity to leave," Lancer said. "Let us make haste."

"Right," Bell nodded as he turned toward Fia who was wearing a cloak crafted by Lancer to cover and hide her body . "Hold on tight okay?"

"Y-yeah," Fia nodded as they made their way out of the factory and jumped onto the rooftops, giving them a good view of the carnage.

"…Seven in total," Archer noted. "With just that much, Ais and the others from Loki Familia should be able to handle it just fine."

"…Yet you look as though you wish to help out nonetheless," Saber pointed out.

"No. I can't afford to worry about another Familia right now."

"Then what if I tell you to go?" Bell asked, causing Archer to turn toward him. "If Loki Familia are running around then our enemies can't act recklessly anymore, right? So Archer, Saber…we'll split up like we originally planned. If our enemy is watching Loki Familia then we may be able to trap them between us and Loki Familia, right?"

"…Humph, fine," Archer said. "But I'm doing this because you're telling me to go, not because I want to, got it?"

"I believe this is what the Goddess refers to as 'tsundere?'" Saber asked with a chuckle.

"Keep that up and I will make sure you get stabbed next time there's another spat."

"T-there's no need to go that far," Lancer said before holding her hand out toward the two of them. "Although this might be unnecessary, allow me to provide a small amount of assistance."

A magic circle appeared below Lancer and flames rose out from it, wrapping around the two of them with a much large amount of flame shrouding Saber. It was Lancer's Skill, Hero's Bridesmaid. A support-type Skill that increase a target's parameters based on Lancer's affections toward the target.

While Saber's flame was massive as expected, Archer's flame was not too far behind.

"…Is there something I should know, my dear?" Saber asked, glancing from Archer to Lancer.

"N-no, not at all!" Lancer said quickly. "He simply…reminds me of you…sometimes."

…

A moment of silence passed between them with only the blowing wind to give commentary to Lancer's confession.

"…Be careful around her," Saber said to Archer after a pause and Archer nodded his head seriously in understanding. Saber then turned back toward Bell. "Then Master, we're off."

"Yes! Please be careful!"

With one last nod, the two of them launched off of the rooftops toward the commotion while Bell and Lancer turned around to head the opposite way.

"We need to reach the others," Lancer said. "They should be waiting outside the town."

"Got it!" Bell nodded as he followed behind Lancer.

However, they only crossed about halfway across the town when Bell felt the hairs on the back of his neck bristle.

"They're here!" Bell called out.

"Get down!" Lancer called out as a spear of light formed in her hands. Bell dived out of the way as Lancer thrust her spear behind his and Fia's heads, impaling a robed figure in the stomach. With a quick motion of her hands, a magical shield appeared between them and the robed figure…who promptly exploded in a torrent of flame, causing Fia to scream from the noise and heat.

"H-he exploded!?" Bell shouted.

"It wasn't my doing," Lancer said quickly. "That man…these people…are prepared to kill themselves to stop us."

At Lancer's words, several more robed people appeared around them and Bell realized that they were the same people that set the Violas on him and Lefiya down on the Eighteenth Floor. It would seem that sending Archer and Saber away was the wrong call after all.

But even so…

"Your orders, Master," Lancer said, holding her spear of light out in challenge to the members of Evilus.

Thankfully, they were still in the sparsely populated section of the city with only factories and warehouses that should be vacated for the night so the chances of someone getting caught up in the mess would be slim.

"…I'm going to continue forward," Bell said, feeling Fia's wings shaking against his neck as she was sobbing in fear. "My Servant…" He was not someone that could put the lives of people on a scale and decide which was more important than the other. "By my order…"even if one of those was a monster. "Strike them down! Protect us until we reach outside the town! Use whatever means necessary to keep damage to the town to a minimum!"

"Acknowledged!" Lancer replied as the spear of light split in two and was launched in two separate directions, impaling two Evilus members before Bell broke off into a run through the opening in the encirclement.

Before anything else, he needed to get out of the town!

X-x-X-x-X

Archer and Saber were watching the "fight" between Loki Familia with Ais at the helm and the monstrous Violas. Well, it wasn't so much of a fight as it was only seven Level 3 monsters against over a dozen Level 3 and 4 Adventurers from one of Orario's top Familia led by a Level 6. It was all over in a few minutes with the damage being kept to a minimum and no civilian casualties.

"Well, it wasn't as though we were here to fight Violas," Saber reminded him and Archer nodded.

They were to keep an eye out for anyone that would use the commotion to their advantage. So it was only natural that the commotion would happen back the way they came from with an explosion in the distance.

"Damn!" Archer cursed as he stood up, ready to rush back to Bell's side, only for a series of war cries to sound out as countless Amazons descended upon the Loki Familia women. "Kali Familia!?"

"No…something's a bit different…" Saber muttered as a dull light seemed to shine around Ais, prompting a confused look to appear on the girl's face. She also didn't seem to be using her usual Desperate either. Was it in maintenance? "But let us leave Master's safety to Lancer. We should assist them as ordered."

"…Fine," Archer nodded as he projected a spear in his hands. "Do you need a weapon? You can't use Gram here after all."

"I will make due," Saber replied as he cracked his knuckles. "There would be no purpose for the disguises if I were to wield my demonic sword here. But to think they would bring along a monster with them as well."

Archer blinked as he turned away from the spear in his hands toward the battle below where a massive armored creature that looked like a giant frog wielding a massive axe trying to strike at Ais, not caring about the fact that several other Amazons were in the line of fire.

"I…think that's another Amazon…" Archer said, although he couldn't be sure.

"…Let us not question it," Saber said, cracking his knuckles as his eyes swept across the battlefield. "There are several enemies on the rooftops…mages and their escorts most likely. Which do you want."

"I'll take the rooftops."

"Understood."

With that, the two of them shot forward, Archer smashing into a group of Amazons with staves aiming down at Ais while Saber smashed into the armored Amazon, sending her flying away from Ais. With the two of them now officially in battle, the effects of Lancer's Skill took shape, setting their weapons ablaze and acting like beacons in the darkness.

"W-who the heeeeell are you?" The large Amazon demanded in a slightly slurred voice.

"Enemy sighted," Saber muttered. "Ally status, confirmed. Skill activation, confirmed. Commencing interception."

"You are…" Ais began as Saber looked over his shoulder toward Ais.

"We are here to assist," Saber said. "Please rest assured."

Ais looked up at Saber's helmet and nodded her head to show that she understood.

"Don't screw with meeeeeee!" The armored Amazon screamed as she lunged forward, only for the head of her axe to be caught in Saber's hand with ease.

"Enemy parameters…confirmed…" Saber said as his fingers lit up in flames and began digging into the axe. "Your opponent is me!"

With another burst of flame, the woman was launched back once more with droplets of melted metal sliding off her weapon and armor. Above them, Archer sent several Amazons flying off the rooftops before landing behind Saber, spear at the ready.

"What…what the hell!?" The armored Amazon demanded as she stood up, holding a hand against the spot where Saber punched her.

"Just a pair of warriors that happen to be passing by," Archer said. "Though I suppose you don't need to remember that."

X-x-X-x-X

Bell's Level 3 speed was proving his worth as he quickly put distance between himself and the Evilus members with Lancer right behind him.

Light covered his body and flames rose up to shroud him, telling him that Lancer was using her Skill on him as well. For now, they had to regroup with the others and add Assassin and Rider to their fighting strength.

Thankfully, only a few Evilus members were able to keep up with them, telling Bell that they were not expecting a pair of High Class Adventurers to have disrupted their operations.

"Keep your mouth closed or else you'll bite your tongue!" Bell shouted at Fia who was doing her best to not scream at Bell's massive sprinting speed.

Even so, this was the first time Bell was in combat since hitting Level 3. He was faster than he ever was before to the point that he wondered if he could rival a Level 4 in pure speed at this rate.

Once or twice, Lancer would disappear from his side and a scream would ring out, telling him that she had taken down another pursuer.

If this kept up, they should be able to reach the rendezvous without any trouble.

"Look out!" Fia shouted just as Bell turned his head to the right.

A member of Evilus smashed through the metal wall and Bell found himself staring at the person's eyes. Strained bloodshot eyes screaming with maniacal despair.

"OH GOD! TAKE THIS WRETCHED LIFE!" The man screamed as he lunged toward Bell and Fia.

"Master!" Lancer's scream seemed so far away.

At the very least, he needed to shield Fia…!

"I see…rather conspicuous people aren't they?"

In a flash of green and brown, someone appeared in front of Bell and punched the Evilus member up into the sky, allowing him to explode "safely."

"Y-you're…" Bell began as he recognized the person in front of him.

Not just Bell but the Evilus members as well.

"E-Elgram!" Someone said in fear.

Loki Familia Executive: Level 6 Gareth "Elgram" Landrock.

"Those kids told me all about you people but I never thought I'd see you for myself so quickly," the dwarf said as he stood in front of Bell and Fia. "You all right, lad?"

"Y-yes!" Bell said as Lancer landed beside them and helped them up. "Thank you for helping us."

"Well to be honest, I just came to investigate the explosions," the dwarf said with a laugh. "But if these guys are chasing after you then it's only natural I step in. Now get going. It's not going to be pretty to watch."

Bell nodded his head as he hoisted Fia back onto his back and took off running with Lancer right on his heels.

"Thank you again!" Bell called out to Gareth who simply held a hand up as he walked toward the Evilus members with his axe over his shoulder.

None of them broke rank as they lunged toward the dwarf and their certain doom.

"They're broken…" Lancer muttered quietly from behind Bell and Fia. "Those people were completely broken. That is the risk one takes when seeking a Familia. We should count our blessings that ours is not like theirs."

Bell could only nod his head in response while Fia did not share the two's sympathy for her pursuers, not that Bell could blame her.

Glancing over his shoulders, he hoped Archer and Saber were okay.

X-x-X-x-X

The battle was going just fine. Aside from the armored Amazon, none of the other Amazons could match Saber or Archer as they were being enhanced by Lancer's Skill. Each of their strikes burned their opponents and either melted or outright shattered their weapons. And even then, the armored Amazon only had strength and speed to call her own. She did nothing but blindly charge forward in rage and was easily knocked aside by the Servants and Ais even though the latter had been hit with a curse that temporarily sealed her wind.

"Has the curse been lifted yet?" Archer asked as he stood back-to-back with Ais.

"No, not yet," Ais said as the two parried the Amazon's massive axe once more allowing Saber to close the gap and deliver another burning punch into the woman's chest, destroying what was left of her armor to pieces and sending her smashing into the stone pavement.

"HOOOOOOOOWWW!?" The massive armored Amazon demanded. "HOOOOWW CAN YOU BE SO STRONG!?"

"Of course, this is the power of love," Saber replied in his usual serious voice, causing the people nearby to stop fighting and stare. "A wife's love for her husband gives him more strength than what someone who only loves themselves can muster."

Ais turned her head toward Archer who quickly held up his hands and took a few steps away from Saber, trying to say that he had nothing to do with the lovestruck idiot.

"D-DON'T FUUUUUUCK WITH MEEEEEEEE!" The amazon lunged at Saber once more only for the man to step aside and deliver a fierce punch with his right hand, smashing through her helmet and sending her rotund body flying away again. "BUUUEEEEHH!? MY FAAAAACE! MY BEAUTIFUL FAAAACE!"

"Although I must say…the battle strategy of being so grotesque in mind, body and soul that your opponent does not wish to touch you is ingenious."

"…I didn't think you were the type to kick someone while they're down," Archer muttered, resting his spear over his shoulders.

"I am merely saying what is on my mind. Nothing more."

The two of them then turned toward the remaining Amazons who took a step back from the two men who had easily trounced their leader.

"What do you think?" Saber asked.

"There's something off about these Amazons," Archer said. "It doesn't feel like they're from a warrior country…"

"That's because they're not," Ais said. "They're-"

But her voice was quickly cut off by another one.

"Oh no no no no no, this just won't do."

A massive bolt of lighting struck a nearby lamppost, causing the glass containing the light to shatter and sending the entire district into a complete blackout. As the dust settled all present could see a small figure standing over them with one hand against his face.

The cute near androgynous boy let out a laugh that was both harmonious and eery at the same time as a single glowing red eye appraised the Adventurers below him.

"I had only expected to see Kali Familia Amazons trampling across my garden but to think that the rats would willingly come out of their holes."

The boy pushed his hair back, allowing it to stand up as his face broke into a rather maniacal grin, causing the women around them to flinch as if they had seen a massive crack appear in a perfect stained glass window.

"But there is no mistaking this foul stench of yours clinging onto your mongrels, ISHTAR!"

The boys eyes narrowed into slits like that of a snake as the night sky erupted in a mass of golden lights. Countless weapons appeared hung in the sky above, each one of them flawless and powerful, perfect for the hands of any Hero or High Class Adventurer.

"That guy…!" Archer gasped. "Is he serious!?"

"Everyone scatter!" Saber shouted as he directed the Loki girls away.

"_Although it's a bit messy, my treasures can be used in this way as well,_" the boy said raising his hand up, pointing a finger toward the ground. "_The King's Treasury: Gate of Babylon_."

The weapons came down upon them like droplets of rain.

Screams littered the night sky as the Adventurers did their best to defend against the onslaught of countless Noble Phantasms which fell down indiscriminately.

The Amazons. Loki Familia. Even Archer and Saber were forced to weather the storm.

But the golden rain eventually ended with Archer and Saber standing before Loki Familia, having blown away the weapons before they could reach them.

Across from them, the Ishtar Familia Amazons were lying scattered across the plaza with only three of them still up with their bodies bloodied and standing in front of another woman wearing a white hood.

"I see…" the golden-haired and red-eyed boy said as he glared down at them while pointing his finger at the hooded woman. "It's you then? You're Ishtar's precious secret. The secret behind the mysterious power of the Berbera. I see, a Renard's magic."

"Lena, Samira! Get her out of here!" The frontmost Amazon ordered. "That kid…that kid's the one who assaulted Freya Familia's Folkvangr!"

"But Aisha!" One of the Amazons made to protest.

"Now!"

However, they didn't get two steps when portals appeared by their sides and chains shot out, binding all four of their arms and legs like serpents, restricting their movements and suspending them in the air.

"W-what's with these chains?" The lead amazon, Aisha, shouted.

"It's useless," the boy said as he landed on the stone road and started walking up to them, pulling a sword out of a fallen Amazon's arm, causing the woman to scream in pain. "That is one of the greatest of my treasures meant to restrain even the heavens above. Though I suppose you should consider it an honor to have them be used on you."

Aisha simply growled at the boy as she tried to struggle against her bindings but it was no use. It was a weapon that turned the divine Falna, the strength and pride of an Adventurer, against them. Aisha must have been rather high Level as she couldn't even move a finger while the other two Amazons could make rougher movements even if they couldn't escape the chains.

The boy walked right up to the Renard and pointed his blade at her throat, causing the girl to tremble in fear with tears in her green eyes.

"What, are you afraid to die?" The boy asked with a smile that contrasted his words and actions.

"Y-yes…" the fox-eared girl admitted.

"But for what reason do you have to live for?" The boy asked. "Whether you die tonight or a few weeks from now on that altar makes no difference in the end, right? "

"Y-you!?" Aisha shouted as she tried to turn her head around. "How do you-"

"Even so…I want to live…"

"Then why do you not cry out to be saved?" The boy asked. "Surely a hero will come to your side if you merely ask. Or do you believe someone of your…duties…does not deserve the light of a hero?"

"I…" the girl hesitated in speaking as tears flowed out of her cheeks.

"There is no shame in such a profession. Even one as lowly as you deserves to have their wishes granted," the boy sighed as he raised his blade. "Well, I suppose it doesn't really matter what you want in the end. A caged bird lives and dies by the whims of its master after. It would only be a kindness if I kill you now. At the very least, it would save your soul."

"Haruhime!"

However, before the sword came down, the boy abandoned his weapon and jumped back as a flash of white smashed down at the spot where he had been standing.

"Oh dear, another visitor," the boy said with a smile as the chains and weapons scattered about disappeared into golden light except for the ones that were lodged into or had touched the formerly armored Amazon. "To what do I owe the pleasure, Vanagrand?"

Standing tall with what looked to be Ais's Desperate in his hands was Bete Loga, another one of Loki Familia's executives.

"Cut the crap," Bete growled as the werewolf glared up at the boy. "You're the one who jumped in and attacked everyone first."

"Hahaha, I suppose so," the boy admitted with a cheerful laugh. "It wasn't on purpose though. They were simply in my way."

"You…are you with Enyo?" Bete demanded as the Amazons stood between the Renard and Bete.

"Enyo? Are you asking if I'm your ally?" The boy asked with a confused tilt of his head.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like. I'm saying that '_**Loki Familia are the ones who are working alongside Enyo.**_'"

The boy punctuated his declaration by launching several blades toward the Renard and the Amazons behind Bete. One of them grabbed Haruhime in a hug as if planning to shield her with her own body but Bete stood between them and the rain of Noble Phantasms.

With a feral howl, the Werewolf's movements were little more than a blur, redirecting the blades off course and sending them flying into the surrounding buildings or into the water instead.

"I see…so there is some truth in the tales of wolfmen," the boy sneered. "A shame that you cannot use such power within the Dungeon itself."

Werewolves had long been considered the least-suited race for Dungeon crawling all across Orario because deep within the bowels of the Dungeon, they had no access to the moon—the source of their true power. These sorts of "transformations" had been confirmed only in a limited number of animal-person species. It was an ability that unleashed not only their untapped power but their innate animalistic nature as well, "trading rationality for strength," as the saying went. And for werewolves, the key to their transformation was none other than the light of the moon.

The boy ran his hand through his hair again and let out a long sigh.

"But I cannot have you track my scent back to me," the boy said. "So do me a favor…and forget about it."

"And what makes you think I will?" Bete growled, his arms and legs not even shaking despite taking the assault head on.

"Because you will probably want to forget this smell."

"Hah?"

Bete let out a confused sound as something fell down between him and the Ishtar Familia members. A massive brown cloud filled the plaza as the boy let out a roaring laugh, shielding his nose as he did.

"My my, looks like it worked perfectly! Such a potent item! It has completely surpassed my expectations! A…a little too much actually…ugh…"

"Bete!" Ais shouted, making a move to get to him, only to stop right in front of the smoke and quickly retreated from it, covering her nose with tears in her eyes.

"A _stink bomb!?_" Archer shouted incredulously. "Really!?"

"Fear not," Saber said as he and Archer pushed the girls back and away from the cloud. "Our helmets will protect us from the worst of the stench."

"Caught on after that incident, huh?"

"Indeed."

"Lucky you…" one of the girls said behind them in a nasally voice. Archer recognized her as Narvi, one of the Supporters that went down to the Fifty-Ninth Floor back then. "It's to the point that I want to chop off my nose just so I can't smell it anymore. Bete probably wishes he was dead."

Indeed, Archer did not envy the Werewolf who had been standing at ground zero of the explosion. Of course, after having his fill of laughter, the boy had vanished without a trace.

As the brown cloud cleared, they could see the werewolf still standing in the same spot he was before…only his eyes were rolled back into his head with foam seeping out of his mouth, having fallen unconscious shortly after the stink bomb was set off. The Amazons and the Renard were nowhere in sight though.

"At least he didn't suffer for too long," Archer said with a sigh as Ais and another one of her fellow Familia members ran over and grabbed the werewolf and pulled him over to let him rest on a bench.

"Well, thanks anyway for the save," Narvi said as she patted his back. "Archer."

"…You are mistaken," Archer replied in a dull monotone. "I am Red Hawk, a spearman that just happened to be passing by."

"Sure sure, let's go with that," Narvi said with a laugh.

"Still…can you help us a bit more?" Ais said as she came back to them. "Lefiya was taken by Kali Familia so that Tione and Tiona would fight their Captains."

"…"

Archer stared at the blonde girl, clearly unsure whether or not he should go or quickly return to Bell's side.

"Let's go," Saber said, placing a hand on Archer's shoulder. "He cannot blame us for getting involved after what just happened. Besides, we were ordered to help out anyway."

"You sure like getting me involved in your troubles," Archer said with a sigh as he turned back to Ais who gave him a soft smile.

"I'm sorry," she said. "But you look like you wanted to help so…"

"…Let's talk about compensation afterward," Archer said with a sigh and Ais nodded her head.

"All right, we'll handle the cleanup here," Narvi said. "Good luck."

With a nod of her head, Ais led the way for Archer and Saber to follow them.

It would seem that the night was far from over.


	30. A New Dawn

**Chapter 30: Light of Hope**

"Your Captain said that he saw them take Lefiya over here," Ais said as they stood before a cliffside west of the port town.

"…What should we do?" Saber asked, he and Archer having lost their disguises. "Your friend being held here is obviously meant to keep outsiders from interfering."

"Umm…Mister Caster said that he saw her through some cracks where the moon was shining through."

The three of them glanced up and saw that the moon was directly overhead.

"So somewhere at the top of the cliffs," Archer muttered as he projected his bow and a mirrored arrow. He then fired it up and over the cliff, eyes scanning the top of the cliffs and taking in what he could get. "Hmm? That's…!"

Light suddenly started shining through the cracks in the cliff.

"That's…Lefiya's Magic Circle!" Ais said.

"Saber, you go with Ais and get Lefiya," Archer said. "I'll go look for Tiona!"

"Understood," Saber nodded as he and Ais started jumping up the side of the cliff toward the light, both of them swinging their blades at the cliff face, destroying it and making their way inside.

"Miss Ais!" A rather exhausted looking Lefiya called out as Ais and Saber stood in front of her, swords drawn and staring down a few dozen Amazons.

"Lefiya! Are you all right?" Ais asked as Saber returned his blade to his back and drew his daggers instead.

"Yes! I knew you'd come…and…isn't that one of Archer's Familia members?"

"Good evening, Miss Virdis," Saber said adjusting his glasses slightly. "It's a pleasure to see you again…although I wish it was in better circumstances."

"Gha-gha reem?!"

One of the Amazons shouted an order of some sort and the rest began to move. One of them shot forward toward Saber but in a flash of red, her blade was destroyed and her body was sent flying into a wall.

"I see…" Saber muttered as he shifted his second dagger into his right hand and began unhooking the rest from his belt. "Enemy parameters established. Sword Princess, protect your Familia. I shall take the front."

"Huh? Wait aren't you Level…" Lefiya began as Saber tossed his daggers up in front of him and as their pommels faced him, delivered several quick punches in succession, sending them flying toward the Amazons like arrows.

One of the Amazons managed to deflect the dagger but her weapon shattered in the process. The other three daggers were avoided and smashed into the stone wall. The daggers began to glow before causing the wall to erupt, blasting stone shards outward at the Amazons in front of them and collapsing the foothold of the Amazons standing on the level above them.

The rocks reached where Ais and Lefiya were standing as well but Ais's wind had returned and she was easily able to blow them aside.

"Were those…Magic Swords?" Lefiya asked as the daggers reappeared around Saber and orbited around him. "…The same as Archer?"

"You stand before a dragon_,_" Saber declared as the daggers gathered in front of him and started spinning in front of him with lightning surging through his body. "Stand down or face its fury."

The Amazons did not understand the words coming out of Saber's mouth, due to not knowing any other language but the Amazonian language. However, they could tell the intent of his words clear as day. A challenge.

And so it was only natural for the warrior people to answer it by charging in head first…and for them to be sent flying by the Hero.

X-x-X-x-X

Archer sped down the cavern, striking down every Amazon that tried to stop him. It was a pain in the ass and he knew that there would probably be some problems down the line but he was doing his best not to do more than incapacitate the Amazons chasing after him. He was probably going to get a bunch of crazy Amazons on his tail in either case but at least they wouldn't be vengeful and angry alongside it. Hopefully.

"Still…they do start them pretty young, just like Gina mentioned," Archer said, batting a girl that looked to be only a little older than Gina into another Amazon. "Well, I suppose we're not one to talk with Primo…but they're all around Level 3 or 4 too…"

Eventually, the mass of Amazons thinned out and Archer came across a thin wall with light shining through several cracks. Peering through it, he saw a naturally made chamber with several Amazons sitting on the rocks, watching two other Amazons fight like some kind of makeshift ring. A short woman with red hair wearing a skull-shaped mask over her face was also directly across from Archer, directing the "festivities."

"That's Kali then," Archer muttered as he turned back down toward the two fighting Amazons. One he recognized as Tiona, covered in a strange red smoke, as she was fighting another Amazon that was surrounded in an ominous blackish purple light. Poison, if Archer had to guess.

He debated whether or not he should step in and help but decided against it. As Tiona took the damage from the other Amazon's punches which left smoldering burns on her skin, her speed and strength seemed to increase tremendously. The red smoke wasn't from the damage she was taking, at least not directly…it was probably the effect a Rare Skill of some sort, just like Bell's Argonaut. One that changed damage into the user's strength.

And against an opponent who seemed to be using a kind of poisonous aura to shield their body…it was the perfect counter.

"What a reckless idiot…" Archer muttered as he turned away from the fight and checked his pockets to pull out a pair of high potions. He didn't have any antidotes on him so these will have to suffice.

It was a big risk letting the fight continue.

He could shoot right through this wall and kill Kali, removing the goddess's grace from all of her followers, destroying the Familia and keeping both Tiona and Tione safe. But that would just put a target on the heads of Hestia Familia. Ais was here after all and she knew Archer had gone to help Tiona. And Archer wasn't sure that the girl would be willing to keep quiet if he were to kill a goddess.

"I have to smile…for all those who can't!" Tiona shouted, sporting the biggest grin Archer had ever seen on her face. "And if I have to smile forever before you'll smile back, then that's what I'll do! So here I come, Bache! Nothing's gonna stop me NOOOOOOOOWW!"

Tiona lunged forward at the other Amazon, the space between the two transforming into a storm of poisonous and super powered punches and kicks, their war cries shaking the very cavern itself.

"_Tiona!_" The other Amazon, Bache, screamed as her fist came in contact with Tiona's abdomen. An audible grunt of pain escaping the younger Amazon's throat. "Are you smiling _now_?!"

The poison ripped through her, all along her skin, burning her nerves, and the pain and shock practically sent her to her knees. But even through all of it, even though the hellish torture ravaging her entire body, Tiona still smiled.

"_You bet I am!_"

And then she punched back, her fist sinking into Bache's stomach with the same force the other Amazon had just inflicted on her with blood shooting from her mouth.

"Hurt me all you want! Bleed me all you want! I'll never stop laughing! I'll smile…for those who can't!"

Bache launched another attack at Tiona's face but she dodged the blow, crouching down with her ever present smile on her face.

"HERE I GOOOOOOOOO!"

A massive blow straight into Bache's chest. Sending Bache's body flying away, crashing into the far rock wall with a horrific crunch.

Archer was then reminded of something Tione had told him when he asked about Tiona's weapon, Urga. It was the Amazon word for "great destruction," and it certainly fit Tiona rather well. Letting herself get within a hairbreadth of death, she'd built up the effects of her skill to its very limits, releasing a truly "final" finishing blow.

It was the strongest attack she had in her arsenal.

It was certainly a lot more inconvenient and dangerous than Bell's Heroic Strike.

Bache slowly peeled herself off the wall and took a few steps toward Tiona before falling to her knees, collapsing to the ground with a thud.

Tiona had won.

"—Se wehga! Se wehga! Se wehga!"

The Amazons were chanting. Thanks to the Grail, Archer could understand them.

"_Thou art the true warrior! Thou art the true warrior! Thou art the true warrior!_"

They were extolling Tiona, the victor of the rite. It was enough to shake the walls of stone and rock surrounding the two.

"Well done! Well done!" Kali said as she applauded Tiona with a smile. "As I thought, it was a mistake letting you and your sister go. However, the Rite is not yet finished…"

Kali's eyes were focused on Tiona who was still under suffering under Bache's poison before turning toward the defeated Amazon before ordering without any hesitation, "Kill her. Only then can the rite be complete."

Tiona's response, however, was as simple as always.

"Don't wanna," she said defiantly. "I'm not a warrior anymore and neither is Tione. We're Adventurers now…so I'm not gonna kill anyone else…not anymore, Kali!"

Her words silenced all the other Amazons who were either looking down in shock at the girl or at their goddess for orders.

"…You really have changed." Kali muttered slowly, almost mournfully at her former Child.

But it wasn't long before her smile returned to her face. "…But one thing certainly hasn't changed, and that's your connection with your sister."

The goddess raised her arm and the other Amazons who'd been watching over the match charged into the arena, surrounding Tiona in an instant.

"Tione is with Argana right now…far, far out at sea. There's no one to save you. You're coming with us…back to Telskyura!"

And that was his cue.

There was no way Tiona could handle all those enemies in her current state, even if she was a Level 6.

"Trace on!" Archer chanted, placing a hand on the cavern wall, analyzing its structure and finding the weak points he would have to target to break through.

And the weapon to do so would have to be…

Lightning arced across his arm as the image of a stupidly heavy and destructive double bladed weapon appeared by his side. Whether she had heard him or if she had simply known someone was there, Tiona smiled as she said to the goddess, "…We're not going anywhere, Kali."

Kali raised a single eyebrow as Archer brought the weapon to the wall.

"Because Tione and I aren't alone anymore!"

The wall exploded outward as Archer smashed through it, Urga in hand. Several more swords materialized around him and he sent them down to the cavern floor, creating a circle around Tiona as he landed beside her.

"Sword smith delivery," he said with a smirk as he looked over his shoulder down at the Amazon to see her beaming at him. He then tossed the two potions over to her before slamming Urga onto the floor in front of her. "Please confirm that all items have been delivered safely."

"One Urga, two potions and one friend!" Tiona said as she cheerfully jumped onto Archer's back in a hug. "Yep, everything's here!"

"You…how did you…" Kali began, staring at Archer in shock.

"If you're wondering about the Amazons I passed on the way here, don't worry," Archer said as Tiona quickly downed one of the potions. "They were really insistent on not letting me make the delivery so I had them take a little nap. They'll probably wake up with few aches and sores though."

"You're saying you're Hermes's kid?"

"Nah, he's from Hestia Fami-" Tiona began only for Archer to uselessly clap a hand over her mouth with an annoyed look on his face. "Ah…oops."

"Hesti-what!?" Kali repeated incredulously. "Has she even been down here long enough to get a High Class Child!?"

"Sorry, still Level 1 here."

Kali slouched forward, her jaw dropping at Archer's declaration.

100% true, as any God or Goddess would be able to tell.

"Oh yeah, did you find Lefiya?" Tiona asked. Her answer came from above as the ceiling blasted apart, allowing three people to fall in and land beside them. "Ais! Lefiya!"

"Sword Princess!?" Kali cursed. "That damn Ishtar screwed up after all…"

With the arrival of Saber and Ais, the surrounding Amazons didn't stand a chance. Ais and the Servants were able to make short work of them.

In a few minutes, all of the Kali's Amazons were defeated, causing the goddess to grit her teeth in frustration.

"You picked the fight with the wrong Familia, ya stupid gremlin."

Loki suddenly appeared from the path behind Kali and jumped kicked her, sending the smaller goddess sprawling to the ground as Loki planted her foot on Kali's head. At the same time, several members of Loki Familia charged in from an opening on the same level as the Tiona and the others.

"Loki!?" Kali growled as she turned her head to the side to glare at Loki. "Since when did you and Hestia get all chummy!?"

"Eh, I say we're not all _that _chummy," Loki said, with a smirk as she wiggled her hand from side to side. "It's just strictly business. Bet it feels pretty shitty to have all your plans fall flat into the dirt like your face?"

"Don't screw with me! How the hell are those two Level 1!? Where the heck did Hestia find them!?"

"Beats me," Loki shrugged as she glanced at Saber and Archer who returned to gaze impassively.

"Loki!" Tiona called out. "What about Tione!?"

"Eh, don't worry about her," Loki replied almost flippantly with a smile as she placed her arms behind her head. "I've sent her lovable knight out to pick her up."

"Finn, huh?" Archer muttered. "Yeah, I suppose that would work if Riveria could stop the boat."

"Riveria?" Tiona repeated. "Oh yeah! She can probably just freeze the lake, huh?"

"I hope that it will not cause too much harm to the marine life," Saber muttered, his eyes falling on one of the people that had appeared from the same path Loki had taken. It was a god with brown hair pulled back in a ponytail with a rather muscular body and well toned hands and arms. Considering where they were, it was most likely Njord. "It would hurt the local businesses."

"Well, our own business is done here either way," Archer said with a shrug. "We have to get back before we are missed."

"Indeed."

"Well, see ya around," Archer said to Ais, Lefiya and Tiona before he and Saber started leaping from rock to rock to exit from the top of the cavern.

"For the record, I didn't officially ask for your help so I aint payin' for it!" Loki called out after them as they disappeared into the night.

X-x-X-x-X

Hestia paced back and forth in the room as Welf, Assassin and the rest of her children minus the other Servants and Bell watched. Welf, Emma, Primo, Gina and Assassin had quickly returned to the inn when the fighting had started while Rider had gone to meet the others and pick up the harpy. Now all they had to do was wait for Caster to return and for word to be sent about the harpy from Bell's group.

"Perhaps you should sit down, Lady Hestia?" Lily suggested. "You're going to wear out the mat at this rate."

"I'll relax when someone else gets back!" Hestia replied, a hand over her stomach. "Guuu…I think I'm gonna get an ulcer from all this stress…"

"All the more reason to try and relax, Lady Hestia," Emma said grabbing the goddess by her shoulders and forcing her to sit down on a cushion. "Besides, they shouldn't have been anywhere near those explosions, right?"

"Ahhh…I need another vacation after this vacation!" Hestia sighed as she slumped to the floor. "But nooooo…it's back to work after this!"

"Do you really need to work, Lady Hestia?" Gina asked. "I thought the Captain made enough to cover everything."

"Yeah but I made Gil buy Bell's knife for him so I'm the one stuck paying that bill for the next century or so. Maybe I should look into buying some cheap property and starting an inn like I kinda wanted to do…"

"And who exactly would you have handle the expenses of running such an endeavor, Goddess Hestia?"

"You of course!" Hestia replied with a smile as Caster appeared from the window with a scoff before lazily flopping onto his side back on the floor. "Well, what happened?"

"The boy and Lancer have met up with Rider and have hidden themselves for the time being. Archer and Saber are also with them. Once the camp has been properly secured, one of them shall come retrieve us."

"So everything's a-okay?" Welf asked. "No one's hurt?"

"There are no more problems that we need to immediately concern ourselves with," Caster replied with a nod. "Aside from the lack of relaxation on this vacation I suppose."

"Wow, the Captain actually agreed with the Goddess on something," Primo muttered and Assassin nodded her head in agreement.

"We didn't get to play all that much after all," Assassin pointed out. "Oh well. Back to killing things in the Dungeon then!"

"Right…the Dungeon…" Primo muttered, glancing over at Emma.

"Well, playing all day won't get us much after all," Emma said with a smile, not noticing Primo's worried look. "By the way, just what exactly is your Magic, Lily?"

"It's a Magic that disguises Lily," Lily replied. "It doesn't have to be a thing that exists but so long as Lily has a good image of it Lily can transform into anything the same size as her. For example…"

Lily then turned toward Hestia with a rather mischievous smile on her face.

"_Your scars are mine. My scars are mine._"

Lily's form faded away and in its place was…

A small boy with white hair and ruby red eyes wearing a green tunic and blue trousers.

"Big Sis Hestia!" The young "Bell" said with a bright smile.

"BUFWAH!?"

The attack was super effective against the goddess, causing her to let out a loud choking noise as she fell forward, tears spilling out of her eyes with a rather happy smile on her face as Welf started laughing.

"To bring down a goddess so easily," Caster muttered with a raised eyebrow. "What a frightening power."

"Lady Hestia is just that simple," Lily said with a smile as Gina and Assassin were hugging and cooing over her mimicry of a much younger Bell. "Lily usually used this to change into a male pallum back when she was still a part of Soma Familia but she can also change into an Al-Miraj if she wanted to. It won't fool Monsters though…"

"H-hey, Miss Supporter?" Hestia began, raising a hand from her defeated position on the mat. "C-can you say it…just one more time?"

"Maybe another time as a reward for Lady Hestia's hard work. _Stroke of Midnight's Bell._"

With the release incantation, the fake Bell faded away and Lily's form returned, prompting a disappointed Gina and Assassin to release her.

"Is it just those two lines for your incantation?" Emma asked.

"That's right? If Miss Emma wants she can try using her Skill on Lily to try it?"

"Umm…"

Emma glanced toward Caster as if seeking his permission first and the king responded with a jerk of his head.

"T-then, I'll try it out."

Emma then turned her body so that she was facing Lily directly and the shorter girl did the same. Emma seemed to stare rather intently at Lily for a moment before pink lights started to rise up from her body.

"Hoh?" Caster made an interested sound as Hestia sat up properly, wiping the drool from her mouth.

"_Your scars are mine. My scars are mine._"

And, just like with Lily before, Emma seemed to fade away and was replaced by an older looking girl with waist long purple hair tied into two places at her lower back.

"Wow…it worked," Gina muttered in awe. "That's really amazing!"

"Who is this person?" Primo asked.

"It's Sophia…" Emma replied before quickly holding a hand near her throat as if amazed that her voice had completely changed too. "My…older sister…."

"Emma!?" Hestia let out a shout of concern as tears started welling up in "Sophia's" eyes.

"I…I'm sorry…I haven't heard her voice in so long that I…I…"

Hestia didn't say anything as she walked over and wrapped her arms around the girl's head, allowing her to sob into her chest. As she did, Welf scooted on closer to Gina.

"Hey, do you recognize that person?" Welf asked. "Figured that since you were Hermes Familia, you've seen more people in Orario than I have."

"Hmm…she doesn't look familiar to me," Gina said with a shake of her head. "Is she an Adventurer?"

"The Guild didn't have any information on her when Miss Flores asked a few days ago," Primo replied. "So she probably isn't…at least, not one registered to the Guild."

"Mmm…I hope she isn't part of an Underground Familia then…"

As Emma calmed down enough for her to undo the disguise and stop her Skill, she and Lily were both hit by fatigue from the backlash of the Skill at the same time.

"S-so that's how it works…" Lily groaned, looking rather pale and exhausted despite doing nothing all day. "But still…Lily feels like she sprinted all the way down to the Eighteenth Floor and back by herself…."

"Looks like it's something of a double-edge sword," Hestia said as Emma fell limp in her arms. "Still…what a dangerous ability."

"It is unlikely there will come a situation where Flores will have to use it though," Caster pointed out as Primo and Gina went to help Lily and Emma into their beds. "Still, be sure to familiarize yourself with your Skill as soon as possible, understood?"

"Y-yes sir," Emma replied from her bed.

"Then let's turn in for the night…" Hestia said as she turned to Welf. "Sorry to trouble you so much, Welf."

"Nah, it's no problem," Welf said with a smile. "I think I've more or less gotten used to it by now, haha."

"Well then, let's turn in for the night," Hestia decided. "It'll be a long day ahead for us tomorrow after all."

X-x-X-x-X

Archer's eyes narrowed a bit as the sun slowly rose above the horizon. He and the other Servants had stood watch all night with Archer perched at the top of a tree, keeping an eye on the entire forest that they had made their temporary shelter. Rider was staying in the wagon alongside Bell and Fia while Lancer was standing guard outside the wagon. Saber, the last member of the Party, had left the forest to return to town to bring the others over.

With four sentries that did not need rest on the look out and various runes scattered in the forest for detection, it was nearly impossible for anyone to get in without one of them noticing.

"…Looks like they gave up after all," Archer muttered as he jumped down from the tree. "Gareth probably took care of them all then."

As he landed on the dirt, Lancer turned her head slightly to look at him.

"Dawn already?" She asked and Archer nodded.

"Yep. So wake her up like she asked."

Lancer nodded as she and Archer peered into the wagon and to see both Fia and Bell sleeping with their heads on Rider's lap with the woman looking rather pleased with the situation.

"Aww, time's up already?" Rider muttered with a pout as she shook Fia and Bell on the shoulder. "Wake up, dears."

The harpy let out a soft groan as she sat up and looked around in a daze. Seeing the Servants staring at her however, caused her to flinch and quickly sober up.

"W-what is it? Are we under attack?"

"What are you talking about?" Archer asked. "We're waking you up because you're the one who wanted to watch the sun rise, right?"

"The sun?" Fia repeated. "Oh…right…the ball of fire in the sky."

For someone who lived in the Dungeon their entire life, the sun rising must have been an unfathomable phenomenon that only the crystals on the Eighteenth Floor would be able to imitate. That said, Archer wasn't even sure that Fia had even been to the Eighteenth to begin with. Harpies only spawned after the Eighteenth Floor after all.

"Do you think you can fly or do you want me to carry you to the top?" Archer asked as Fia stepped out of the wagon and stared up at the morning sky.

"I…I want to fly," Fia said, extending her wings out, allowing the light to shine against her red feathers. She then started flapping her wings up and down and slowly took off to the sky.

"Let's follow her," Bell said to Archer who sighed before nodding his head.

The two of them jumped up and landed on the branches above them, using them as a springboard to jump higher until they reached the top. There, they found Fia resting on a tree, staring wide eyed at the morning dawn.

"Don't look directly at it," Archer warned her. "You'll burn out your eyes if you stare at it for too long."

"Right…" Fia replied but didn't move her head at all, clearly lost in her own world and not paying attention to anything else but the sun. "It's bright…and warm."

"It sure is," Bell said with a smile. He seemed to be enjoying Fia's reactions to rather mundane things for people who lived on the surface.

"Something on your mind, Bell?" Archer asked.

"It's…" Bell began. "Do you think we can bargain with the Guild to keep 'tamed' monsters in our Home?"

"That depends if the Guild actually know about these Xenos or not," Archer said. "For all we know, it might only be Ouranos and Fels. Then again, if they know what most of us are…they might be hoping to use us as a shield against the Demi-Spirits."

"That's…what you fought down in the Dungeon with Loki Familia, right?"

"Yeah. If they are hoping for our help against them, then we should be able push a bit aggressively during negotiations. Despite what you seem to think, Bell…we have no obligation to fight against Evilus or Enyo for free."

"But…we can't just let them run around freely, right?"

"If you want to fight them anyway, then do so after getting something from it. Just think of it like negotiating the terms of a Quest, just like we did for Miach Familia. If you want to help people, you need to think of ways to help as many people as possible at the same time."

"I'm not smart enough to think like that," Bell said with a wry smile. "I can only help the people I see in front of me."

Archer looked to the side to keep Bell from seeing the frown on his face. Wanting to save people was not wrong…but with the way Bell was going at it, it won't be long before the weight of the world crushed the poor boy underneath it.

That then left the million dollar question.

Should Archer support Bell through it all…or force him to turn away before it came to pass and he dragged the girls into that hell with him?

But…did he really have the right to pull someone from a dream he himself strode face first into while ignoring the warnings of those close to him as well?

His thoughts were interrupted when Fia expanded her wings again and once more took off into the sky. The soft morning wind blew against her hair as Bell watched Fia fly with a bright smile on his face. It was the face of someone who had managed to save another from a terrible fate.

Did Archer really have the right to deny Bell such a simple pleasure?

Pain bit into his hand and Archer realized that his fingers were digging into his palm.

"_Right…I'm just a Servant after all,_" Archer thought to himself as he watched as Fia slowly fly down and dive into Bell's chest with tears in her eyes as she thanked him over and over again for giving her the chance to fly in the open sky. "_I can't tell Bell how to live his life. But at the very least…I won't let him become like me._"

X-x-X-x-X

Thanks to Lily's Artel Assist and the fact that most of their luggage was still packed away in bags, Hestia Familia plus Welf were able to leave Melen at the crack of dawn without any trouble.

"Are you sure you don't need any help?" Primo asked as she and Emma stared up at all the suitcases stacked up and tied onto Lily's back that the tiny girl was carrying without breaking a sweat.

"Do not worry, this is much lighter than what Lily usually brings with her into the Dungeon," Lily said happily. "Maybe it's because Lily is now Level 2…"

"…Is it normal to bring so many things into the Dungeon?" Emma asked as she turned toward Gina.

"That depends on how many people go in at a time," Gina said. "If you only went in with Bell, Saber, Jack and Welf, then that's overkill, Lily."

"Lily refuses to be caught off guard in the Dungeon! You never know when something will come in handy!"

"Well, that Salamander Wool you got us back then did help a lot," Welf admitted with a chuckle. "And that big bag of yours means more room for Drop Items to carry back! Ahh…I better hurry up and finish Bell's new armor if we want to get back to Dungeon diving."

"Speaking of which…how many times does Lily have to tell Jack not to ride on top!?"

"But it's so fun!" Assassin insisted as she poked her head over the top of Lily's burden.

The conversation was rather cheerful, considering what it was they were about to meet up with.

"Are we almost there, Saber?" Hestia asked the Servant leading the way.

"Yes," Saber replied with a nod. "The camp is just up ahead."

They had walked rather far from the town and the main road to Orario. As the forest they had taken the harpy to was located in the center of a massive plain, it was rather easy to see that they were not being followed. A few monsters had attempted to strike at them from the trees but as they were monsters born on the surface instead of from within the Dungeon, even Emma and Primo could dispatch them with relative ease.

"…Are Dungeon goblins supposed to be more difficult than these monsters?" Emma asked as she looked down on the wolf-like monster she struck down.

"Well, the monsters born in the Dungeon are tougher after all," Gina replied. "The Dungeon is the source of most of the world's monsters after all so the ones on the surface are usually weaker due to being born 'naturally.'"

"I don't get it at all," Primo muttered as she shook her head. "I don't get anything anymore."

Hestia patted Primo on the head as they continued forward until they saw Rider's wagon in the distance with said woman and Lancer standing beside it, looking upward.

"Saber…you have returned," Lancer said as she moved just a bit faster than usual to stand just in front of Saber.

"Yes, Lancer," Saber said as his hands immediately found themselves around her waist, causing everyone else's eyes to glaze over with exhaustion. "Were there any problems?"

"None at all. Currently, Fia is watching the sunrise with Bell and Archer."

"Well call them down," Hestia said impatiently, not wanting to watch the two of them go at it again. "I wanna hear her story straight from her mouth."

"Understood," Lancer replied with a nod. She then crouched down a bit before jumping upward, breaking through the canopy in a single bound.

A moment later, she, Archer and Bell landed back down on the ground with the red feathered monster in tow. Seeing all the new faces however, prompted the harpy to hide behind Bell, using the boy to shield herself from their gazes. The action caused Lily, Gina and Welf's eyes to boggle as none of them had seen a monster act so meek in front of people before, at least not to ones that were on the same Level as they were.

As no one seemed to know what to say, it was up to Hestia to take charge.

"So you're Fia, right?" Hestia asked, bringing the harpy's attention to herself. "I am the goddess of this Familia. I heard most of your story from my Child but I would like to hear everything you can tell me first before we continue, is that all right?"

"…Okay," Fia said, causing the same three veterans to reel back in even more surprise.

And so, Hestia Familia plus Welf listened to Fia's tale.

X-x-X-x-X

Back in Melen, Loki and her Familia were overseeing the cleanup of the previous night's battle. From her investigations, Loki had managed to figure out that Ishtar was the one who coaxed Kali to come to Orario but for what reason Kali would not say. Knowing Ishtar, it probably had to do something with Freya though.

She also learned that Njord Familia had been using the Violas to cull the aquatic monster population in order to protect the fish that lived in the lake and by extension, the livelihoods of all the fishermen that made the lake their home and workplace with the help of the head of Melen's guild branch and the report she made to Ouranos (in exchange for being able to leave Orario for her little vacation in the first place) said as much.

But as per the Guild's MO, the entire thing was covered up and the blame of the chaos in Melen was placed solely onto Kali's shoulders, much to the little gremlin's rage.

And throughout all the chaos, her children had met up with two of that chibi Hestia's secret special forces dressed up like a Super Hero Team to fight against Ishtar's Amazons while also teaming up to rescue Tiona and Lefiya. Before that though…

Loki and Ais were resting in their hotel room while Loki had Finn direct the others for the cleanup proper. Lefiya was also resting in her room, being just too tired to deal with anything else, especially after she was told that she would be helping Hestia Familia's Primo Libera out with Magic Studies.

"…You're sure about this, Ais?" Loki asked as she turned to the beloved darling of her children.

"Yes," Ais replied with a nod. "That boy…the one who attacked Ishtar Familia, said that we were the ones working with Enyo."

Golden hair and red eyes. That was what Bete, Ais and the other girls had described the unknown interloper and one of the Amazons had claimed that it was the same person that attacked Freya's kids out of the blue.

The description reminded her of Hestia's Caster but the man had shown no interest in doing anything but lazing about like Hestia often did. Not to mention that the boy was like half Caster's size and apparent age so it couldn't have been him. Well, not unless he had a way to turn into a kid. Then again, the unknown boy also had no qualms in getting Archer and the other one caught up in his attack as well.

But still, to claim that Loki of all people was allied to Enyo…did that mean one of her little investigation buddies were their mysterious prey?

Ouranos. Hermes. Dionysus. Hestia.

Those were the four deities that Loki had gotten involved in with this little detective mystery of hers.

Ouranos was out. As the leader of the Guild, it was in his best interest to keep Orario afloat. He didn't spend the last thousand years building it up just to knock it down after all. He wasn't the type for that nonsense.

Hermes…was suspicious as always and he always seemed to use chaos as a method to search for something but due to his Familia constantly on the move as part of their messenger and delivery duties, they didn't have that much of a power base within Orario itself. Ais also joined the Familia in fighting against Evilus not too long ago where several of his children had been killed in the process.

Dionysus lost a whole bunch of his Children due to Evilus's actions with his Familia Captain being severely traumatized from the Nightmare of the 27th Floor. His motives were still a mystery but who would willingly throw their lot in with a group that slaughtered their Children for the hell of it?

And last but not least, Hestia.

From a no name Familia with a single member to the newest up and coming Familia with several powerhouses capable of defeating a Goliath with not even ten members. Granted, considering Archer's capabilities that wouldn't be as difficult as it sounded but Loki had her Children's firsthand accounts of what had taken place during that fight. An Enhanced Goliath, a Supporter dealing critical damage to a Minotaur on her own, and Hestia's pet rabbit defeating the Monster Rex in a single blow. Granted it was worn down by the more suspicious members of the Familia along with Hephaistos's favorite kid but it had the ability to regenerate its wounds…but a Level 2 should not have had the power to one-shot a floor boss, borrowing Tiona's Durandal or not.

A part of Loki wanted to just dismiss the boy's accusations as one big red herring but something about it made unable to just leave it at that.

It must be because Hestia was the most suspicious of the lot but the fact remained that she had zero members in her Familia barely two months ago and had been mooching off of Hephaistos without even going outside for nearly an entire year before that. She was just too _new_ to have the resources and connections that someone like Enyo would need to have in order to do half the things they were doing right now…unless Evilus decided to take in a goddess with nothing to her name and build her up as a massive distraction. But then Lefiya had said that Caster had chased after the Evilus members they met on the Eighteenth Floor.

"Gaaaaaahhhhhh! This is such a pain in the ass!" Loki shouted as she ran her fingers through her hair irritably as Ais watched with a blank expression on her face. "My gut keeps saying that chibi is suspicious as all hell but my brain knows she's too much of a goody two-shoes to be part of Evilus. That and she's way too lazy to do half of this stuff."

It still doesn't explain away the sheer power that Archer, Saber and Caster seemed to have. And going by the patten, Rider and Lancer were probably the same as them. Lancer in particular bothered her. Loki felt as though she knew that woman even though she was 100% sure she had never seen her until the beach party. That said, Saber, Lancer's supposed husband according to Hestia, himself was also strange in much of the same way. Both of them seem to have Odin's marks all over them but Hestia claimed that she was the first one to give them their blessing.

"…Are you talking about Hestia Familia?" Ais asked.

"Yeah," Loki nodded. "I mean, don't you think it's strange that a bunch of Level 1s are able to keep up with you? Not to mention that rabbit of hers Leveling up so quickly."

Ais didn't say anything as she glanced off to the side.

"About that…" Ais suddenly said, causing Loki to clam up and listen carefully.

"What is it?"

"Saber…the one who went with me to rescue Lefiya. He said that he was the one training Bell Cranel how to fight."

"I see."

So was he the secret to the boy's fast level up then? Some sort of Magic or Skill perhaps?

"I…asked him to train me as well."

Ais's remark caused Loki to nearly fall out of her chair.

"I'm sorry, I thought I heard you say that you, a Level 6, are asking him, a Level 1, to train you," Loki said as she tried to pull herself back into her chair.

"I did."

"…Do you know something about them?" Loki asked.

"That his swordsmanship is better than mine?" Ais replied, not quite understanding what Loki meant.

"_No, she definitely understood,_" Loki thought to herself. "_She's just dancing around the topic. Still, this is a good opportunity._"

"Fine, I'll allow it," Loki said aloud. "On one condition. Keep an eye on them while you're there. I'm not telling you to look into all of their secrets but let me, Finn and Riveria know if it turns out that they're up to no good, okay?"

"Okay," Ais nodded.

"I should probably tell Lefiya to do the same."

"Do what?"

Speak of the devil.

Lefiya, still dressed in a sleeping gown, poked her head out of the room she had been sleeping in.

"Lefiya, are you okay now?" Ais asked.

"Ah, yes…thank you for worrying about me," Lefiya replied with a nod.

"Have you thought about the whole teaching that chibi's Primmy thing?" Loki asked.

"Yes," Lefiya nodded. "I don't know how much I will be able to help, but if I can return the favor to Archer this way then I will."

Well, considering both Hestia and her captain already considered all debts paid in regards to the Expedition, this had nothing to do with whatever Lefiya was thinking about aside from her own peace of mind. This was supposed to be "payment" for her rescue after all.

"Well, don't worry too much about it," Loki said, waving her hand. "At most it'll be a once a week thing. Supposedly she's only gone into the Dungeon once after all so she's still gotta get used to that and we got our own investigations. Just be sure to keep an eye on them to make sure they're not the ones working with Enyo or something."

"That's not possible!" Lefiya said. "I do not believe that a single person I know would work to a group as despicable as Evilus!"

"Well, then thinking of it like make sure that that chibi isn't being tricked by them then," Loki said, waving a hand back and forth. "Goldy may be smart enough to know when someone's taking him for a ride but that idiot definitely won't. Knowing her, she's bound to get in over her head sooner or later."

X-x-X-x-X

It was official, Hestia was completely in over her head.

"So you're telling me…your group has been working with Ouranos for at least fifteen years in the hopes that someday you'll be able to live alongside humanity?" Hestia asked the harpy.

"Yes…" Fia nodded. "Fels talked with our leaders and we give them some of our fallen off or broken parts in exchange for their help and protection."

"Parts?" Assassin asked, tilting her head to the side as she poked Fia's wings with interest to which the harpy paid no heed.

"Like my feathers or our furs and horns."

"Horns…" Gina repeated before her eyes shot open. "Wait, does that mean you have a unicorn amongst your group?"

At Fia's nod, Gia turned extremely pensive and both Welf and Lily looked rather pale. Unicorns were extremely rare monsters that were found in the lower floors of the Dungeon. Rarer than even infant dragons, their horns were an extremely valuable drop item that could go for tens of millions on the market due to their ability to cleanse all filth and harmful material. As an example, if one were to make a goblet out of the horn, any and all poisons and pollution found in any liquid poured into it would immediately be cleansed and removed.

"No wonder that Fels person can afford to give out such a large reward…" Gina muttered with a frown.

Hestia wanted to ask where exactly were the Xenos living in the Dungeon if the other monsters were also attacking them on sight but she felt that there wasn't really a reason to know that much detail. It was enough for the time being to know that the Xenos existed and that they were working with Ouranos, if not the Guild as a whole.

They needed to solve the problem in front of them, namely what exactly were they going to do with Fia? No…what did _Hestia _want to do with Fia. As the Familia goddess, she can't leave this to Caster or Bell to make a decision. Times like this were when the deity is supposed to take charge and decide what path their Familia will take.

"Then one last question, Fia," Hestia said softly as she looked the harpy in the eye. "Do you want to go back to the Dungeon…or stay with us on the surface?"

"L-Lady Hestia!?" Lily shouted in surprise but Hestia did not turn around to look. She kept her eyes focused on the harpy who had a bitter expression on her face.

"I…shouldn't…" Fia replied softly but Hestia shook her head. "I can't be the only one to-"

"I didn't ask whether you should or you shouldn't," Hestia kindly said with a smile. "I'm asking you what you _want_ to do. Forget about us, Ouranos, Fels, the other Xenos and all of that other complicated stuff. Just tell me what 'Fia the Harpy' wants to do."

"I…I…"

Fia wrapped her wings around herself, her face scrunching up in apparent agony as she tried to voice her own desires.

"I…don't want to go back…" she finally said, tears seeping out of her eyes. "I never want to go back down there again!"

"Then that's all there is to it," Hestia said with a smile and her hands on her hips.

"But how are we going to convince the Guild to let Fia stay with us?" Bell asked as Lancer wrapped her arms around Fia and pulled her close.

"Well, I have a pretty good idea on how to do that," Hestia replied with a grin. "But it all depends on Lancer or Saber's abilities."

"Whatever you need, you shall have it," Saber said as Lancer nodded her head in agreement.

"Then go find a monster in these woods and tame it for me," Hestia said, causing everyone to stare at her. "It has to be tame enough that even Primo can touch it without fear of getting hurt. Not even a month later!"

"Why are you using me as an example!?" Primo asked as Saber and Lancer exchanged looks before turning back toward Hestia.

"Are we going to pretend that Fia is a Tamed Monster?" Lancer asked.

"Well, that's part of it but it won't be enough to let her stay with us," Hestia replied as she pumped her fist. "That is why I'm going to make Ouranos change things in my favor. As was said, we're the one who got this Quest pushed onto us so let's see just how far we can push this. But again, this only works if one of you can tame a monster to the point that it is completely docile to other people."

"Such things may be outside my area of expertise," Saber replied regretfully before turning toward Lancer. "However…"

Lancer had her hand up to her chin in deep thought.

"Although I would not have the necessary materials required to force a monster to be docile for a month out in the forest, I believe that it should be manageable," Lancer replied. "If we had something similar to that tracking plate that was on Fia however…"

"Seriously?" Welf asked. "More of that magic of yours?"

"Yes. Mind alteration isn't necessarily simple but it is doable. I could make you fall madly in love with that tree over there with it taking the form of the Goddess Hephaistos if I wanted to and you would not be able to tell the difference."

"No wait, why are you bringing my goddess into this!?"

Lancer's response was a simple smile as Welf's face turned as red as his hair.

"I see, so that is what you are planning," Caster muttered as Hestia turned her smile toward him. "How frightening. Should you muster up the motivation, you would probably orchestrate a strategy that would topple a castle in minutes."

"Ahaha…no way," Hestia brushed off Caster's compliment as though it was a joke. "No need to sell yourself short, Caster. My strategy would just be, 'sic em boy!' I'm sure you can do it in a few seconds."

Caster simply rolled his eyes at Hestia who laughed before turning to address Lancer again. "So if you have the right materials you could essentially make a monster loyal to a human?"

"More than that, I could make it so that it would wish to sacrifice itself for its 'master' without hesitation," Lancer replied as Bell rubbed the back of his left hand. "It would be one thing to use it against someone who possessed a will of their own but…"

Lancer turned toward Fia who shrugged.

"Monsters also attack us Xenos without hesitation so I don't really care," the harpy said.

In a way, Hestia felt that it was kinda sad. Despite possessing the capability of thought like the rest of the children in the lower world, the Xenos looked too much like monsters to be truly accepted. On the other hand, the other children of the Dungeon rejected them on sight and actively tried to kill them much like any other Adventurer who braved its depths.

No wonder Ouranos wanted to help them. To not have a place to call your own and to be an outsider no matter where you were? Even Hestia wasn't that unfortunate.

Saber and Lancer's runes had to be passed down to Emma and Gina as soon as possible. It would be a long term goal but if those Magic Runes could build a future for the Xenos, then it was a future Hestia herself will be a part of.

But first…they had to deal with Fia.

"Now then, let's get started!" Hestia said as she thrust her fist up into the air.

X-x-X-x-X

"…They didn't even bat an eye," Emma muttered as she glanced out the back of the wagon back toward the Ganesha Familia gate guards.

To get Fia inside the city, they first had Assassin ride on top of the wagon with her Presence Concealment Skill making nearly impossible to detect thanks to help of the rather misty morning they found themselves in. Then, with Saber's help, Fia was made to look like Assassin while wearing a heavy cloak.

Thus the guards didn't bat an eye when they looked right at her and allowed them all inside after checking their papers.

"Where do we go from here?" Bell asked.

"Well you all are going back to our Home," Hestia said as she hopped out of the wagon as Caster stepped off as well. "Caster and I are going to the Guild to see Ouranos."

"Would they just let you walk in like that?" Archer asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, we'll deal with it when we get there," she answered with a shrug. "Though I bet Fels will show up before then."

"Will he show up if the Captain's with you though?" Gina asked.

"Humph, do not worry about such trivial matters," Caster scoffed as he turned toward Archer. "Be sure to give the rest of Takemikazuchi Familia's payment to them when you return."

Archer responded with a simple nod before Rider ushered the wagon away.

With that done, the two of them headed toward the direction of the Guild.

"Hmm…it's been a while since the two of us walked together, huh?" Hestia asked, making some conversation in the quiet morning air. Caster did not respond but Hestia could tell he was listening all the same. "It was when you went to sell some stuff to Hephaistos, right?"

"Is there a point to this conversation?" Caster asked.

"I…are you mad? About what I've decided to do?"

"It is your prerogative as the Familia's Goddess to decide the direction to which the Familia takes. You could have the Familia forgo the Dungeon in its entirety and specialize in innkeeping and I still would not utter a word of protest so long as my own plans are not interrupted."

"Ahaha…I wouldn't go that far. Bell's dreams lie in there after all."

"Are you referring to his dreams of becoming a hero or the other one?"

"The hero one obviously!" Hestia shouted as Caster simply smirked at her. "I am quite satisfied with the amount of girls in the Familia already, thank you very much. But you're still okay with this right?"

"Your desire to work with Ganesha Familia in improving Taming Techniques is no concern of mine. Keeping that one within our Familia is actually to our benefit in drawing out the worms in my garden."

"_So the reason he didn't voice any objections to keeping Fia with them was that he was using her as bait to draw out Evilus…_" Hestia thought to herself.

She couldn't even fault him for that as it was her idea to bring her in in the first place. He was just using it to his own advantage.

She was going to have Lancer and Saber comb every inch of their Home to make sure everything and everyone was protected after this.

As they drew close to the Guild, Caster suddenly placed a hand on her shoulder and wordlessly steered her off the main street and into an alleyway. Moments later, a being in a black robe appeared in front of them.

"I thank you for your success in retrieving my comrade," Fels said as they lowered their head in a deep bow. "I apologize for not meeting with you sooner. The incident in Melen had forced me to turn my immediate attention to that."

"You are referring to the discord in the Branch Office," Caster said and Fels nodded their head in confirmation.

"Indeed. To my and my benefactor's immense regret, the head of the Branch Office had been receiving bribes from Evilus to aid in their smuggling of the violas to the surface. Unfortunately we could not retrieve much information about that from him and he has since been released from our service. He will do his part in his oh-so-admirable-goal in revitalizing the lake's ecosystem by working alongside Njord Familia."

Hestia supposed that that was their excuse in receiving said bribe.

"Moving aside from that for now," Hestia said as she narrowed her eyes a bit at Fels's appearance. "…Are you really human? You have the same air as the rest of the children but…"

"Do not bother the foolish philosopher with such banal questions," Caster said, causing Fels to slightly twitch in surprise. "You have demands to air, do you not?"

"That's right!" Hestia said as she thrust her finger out toward Fels. "Let me speak to your boss. I have some things I want to discuss to him about your comrade and the future of our dealings with each other. Not to mention what I want out of this Quest and headache you pushed onto us."

"Although I cannot promise anything other than monetary rewards from my end, my employer has been wanting to speak to you as well," Fels replied with a nod before carefully turning his hood toward Caster. "However…"

"If you wish to request that the goddess speak to him alone then I have no objections," Caster replied. "I am well aware of his location and you both are well aware the consequences of treachery at this point."

"We have nothing to gain from such a thing and would stand to lose everything with such an action," Fels pointed out.

Indeed, if they were hoping to use Caster and the other Servants as a buffer against the strange Monster Spirits that Archer had fought down in the Dungeon and against the mysterious Enyo that Hestia did her best to try and ignore and forget about then they couldn't afford to make enemies of them. It was this leverage over Ouranos and Fels that Hestia intended to use.

In short, it was a game where Hestia, for the first time in her eternity, held all the winning cards. And after that disastrous Old Maid game, she was feeling great.

"Then you go on ahead, Caster," Hestia said and Caster answered her with a nod before turning on his heel and disappearing into specks of golden light.

"Well then, please follow me," Fels said after a moment of staring at the blank space where Caster had been standing at.

X-x-X-x-X

Hestia followed the mysterious Fels a bit away from the main street before black fog seemed to surround them. Then, Hestia felt her arm be grabbed in the darkness before being pulled away. At first she thought they had been attacked but soon after she found herself with Fels inside a manmade tunnel.

The fog must have been Fels doing, either as a show of flair or to misdirect anyone observing them. Or perhaps even both. As they didn't go very far it was probably still somewhere near the Guild…probably a tunnel that Ouranos could use to escape in the event of an enemy attack.

"How long has this been here?" She asked as she rubbed her hand across the engraved patterns on the wall.

"I cannot say," Fels replied as he led the way down the tunnel with a lamp powered by a Magic Stone. "I can say it is much older than I. Perhaps it has been here since the dawn of Orario itself? However, its existence is not known to many, so I ask that you keep it a secret."

Hestia nodded her head. It was no skin off her nose in any case.

They kept walking until they reached a dead end. Fels placed his hand against the surface and muttered something underneath his breath which Hestia wanted to believe was "_Open sesame._" The wall then sank away, revealing another path that led into a massive chamber shrouded in darkness.

Hestia followed Fels up a small flight of stairs and into a stone hall and looked around the room, trying to take in the details from the barely lit room.

Large stone slabs covered the floor of the room and the ceiling of the room was so high that it was impossible to see it in the darkness. There was also another entrance on another end of the room with stairs leading upward, telling her that they were probably rather far underground. She felt like she was in a temple like the ones up in Tenkai…did this place date back all the way back to when the gods first descended?

Then her gaze fell toward the middle of the chamber.

Sitting on an altar among four lit torches that provided the only source of light was the person behind all of this nonsense.

"So it is you after all, Ouranos," she said to the wizened and majestic god.

Over two meters tall when standing, he exuded an intensity, a presence, and a divine authority that were in a league of their own, unmatched by other deities. Heralded as a "Supreme God" while residing in the heavens, he was one of the truly influential deities.

White hair and a similarly colored beard spilled from beneath the hood of his robe. His robust arms were propped on the throne's armrests…a god immovable. He simply existed in that spot, surveying the chamber like a ruler and a statue at the same time. The Father of Orario and the one who assisted the mortals in building Babel Tower to seal the Dungeon, Ouranos.

With his familia eventually becoming the Guild, he oversaw both the city and the Dungeon. However, he realized that someone with that much power must maintain a constant stance of neutrality. Therefore, he bestowed his followers with political power rather than Falna.

The last thing Hestia knew about Ouranos was that he spent his days beneath Guild Headquarters, offering constant "prayers" to the Dungeon. These prayers—powered by his immense divine authority—kept the Dungeon in check. It was his will that prevented hordes of monsters from reaching the surface and plunging the world back into the original state from the Ancient Times.

Or so the story went.

"It's been a long time, Hestia," he greeted her rather amicably.

"Well it has been a thousand years right?" Hestia asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest, not at all intimidated by the other's majesty. "Not since you, Zeus and Hera jumped ship and started a conga line of work for everyone else."

Ouranos let out an appreciative chuckle as Fels lowered their head.

"Then I shall take my leave," Fels said and Ouranos nodded.

"You have done well, Fels."

As Fels left, Hestia watched them go until she could no longer see their robed figure in the darkness.

"Since I'm the guest here, mind if I ask my questions first?" Hestia asked as she turned back to Ouranos.

"By all means," Ouranos nodded.

"I've chatted quite a bit with our mutual friend," Hestia began. "Are you seriously considering bringing the Xenos up to live with the rest of the children?"

"Of course," Ouranos replied without hesitation. "Their hearts and will are in no way inferior to our children. You have interacted with one personally. Can you truly say that you have not thought the same after interacting with that one?"

"…I have," Hestia admitted. "I don't see a monster…just a child that wants to live on the surface and watch the sun rise every day."

It was such a banal and simple wish to someone that took living outside the Dungeon for granted.

"So why did you drag us into it?" Hestia asked. "Is it because of my children?"

"Yes," Ouranos replied. "I became aware of what the majority of your children are after seeing the ability of the one who calls himself Archer. I have been looking for an opportunity to contact you and the incident with the Xenos, while unfortunate and no doubt traumatizing for her, provided the perfect opportunity. In more ways than one."

"You want to use my children as a line of defense against those Demi-Spirit things that Enyo is fielding?"

"Yes."

No excuses. No explanation. Just a simple confirmation.

"Although we have many powerful Familia in Orario already that could be called to arms, there is no harm in having a final line of defense hidden in a small Familia such as yours," Ouranos continued. "The fact that they are already powerful without the need of your Blessing is an advantage that cannot be understated."

In other words, if Hestia somehow was killed and sent back to Tenkai, the Servants would still be able to fight at full strength unlike Loki or Freya's Adventurers should the same thing happen to them.

"But what's keeping me from just packing my things up and leaving?" Hestia asked. "You're asking quite a lot without any reason for me to stick my neck out like this."

"Oh? Have you already changed to become someone who would disappear and leave behind the likes of Hephaistos or Takemikazuchi knowing that danger could arise at any moment?"

"Grk…grr…"

"But I would hear your request regardless. Was there something you wished for? A way to pay off your debt to Hephaistos perhaps?"

"Leave Fia with us."

If Ouranos was going to be blunt and honest with her, then she'll do the same.

"That is my only condition," she continued as Ouranos raised an eyebrow. "She doesn't want to return to the Dungeon and so I want to find a way where she can live happily on the surface with us. That's your end goal to begin with, right? I'll help facilitate it starting with her. So have the Guild give Hestia Familia permission to bring 'Tamed Monsters' up to the city like Ganesha Familia. You're working with him too, right?"

"That would not be possible," Ouranos replied with a shake of his head although not denying his partnership with Ganesha. "Giving you special permission like that would draw too much attention to you and the Xenos."

"Then why not just change the law against bringing monsters up to the surface?" Hestia suggested. "The Guild must have Tamers coming in every day who want to bring the monsters they beat down up to the surface with them. I know you keep track of all the Tamers that are registered with the Guild."

"And what did you have in mind?"

"Work with Ganesha for the most part. Change the law so that anyone can take a…lets call it a test or something. Have it so that any tamer can bring a monster to Ganesha Familia and show that the monster is properly tamed and then make them register the monster with both Ganesha and the Guild. If you don't want the city to be crawling with monsters then charge some stupidly large examination fee. That way only the richer and more established Familia will be able to do so."

"That does not address the problem that all monster aside from the Xenos will still lash out at anyone not their Tamer," Ouranos pointed out to which Hestia simply waved a finger at him.

"Fufufu…did you already forget who my children are, Ouranos?" Hestia asked. "Lancer's magic can dominate a monster perfectly. She just needs a catalyst to channel her magic through. Ganesha Familia use some kinda of tracking plate on their monsters right? One of those would do just fine. The monster will become so docile that it would show its belly to a child if ordered!"

Ouranos fell silent as he mulled over Hestia's words. From her position, Hesita could tell that Ouranos wanted to believe that it could work but he couldn't be sure just from her words alone.

"As I thought, putting my hopes into you and your children was the proper course of action after all," Ouranos finally said. "I will ask Ganesha to invite your child to demonstrate her ability. If it indeed works, then the Guild will consider your proposal. However…"

"I know, the moment Lancer disappears will be the moment this all comes crumbling down," Hestia nodded. "That is why she plans on passing down her magic to the other children in my Familia. And from there they will do the same. It's not exactly what I had in mind for my Familia when I first started out but if this helps the Xenos in the future then I'll throw my hat into your little scheme properly."

Ouranos nodded his head in understanding.

"But still…how did these Xenos come about anyway?" Hestia asked. "You said they come from the Dungeon but then why are only a few of them not driven to mindlessly kill people. And why do the other monsters attack them even though they share the same origin?"

"I do not know," Ouranos admitted. "I only know that they live in alienation and exile no matter where they go. Be it in the Dungeon or on the surface. However, the same can be said of you and your children if your Lancer's magic does not work as expected. If you wish to protect the Xenos Fia, then you may find your own place in this world at risk."

"This is the path my precious child has chosen," Hestia said. "Then that's the path we will take. Together. As a Familia (Family)."

It was faint but Hestia could swore she saw the briefest of smiles on Ouranos's face.

"So you don't have any idea why the Dungeon's creating the Xenos then?" Hestia asked.

"A theory, nothing more," Ouranos replied slowly. "Tell me…do you not find it strange…how a 'monster' who has never left the Dungeon before now, knows the concept of the 'sun?'"

"I have…" Hestia nodded.

"The souls of our children return to the heavens, are judged and sorted by our kind," Ouranos continued. "And then many are reborn into the world…So what about the souls of monsters? No, it would be better to phrase it as: If these monsters who are not our children have souls, where do you think they would go?"

"So you agree with the Xenos's theory?" Hestia asked, feeling her heart tremble.

"As I said, this is only my speculation, but I also have confidence it is correct. After death, monsters return to the mother from whence they came, the Dungeon…They're given new form somewhere deep inside the labyrinth and then are born again. This is what they believe…as do I."

"I still don't believe it…" Hestia sighed. "What is causing this to happen?"

"If one does not overthink it, the answer is rather simple," Ouranos replied. "Although the methods appear to be different it has always been the will of the Dungeon to send its children up to the surface."

Yes, every monster on the surface has either came from the Dungeon or have been born from monsters who have left it. Since the beginning of its existence, the Dungeon has always wished to send monsters up to live on the surface.

If one thought about it like that, it was only natural for the Xenos to wish for the same, wasn't it?

X-x-X-x-X

Hestia had left soon afterward guided back out by Fels, leaving Ouranos alone in his shrine once more.

"Will such a plan really work?" Fels asked as he reappeared at the steps of Ouranos's throne. "You did not want to take the Taming route because you considered it a path of thorns that would not lead to true coexistence, did you not?"

"I did," Ouranos nodded. "However, the normal method for Taming required the Tamer to beat the monster into submission before collaring them like a slave. I wish to see just how far my hopes can lead me in this matter with these Spirits. And it would be a small price to pay to gain their assistance in other matters."

"You did not ask whereabout they came from," Fels noted.

"They are wisps of legends that are passed down from parent to child and from storybooks that have not completely passed on into legend," Ouranos replied. "Are you not the same, my foolish philosopher."

"Please do not bring that up," Fels asked with a sigh. "But is there a difference between what you are hoping and regular taming?"

"As they are now, Tamed Monsters are nothing more than unexploded ordnance that could erupt at any time. We need a way to show that monsters can become more than that. If the Spirit's magic can make a monster docile to the point that there is nothing left to fear then eventually they would be able to survive without such trickery. I wish to believe that Hestia's children can build the bridge that can lead to a new dawn for both mortals and monsters."


	31. Runaway Hero

**Chapter 31: Runaway Dusk to Dawn**

The boy had a dream.

He wanted to be a Hero.

Although he himself did not exactly know what it meant to be a Hero or how to become one despite being surrounded by them every day.

Was a Hero someone who saved a girl in danger? Was a Hero someone who defeated a powerful foe? Was a Hero someone who led their people to glory? Was a Hero someone whose deeds were known throughout the world? Or was a Hero someone who simply tried to help wherever they could?

Whatever the answer was, he knew that there was one thing a Hero needed that he lacked.

Strength.

As it was, he didn't have the strength to protect a single person, let alone the whole world.

How can someone who can't save a single life without having to be protected and saved in return be called a Hero?

Which was why his pathetic self was currently outside when everyone else was sleeping, swinging his blades at an imaginary opponent, ignoring the strain and exhaustion seeping through his body that was demanding him to fall asleep onto his soft bed.

But Bell Cranel didn't have time for such things at the moment as he fought against his imaginary opponent. The invisible wall that stood between him and his ideals.

He then stopped, his body leaning back slightly as his opponents blades were at his neck.

Even in his imagination, he would never win. That was the difference in strength between his teacher and himself.

The imaginary spar finished, he allowed himself to fall down onto the grass, flat on his back as his chest rose up and down, his breath ragged as he slammed a fist against the grass in frustration, the sweat on his body mixing in with the morning dew and mist.

All he had were his numbers. He didn't have the mental fortitude to fight a human opponent to the death or the ability to make the proper snap decisions. He was still too green, too new to do anything about that. It wasn't something his mysterious growth could help him with.

It was only something that could be learned through experience.

And Bell knew he was too impatient for something like that. But this was one thing he had no shortcuts for. And yet, he felt that he was running out of time. That the longer he took the further and further his goals would escape him.

"Bell?"

Bell's eyes opened wide as he sat up and found Emma standing at the entrance.

"Are you okay?" She asked as she walked over toward him, pulling a coat over her nightwear as she stepped out into the cold morning air.

"Sorry," Bell apologized as he stood up. "Did I wake you up?"

"No…I was kind of watching you for a while."

Come to think of it, her room had a perfect view of the front yard…he didn't know how he kept on forgetting that fact. He was completely distracted by his thoughts right now. Judging from her state of dress, she probably ran out when she saw him collapse.

"Are you really okay?" Emma asked again as Bell stood up. "Aren't you overdoing it a bit?"

**Yes.**

"No, I'm fine," Bell lied. "Shouldn't you be resting though? Caster said that you're going back into the Dungeon today with Lancer watching over your progress, right?"

As their vacation was cut short, it was time for Hestia Familia to take on the Dungeon again. Although Bell and Lily's progress would be halted until Welf could finish Bell's new armor.

"Well…yes but…" Emma began but she looked a bit unsure of herself and Bell did not think it was because of the war shadow incident.

"Are you thinking about Fia?" Bell asked and Emma hesitantly nodded her head.

It was the same problem plaguing Bell's mind as well. If the Xenos Fia had been born in the Dungeon, then didn't that mean that other Xenos could be spawned by the Dungeon that didn't know about the rest of the Xenos community? What would happen if they came across another one and it tried to fight back against them, believing it was the only way to survive?

"…You don't need to worry about that."

Both Bell and Emma looked up to see Fia sitting on the windowsill of Assassin's room, her legs dangling outside while she was still wearing the cloak given to her by Lancer.

"Fia!?" Bell called out. "D-don't sit outside like that! Someone might see you!"

They still hadn't received word from either Caster or the goddess yet after all.

Well, Lancer's cloak should be enough to divert anyone looking and their house was far enough away from other buildings that no unrelated people would be sneaking around.

Nevertheless, Fia slipped out of the window and landed beside the two with Assassin poking her head out the window and jumping out of it soon after.

"I never got the chance to explain it but…how do you think we Xenos survive in the Dungeon when everything is out to kill us?" Fia asked as Assassin was fiddling with a bag.

"I had wondered about that," Bell admitted. "I just thought that you guys ate fruits from the Dungeon or snuck into a pantry when you got the chance."

"There is that," Fia nodded as Assassin fished out a small Magic Stone from the pouch. "But there's also this."

Assassin held the Magic Stone in front of Fia and the harpy grabbed it with her teeth and sucked it into her mouth as if it was nothing more than a piece of candy before crunching it with her teeth.

"You…eat Magic Stones?" Emma asked in surprise.

"Enhanced Species…" Bell realized.

"That's right," Fia nodded. "We kill monsters that aren't part of our group and eat their Stones to get stronger. I said so, right? Other monsters attack us just like they attack you humans even though we are born from the same mother. Not only that but some of us, like Lido, even use weapons and armor. Most of them were stripped off of corpses but a few of us steal them right off their backs. Sorry."

Although the apology sounded like it was little more than an afterthought, Fia did have the sense to look a bit embarrassed to admit it.

However, those words struck a chord within Bell, stirring up a memory.

It had been a joke that he and Welf had laughed off. A monster wearing armor…and a rumor that Caster had been chasing after soon afterward.

Did he know? Did Caster have suspicions about the Xenos all the way back then? Did he _know_ about them from all the way back then?

Bell quickly shook his head.

He shouldn't assume so much about his Captain, even though his abilities are still a completely enigma to Bell. There was no point in thinking about things that may or not be true. If Caster felt that it was important then he would share it. Otherwise, it was best to let Caster do what he felt was needed until then.

"That's why umm…" Fia continued, not knowing Bell's thoughts. "You shouldn't worry about us. The monsters are real monsters. They don't care about anything except trying to kill you."

"But…what if we…find another Xenos who doesn't know about you?" Emma asked, voicing Bell's thoughts.

"If the monster trying to kill you can talk…then kill them first. Isn't that how it goes?"

Bell and Emma couldn't help but stare at Fia.

"I don't know if its true, but a lot of us still end up getting caught even though we're very careful and stick to laces where humans don't go to…and some of us still get caught."

And one of those caught was Fia herself. Was one of the reasons she didn't want to return to the Dungeon is because she found it hard to trust her fellows any more? Although she was prepared to return since she didn't want to bother Hestia Familia anymore than necessary.

But Fia lived a life of kill or be killed from the moment she was born and even had to resort to cannibalism to survive.

"So what I'm saying is that I don't care if you meet another Xenos or not," Fia said, wings on her hips. "If they try to kill you, fight back and survive! I care more about you guys than someone I probably won't ever meet. So…don't die okay!"

With that said, Fia ran toward the door and fiddled with the knob for a moment before looking down at her wings.

"Jack! I can't open the door!"

"Okay!" Assassin replied with a giggle as she ran over to open it for her.

As the two of them disappeared back inside, Bell walked over to the tree in the front yard and leaned his back against it.

"She's strong…" Bell said as he placed his hands over his face. "Compared to her…I'm…weak."

A human boy who lived knowing only peace and love from the people around him compared to a monster girl who struggled to survive each and every day. They were different as water and oil. Killing a mindless monsters that were the Dungeon's weapons against the gods and their mortal children were one thing…but another being that could think and act and reason?

Bell didn't know if he could do that.

Even though his heroes could engage other humans without worry and thought…did that mean that…in order to catch up to his heroes, he too would have to…have to…

"Bell."

A soft voice sliced through his thoughts and he found a pair of arms carefully wrapped around his head.

"You don't have to think about it all by yourself," Emma said softly as she brought him closer. "Your not alone right?"

"Emma…" Bell managed to croak out, his voice weak.

"Hey Bell, you know of the story of 'Argonaut,' right?"

"Yeah."

It was rare to find someone who didn't. According to Bell's grandfather, it was the first true myth of this world. The story of a man (clown) who wanted to become a hero and help people only to be deceived by nearly everyone around him. And even when he gained strength and went to save the princess, he ended up having to be saved by her instead.

When Bell first read that story, he thought it was a joke and that Argonaut couldn't really be called a hero.

Now that he had went through that feeling of wanting to save someone, only to be saved in return, Bell felt as though he understood the myth a bit more…and could understand that Argonaut must have been frustrated at his own weakness to the point that he probably wanted to cry.

"You know what Argonaut means right?" Emma asked, a smile on her face. "'A band of heroes.' Doesn't that fit our current situation right now?"

"Right," Bell admitted, forming a smile of his own.

And it was that very same "Argonaut" that was engraved on his back. A perfectly fitting title for Bell himself now.

"I think that instead of worrying about what you may or may not need to do to become a hero, why not consider the things you have already done. Such as calling the Servants to this world."

"Like being the Master of a Band of Heroes? But I…I don't just want to ride on their coattails."

"But you aren't. You're their Master and…well, putting Caster aside, you're leading and directing their strength for the sake of justice and your dream, right? I mean…we do have quite a few characters here after all."

That was true.

The lovestruck swordsman, the snarking bowman, the mad-lovestruck spearwoman, the arrogant king, and the tiny killer.

Aside from the chariot queen, all of his Servants have some sort of personality quirk that it was a miracle that they could all work together. Then again, Rider insisted on being everyone's "big sister" and silenced Archer with a rather frightening smile when he asked "Didn't you already have two daughters at your age?"

Yes…it was a miracle that these legends could work together and live as a family.

Well, two of them were already family to begin with.

In spite of himself, Bell found himself smiling.

"You're the Familia Vice Captain. We look to you just as much as Caster for what to do. We are a part of your strength just as much as your magic and weapons are. Please remember that."

"I will…thanks, Emma."

Bell raised his left hand up and wrapped it around her arm as he felt her warmth. The two of them simply stood there together as Bell tried to gather his thoughts.

"Bell," Emma finally continued. "I think it's not the hero who decides whether or not he's a hero. It's the people around him. And I…"

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"

The two of them jumped at the scream and turned to see their Goddess Hestia clinging to front gate as she glared at them with wide eyes with Caster standing behind her.

"W-w-w-w-w-w-what the heck do you two think you are doing!?" She demanded, her cheeks pressing against the bars of the gate as though she was trying to force herself through them instead of opening it properly.

And it was then that Bell realized that Emma was pressing his head against her chest while wearing only a coat and her negligee. The realization caused his cheeks to quickly redden as the two quickly separated from each other and Emma hastily tried to cover herself up.

"I-it's not what you think!" Emma tried to explain. "I was just trying to cheer Bell up!"

"While in that state!?" Hestia demanded as she finally threw open the gate and lunged at Bell. "Bell you cheater! I leave you alone for one hour and you suddenly decide to put your hands on Emma!?"

"Please let us explain, Goddess!"

"Do be aware that acts of intimacy will be short lived around the goddess," Caster said as he walked past Emma with a smirk. "Such is the nature of a Virgin Goddess."

"W-we weren't doing anything like that!" Emma shouted to the sky.

X-x-X-x-X

Despite the deadline being cut short, Goibniu Familia was still able to finish most of the work that was requested to be done on the Hestia Familia Home as expected of a High Rank Famillia.

The original building was more or less the same with the exception of the kitchen/dining area combo which had had its original wall torn down and the room expanded out into the backyard, making it so that they could easily fit in a second long table if needed to sit everyone. The main additions were the massively enlarged grounds stretching behind the main building which also included two buildings that had been behind the Hearthstone Manor, now part of their property.

A quick look through the new buildings found that they simply three floors of bedrooms with a washroom at the end of each floor with the stairs going up the middle of each floor. There were enough rooms so that they wouldn't be caught flatfooted from another surge of new Familia Members again.

There was also a third building but Caster had it covered in a tarp and forbade anyone from taking a peek inside. A curious Gina attempted to anyway and got a nasty shock for her trouble.

In short, they had a much larger property than they did before and three new buildings added onto their home. All that was lacking were the furnishings.

After Emma and Bell's rather desperate pleas to explain the circumstances in which they were caught in were rather loud, the entire Familia (plus Fia) was gathered in the new expanded dining area for breakfast and a debrief about what will happen from now on.

"Basically Lancer, you have to use your Runes to completely 'WOW' Ganesha and his Familia into seeing that monsters can be something other than just ticking time bombs that will lash out. I don't want to say that they'll start out as pets…but I want people, mortals and gods alike, to see that they can be trusted companions to fight alongside against the mindless monsters that the Dungeon coughs up."

"Lady Hestia really has thought hard about this…" Lily muttered in surprise. "Lily is shocked."

"Well, it shouldn't be too hard, right?" Gina asked. "I mean, the goblin Lancer 'Tamed' in the forest to show us that it works was doing handstands and flips like it was nothing."

"The challenge will be in making sure that the effect lasts for an acceptable period of time," Saber muttered. "A timeframe of a month would be much too short."

"Yes, but I believe that I will have the perfect catalysts on hand to make it so it is possible," Lancer replied. "The true challenge would be in that Miss Flores and Miss Gwen be able to learn Rune Magic as quickly as possible to replicate the effects and in turn pass them to future members of the Familia and so on."

"If that is the case then Lily wants to learn as well," Lily said, pumping her arms up beside her chest. "If this is what everyone wants to do then Lily will do her best to contribute!"

"Umm, should I learn it too?" Primo asked, raising a hand dutifully.

"No, that would not be necessary," Caster decided. "Your role is one of a traditional Mage in the Familia's descents into the Dungeon. You need to save your 'Spell Slots' should the Falna decide to grace you with more. The one with the highest priority to learn the Rune Magic is Flores. After all, it is your desire to help the Xenos, is it not? I expect you to expend all your effort into mastering what you can, understood?"

"Yes!" Emma replied with a nod. "I won't let you down!"

"Tis not _I_ who shall suffer from your failure," Caster said, glancing over at Fia who shrank down a bit under his gaze. "In any case, in light of current events we shall edit our schedule slightly."

Keeping his gaze on Fia, Caster continued, "As we currently have a…volatile package within our Home, we shall need at least one Servant on standby at the Home at all times, myself included. However, although I do spend most of my time here, there will be times where my presence will be needed elsewhere. As such…we shall needed a dedicated home guard."

"If its just that then I volunteer," Rider offered with a raised hand. "To be honest, I think I'm more suited for a support role than a combat one."

"If you wish to volunteer for the role of babysitter then so be it. Next let us discuss the Second Party's descent into the Dungeon. The original plan was to have Lancer escort them but as she may be called upon by Ganesha Familia at any moment this will have to wait. Therefore Archer will take her place for the time being."

Then the Second Party will be composed of Archer, Gina, Emma and Primo until they settled things with Ganesha and then Lancer will resume the role.

"The Party is to attempt to make its way to the Fifth Floor by the end of the month," Caster said, glancing over at Gina, causing the Amazon to sit up a bit straighter. "Gwen. As the most experienced of the Party you will be leading them."

"Eh…eeeeehhh!?" Gina let out a shout of surprise. "Umm…are you sure I'm up for it?"

"Do no question my orders," Caster replied. "I do not hand out assignments to unworthy fools."

Considering who was saying it, it was probably the highest of praises.

"Ahaha…well, if you say so…"

"Then as for the First Party…it is unlikely that any monster on the first twenty floors would be able to harm you," Caster said as he finally turned toward Bell. "As the smith is currently preparing your armor, I leave the decision to you on whether or not you wish to enter the Dungeon without him."

"Hmm, think it'll be best to wait," Bell replied and Caster accepted it with a nod.

Even if Bell felt the need to hurry compared to a few days ago, he still wanted to continue with Welf in his Party.

"Umm…then what about me?" Fia asked, raising a wing.

"Well, until we see what happens with Ganesha you're going to have to stay inside for a while," Hestia replied. "Though your cloak should keep your features hidden if you want to walk around in the yard. Going into town is out of the question though…"

"Mmm…"

Fia let out a small dissatisfied noise at being told that she was unable to fly freely but didn't say anything, understanding that it was a temporary measure.

"It should only be a few days at most," Hestia assured her. "Don't worry!"

"Of course, should you find that unsatisfactory, you are free to leave the city or return to the Dungeon on your own," Caster added with a provocative smirk.

"I-I understand," Fia replied, not rising to the bait, causing Caster to turn his eyes away while looking a bit disappointed. "I'll try not to trouble you too much."

"I'll be here looking after you so if you need anything just say the word," Rider said with a smile.

"Umm, so the Familia will slowly become a Familia of Tamers moving forward?" Primo asked.

"Nothing so official," Hestia replied with a shake of her head. "It's more like I want to make my Familia a bridge between Humanity and the Xenos. It'll be a long road and frankly I'm not sure how many generations it will take…but we have to start somewhere! And we have the fifteen years of work that Ouranos and Fels already did so it'll be fine. Probably!"

"Lily is suddenly even more worried than before…" Lily muttered with a sigh. "Fifteen years is rather short in the eyes of a goddess, isn't it?"

"Well, I'm sure it will be fine," Hestia insisted before nodding her head again. "Anyway, I'm pretty sure that covers everything so everyone should prepare for the day ahead…oh and Bell, I want to talk to you for a bit more so come with me to my office."

Bell glanced at his goddess in confusion as the sound of chairs sliding across the floor and people making small talk prevented him from asking her anything. He caught Emma's eye on the way out of the dining room but she just shook her head as if to say she didn't know what Hestia wanted either.

Nevertheless, Bell followed the goddess up to the top floor and entered her office where the two sat across from each other on the sofas in the room.

"Bell…about this morning…" Hestia began.

"L-like I said, that was a misunderstanding!" Bell found himself saying immediately.

"I'm not talking about Emma hugging you in her pjs!" Hestia shouted, slamming her hands on the table between them with bright red cheeks before quickly calming herself down by coughing into her hand. "I'm asking you about _why_ she did. Are you feeling okay? She said that you looked awful."

"Ahh…"

Bell let out a weak noise as he slumped back into his seat.

"I…don't really know," Bell admitted. "I…don't know. I feel like I'm missing something important."

"Is this about your 'heroic desire' again?" Hestia asked with a slight teasing smile to which Bell gave a weak chuckle in response. "I don't think you need to spend so much time thinking about it, Bell. I'm sure quite a few of our Familia members already consider you there hero."

"But…I'm still not strong enough."

"That can't be helped, Bell. You've only been an Adventurer for not even three months yet. I know it's easy to forget when you're already Level 3 but you need to remember that you are growing much much faster than every other Adventurer in Orario, perhaps even the world."

As Bell remained silent, Hestia shook her head with a sigh.

"Bell, I know its hard to be patient when you have your dream literally in sight and living with you every day, but you have to remember. All of the Servants have spent their entire lives becoming Heroes. Don't you think its rude to them if you think that you aren't catching up fast enough to them when you've only been at it for three months?"

Bell lowered his head in shame. Certainly there was some truth in her words. It was far too arrogant for him to even try to get close. But even so…he wanted to stand up there with his Heroes…with _that_ person.

"Bell."

Bell looked up and saw that Hestia had walked around the table to sit down next to him.

"I'm not saying that you should give up. No, far from it. I'm just saying that you don't need to be so impatient in how you are going about it. You should know what the number one reason why Adventurers adventures get cut short right?"

"…They push too far too quickly."

"Exactly. Now…I don't want to say that you can't go on an Adventure, but please don't overdo it. You literally carry the lives of over half this Familia with you after all. I don't want to lose any of you if I don't have to."

With that said, Hestia pulled Bell's head close to her chest, much like Emma did earlier. And because Emma had done so earlier, Bell was completely aware at what his goddess was doing.

"Umm, Goddess?" Bell said, trying to keep his face from touching her chest too much. "Isn't this a bit…"

"No!" Hestia shut him down immediately. "You're not going anywhere until I'm satisfied!"

"You are still upset about that after all!" Bell shouted as he quickly pulled himself away from her.

"Oh no you don't!" Hestia shouted as she dived at Bell to which he quickly dodged her and maneuvered around the table so that it was between him and his goddess. "I'm going to get at least twice the amount of time you gave Emma and you don't get to say 'No!'"

"P-please give me a break!"

The two of them ran circles around the room for a few minutes before Hestia dropped onto the sofa, completely out of breath while Bell was keeping a good three meters between himself and his goddess.

"Uwwaaaah! Bell you bully!" Hestia let out a cry of frustration. "I just want to show you my love too!"

"I can see and appreciate your love at this distance just fine, Goddess," Bell answered with a wry smile as he backed up against a glass case. Turning around he saw that it contained the single most important treasure in their Familia.

The Holy Grail.

Surrounded by several rather expensive looking wine bottles.

"Goddess…please tell me you aren't using the Grail as a wine glass," Bell said as he opened the case and pulled the chalice out.

"Of course not!" Hestia said quickly as she pushed herself up from the sofa. "What do you take me for!? That said, I am using it as decoration so that people who come in would just think of it as a very pretty wine glass."

Bell stared at the golden cup that had jumpstarted Hestia Familia's rise into stardom. It had been a while since he had the legendary item in his hands, due to having left it with Hestia all this time, but he wondered if it was a bit heavier than he remembered. It may be due to the fact that he now truly understood the value of the Grail and its metaphorical weight was only now resting in his hands.

"Hey, Archer said that the Grail was a wishing device right?" Hestia asked as she flopped herself onto her back and looked toward Bell with her head upside down. "Are you going to try and wish to become stronger with it?"

"…No," Bell decided with a shake of his head. "I want to achieve that strength with my own hands alongside Lily, Welf, Emma, Primo and Gina. Besides, the Grail needs to be filled up with the Servants for the wishing part to work, right?"

But still…he would like some sort of hint to the mysterious problem that he was facing. But it was unlikely that an answer would come to him when he wasn't even sure what the problem was to begin with.

Was it simply the lack of strength that made him feel down…or was it because it had been the very first time he saw people die in front of him? Eyes filled with fear, dread and despair before their lives were willingly snuffed out in the name of and for the glory of their god.

"B-Bell!? Are you okay?"

Bell turned his head toward Hestia again to see his goddess staring at him with worry.

"Your face is looking really pale," she said as she hopped to her feet. "Look…take the day off today and just relax in your room or something. Maybe take a nap or something."

"Y-yeah," Bell nodded in agreement, suddenly realizing his body was shaking rather violently. "M-maybe I'll read a book or something…"

"_Then, how about I head out for a spin?_"

"Eh?"

A voice sounded in his head, causing him to take a step back and bump into the bookshelf behind him. Turning his head around he managed to see the title of one of the books written on its spine.

"_Argonaut_?"

It was the title of the Myth that he had been talking with Emma about just moments earlier.

"Bell!?"

"Oowah!?"

A bright light shined in the room, emanating from both the Holy Grail and Bell, causing Hestia to throw her arms in front of her eyes to shield them.

When the light finally died down, she peered around her arms to see Bell standing there with a blank look on his face before setting the Grail back in its case.

"Bell! Are you all-" Hestia began before Bell quickly walked over to her and took her hands into his own, causing the goddess to squeak in surprise.

"Ahh! So it's true!" Bell suddenly said as he knelt down in front of her. "A black haired bombshell divine beauty truly does exist! Although you were magnificent when you were but a mere image in my mind, seeing you in the flesh gives me the greatest joy!"

"Hueh?" Hestia couldn't help but utter a sound of pure confusion at Bell's sudden rapid fire compliments but a rather large part of her was extremely happy about them.

But there was something strange about them. Like he was speaking to her as if she was a stranger.

"Madam, may I ask that you stay by my side forever?" Bell suddenly said. "Now that we have met I cannot bear to ever part from you!"

"W-who are you!?" Hestia shouted, tearing her hand away from the person's grip. "Bell would never be able to say such things with a straight face."

As she admitted it, she felt her heart tear itself in two.

"Fufufu, of course it is only natural for a hero to introduce oneself on a first meeting," "Bell" said as he stood up with his arm out in what he probably considered a "heroic" pose. "Rejoice! For I am-"

"What's going on!?"

The door was thrown open and Archer had stepped inside, looking between "Bell" and Hestia before focusing on "Bell."

"You…who the heck are you!?" Archer demanded.

"Just a hero that happens to be passing by! I have come in this world to take in the future that I had hoped would come. This is the day that I take my first leap into this new era!"

With a laugh, "Bell" ran toward the balcony and jumped right through it.

"Ah…uwaaaaaaaah!"

But naturally, since they were on the fourth floor with no other building near the manor, he fell all the way down to the ground with a scream.

Archer only spent a second completely dumbfounded at the scene before rushing to the balcony and looking down.

"…He vanished?" Archer gasped in surprise. "Dematerialization? No, they can't do that with Bell's human body…Presence Concealment?"

"Was that Master's scream?" Saber asked as he and the other Servants aside from Caster appeared in the doorway, looking rather ready for battle.

"Can we get an explanation, Lady Hestia?" Archer asked turning toward Hestia who was at a complete loss to the turn of events as well.

X-x-X-x-X

"So Bell had the Grail in his hands when it suddenly started glowing and then he started acting like that?" Archer summarized when everyone had gathered into Hestia's office. "And for it to happen when that guy's off somewhere…"

It would seem that Caster had left on some personal business shortly after the morning meeting, thus he was currently not present in the office or at the Home.

"He said he was heading out to 'release his built up irritation,'" Emma noted. "Do you think he's going into the Dungeon on his own?"

"Well, he's definitely not going to the Pleasure District," Gina pointed out. "Not with his…issues with Ishtar anyway."

"Girls, focus," Rider said as she placed a hand on Gina's head before turning back to Archer. "Do you think the Grail did something?"

"That's the only explanation," Archer nodded. "It's a vessel for a massive amount of magic after all. It probably used Bell's body as a vessel for a Heroic Spirit. Although he did seem a bit…insane…I don't think that that was Berserker though."

"A forced manifestation by the Grail," Saber muttered as he glance at Archer. "Just like what it did with you, correct?"

"Probably," Archer nodded. "Though this is my actual body…for a given definition of 'actual' anyway."

"Putting that aside, shouldn't we go after him?" Lily asked, looking rather worried. "If a Spirit has taken over Bell's body then who knows what it could do!"

"Hmm, I don't think anything really bad will happen," Primo said as she placed a finger on her chin. "I don't know about Servants and the like, but some of the more mischievous Spirits sometimes play pranks like this."

"Oh yeah!" Gina nodded. "I remember last fall, during the festival, a bunch of Spirits gathered into a goddess and made her super big for a moment. It was really funny though her Familia was really worried for a bit."

"No, in the worst case scenario…the Heroic Spirit inside Bell might reveal our existence to someone," Lancer pointed out.

"Yeah," Archer agreed. "We'll have to split up to look for him."

Thus they were split up into groups.

Archer and Saber were to head out on their own, Rider would look with Gina, Assassin would look with Primo and Emma would look with Lily. Lancer and Hestia were to stay behind both to watch after Fia and wait just in case Ganesha came over.

The search for Bell and the mysterious Servant was on.

X-x-X-x-X

"Ahhh…I can't believe that happened…" Tione said as she slumped over the table at the outdoor café she was sitting at with her younger sister, Lefiya, and Ais.

"Well, you said Finn did knock her out with a single punch after all," Tiona said with a laugh. "It's only natural that Argana would fall head over heels for him. I mean you did too."

"Shut up! The Captain's mine! I won't hand him over to anyone, especially not to Argana!"

"Ahaha…"

As the debacle with Kali Familia was finally over, Loki and Finn sent the twins and Lefiya back to Orario to rest and to get them away from Kali Familia as soon as possible. Ais was also sent along to watch over them and to make sure they were relaxing while the rest of the Familia handled the clean up of Melen.

"So…" Tiona began, changing the topic as she looked over to Lefiya. "You're going to be a teacher, Lefiya?"

"So it seems," Lefiya nodded. "Primo seems to be a smart girl though so I think she'll be able to learn very quickly."

"She said has a Spell already right?" Ais asked.

"That's right. And she is already able to cast it. I don't know how much I'll be able to teach but I'll definitely do my best."

"Haha, maybe she'll become your rival in the future," Tiona said with a smile.

"I-I'm not going to consider a ten-year-old my rival!"

"Yeah but a difference of five years isn't much, especially for an Elf, right?" Tione pointed out. "And in ten years or so it'll be a whole new game if she ends up growing even half as fast as that boy with Archer and their other crazy Familia members hanging around them."

"Gu…mumumu, I won't lose to a ten-year-old!"

As the others shared a laugh at Lefiya's expense, Tiona suddenly let out a shout.

"Ah, Little Argonaut spotted!" Tiona said, pointing over the table toward the crowd.

There, the girls could see Bell Cranel making his way through it, head turning every which way as he took in all the sights.

"Is he lost?" Lefiya asked as they saw him stare bewilderedly at a human girl clinging happily to an elf man, the latter of which looking rather resigned to his companion's affection.

"Looks like he's just on a walk to me," Tione said before Bell turned to look.

"Let's go say 'Hi!'" Tiona said, getting up to walk over only for Ais to grab her by the arm.

"That's not him," she said. "That's not Bell Cranel."

"Huh, really?" Tiona asked as she turned back toward the Bell lookalike. "But he looks just like him though."

The lookalike suddenly looked over his shoulder and with a flustered look on his face before quickly sprinting down the road in the direction of Babel Tower. Not long after that, a familiar figure was standing on the rooftops of one of the shops, scanning the streets as if looking for something, or someone.

"Mister Archer?" Lefiya noted as Archer looked in their direction and his expression went from a deep frown to one of surprise. He then gave them a smile with a small wave before heading the opposite direction of Babel.

"That's strange…do you think he was looking for that lookalike?" Tione asked.

"This sounds interesting," Tiona said with a spark in her eyes. "Let's follow him."

"Who? The lookalike?" Lefiya asked. "I'm not so sure that's a good idea. Besides, didn't Loki tell us to rest?"

"Come on, it'll be fun!" Tiona insisted before looking to Ais. "What do you say, Ais?"

"Let's go," Ais said with a rather serious expression on her face.

"O-okay," Tiona nodded as she shared a glance with her sister and Lefiya. They quickly gathered their things, leaving behind the payment for their meal, and quickly headed in the direction of Babel Tower as well.

It didn't take long for them to find the lookalike. The boy was standing in the plaza just in front of the tower while staring up at it in awe.

"Looks like it's not Bell after all," Lefiya noted. "He wouldn't be so surprised to see Babel Tower otherwise."

They watched the boy pat himself down for a moment before touching his back and pulling out a black dagger. Tapping the tip for a moment, he nodded with a smile before returning it to its sheath and made a beeline toward the entrance.

"He's going in," Tione muttered. "Should we keep going?"

Ais answered by striding forward into the Dungeon first, forcing the other girls to quickly follow after her.

X-x-X-x-X

Keeping a good distance between themselves and the boy, the girls watched him encounter a single goblin all by its lonesome.

"Oho, a goblin!" The boy shouted in a rather arrogant tone that was rather grating when compared to Bell's usual polite and modest demeanor. "You shall be the first to taste my blade reborn! Toh!"

With a flash, the boy drew his dagger and shot forward. His body was little more than a blur as he all but disappeared from his starting position and reappeared at the end of the corridor behind the goblin which had lost its head.

"…That's pretty fast," Tione muttered. "He sounds and acts like he's a Level 1 but…that's not the speed of a Level 2."

"Something's definitely weird," Lefiya added, nodding her head in agreement as the boy was staring at his hands.

"AMAZING!" He shouted at the top of his lungs as his hands shot up in a cheer. "This body is amazing! With this, I don't need to hide behind Fina anymore! Or rather, aren't I even stronger and faster than Yuri and the others now too? This is great! I shall write this in my Hero Journal! Just…as soon as I get a new one! Heroically!"

"Why does that name sound familiar?" Lefiya muttered.

"Ah, he's moving again," Tiona spoke up.

"Let's keep following," Ais said.

And so, they continued following the strange boy deeper and deeper into the Dungeon.

X-x-X-x-X

Back on the surface, Saber was making his way through the crowd, looking for any sign of his missing Master.

"_The connection between us and Master is muted_," Saber thought to himself as he stepped to the side to allow a golden haired god to pass by with a black haired elf. "_So the mysterious Servant has Presence Concealment despite the Assassin class already being filled. That or a Skill that works in a similar fashion. However we are still receiving magic from him even if we cannot tell where it is coming from. Should we consider them some sort of Pesudo-Servant?_"

As he was caught up in his thoughts, someone called out to him.

"That knight over there."

The voice was lovely and enticing, and that alone made Saber put up his guard. Turning around, he saw a woman wearing a hood gesturing at him to come over on the other side of the street. Though she was hiding herself with the cloak, Saber could easily see through it and discern her identity without fail.

Her perfectly symmetrical face and seductive proportions were hidden by the cloak but there was this lovely scent that could even the strongest of heroes become weak willed in her presence. The presence of a Goddess of Beauty.

"Goddess Freya," Saber said after he followed her into the alleyway. Although she was not the goddess of his Familia, she was still related to someone of importance to Saber. Thus he had no qualms in kneeling before her. "What can I do for you?"

"Oh my, you really are playing the role quite well, aren't you?" Freya asked with a giggle. "I was wondering if you have some time to talk, child of Hestia."

"My apologies but I am currently searching for someone. If you wish, we can reschedule it for another time."

"Oh my…you are an interesting one," Freya said, sounding rather surprised at his refusal. But rather than getting angry, she seemed rather delighted by it. "But unfortunately I won't be able to sneak out again. I promise I won't take too much of your time. I merely have a single question to ask of you in private. In return, I will answer any questions you have, including where your little boy went off to. How about it?"

"…Very well," Saber acquiesced with a nod.

"My, it's been so long since I have had to barter for something that I wanted," Freya said with another giggle. "How refreshing. Well then, this way please."

Freya led Saber into a small café where she raised a hand toward the person standing behind a bar counter before making her way through the store, ignoring the gazes of the other customers as she did. The two of them stopped by a door which Saber stepped forward and opened for Freya before they stepped inside.

It was a private room that opened up to the balcony of the store, allowing one a view of the main street with Babel Tower in the distance.

"Now then," Freya began as she took a seat at the table in the center of the room and Saber sat down across from her. "I heard Hestia took you all on a trip to Melen."

"That is correct," Saber confirmed. There was no harm in doing so. It was supposed to have been a vacation after all.

"There seems to have been some trouble down there and from what I saw, it seems as though that boy, Bell Cranel, has been involved in it. Is he all right?"

"Before I answer that question…may I ask why you are concerned for my Vice Captain's wellbeing?"

"Well, it's because he interests me," Freya replied honestly with a smile. "You can't find a child as pure as him no matter how hard you look in Gekai. Ahh, but please don't misunderstand me. I have no desire to try and take him for myself so long as he remains a part of your Familia. I like Hestia far too much to do that to her and I believe he will shine the brightest with her. Consider me someone who wishes to see her favorite celebrity still perform at his best despite any setbacks."

"I see…" Saber accepted the explanation with a nod. "As expected of the gods I suppose. Then to answer your question…we ran afoul of a group known as Evilus. I believe you should be aware of them if you have resided in Orario for a while."

"Evilus…" Freya repeated rather darkly but didn't continue.

"Yes. Bell encountered them and they tried to harm him by blowing their own bodies up in front of him. I suppose the sight of so much human death has affected him a bit. But he is still young and his heart is strong. He will power through it in time."

Saber declined to make any mention of Ishtar Familia. He had no idea if Bell had came across any of them after all. And it wasn't as though they knew the identity of the suicide bombers.

"Indeed," Freya agreed with a beautiful smile. "Now then, as promised I shall answer any questions you have so long as they do not involve my Familia's Secrets."

"Then, may I ask why you are fond of my goddess?" Saber asked. "It may sound strange coming from me, but our Familias are more or less on the opposite side of the spectrum, are they not?"

It was the truth. Up until recently, Hestia Familia was on the very bottom while Freya Familia was on the very top of the social ladder in Orario.

"Oh that?" Freya asked with a laugh. "It's because she's one of the few gods that can be completely honest with me. As a goddess, she doesn't fall under the influence of my Charm and become a babbling idiot like the majority of the men and she isn't one of those goddesses that are so insecure in their own beauty. But her being able to tell me exactly what she is thinking at the moment is what I love about her. I invited her to go shopping with me too but it appears that she hasn't been able to find the time."

"…I see."

Truly the gods are incomprehensible.

"Then…may I hear where Bell has gone to?"

"Hmm, oh that. I believe he went in the direction of Babel Tower. Perhaps he has gone off into the Dungeon? But…there appeared to be something sticking rather close to him."

"Do you consider it hostile?"

"No…on the contrary, it seems to be making him shine even brighter than ever. I am rather…conflicted about that."

It wasn't any of her business to begin with but Saber decided that it wasn't his place to say so out loud.

"Do you have any other questions?" Freya asked but Saber shook his head.

"No, thank you for your time."

"Oh no, I should be saying that to you. Oh, and I would appreciate it if you reminded Hestia of our little shopping date."

Saber lowered his body into a bow and left without another word. Freya watched him go, her finger tracing the circles on the wooden table.

"Really, just where are you finding these children, Hestia?" she asked with a remorseful sigh. "That one has such a beautiful color…but it isn't complete without that woman's soul beside it. There's no point in taking half a piece and I don't have the motivation to do it either."

Freya then let out a soft chuckle.

"Well, I suppose it doesn't matter. After all, the boy's soul will be mine in the end. It's all just a matter of waiting."

X-x-X-x-X

Back in the Dungeon, the four girls of Loki Familia were still watching the boy who looked very similar to Bell Cranel clear the Dungeon without stopping. They had already made it to the entrance of the Tenth Floor where the winding rocky tunnels would be replaced by large rooms filled with fog.

"Hmm…that should be far enough," the boy said as he returned his dagger to his sheathe and brushed off his clothes. He then turned around with a smile. "I don't mind being watched by so many beauties but can I at least get to know my audience before I continue forward?"

"Ahaha, busted~" Tiona said with a laugh.

"Should we show ourselves?" Lefiya asked.

"Well, it's not like we saw anything suspicious," Tione added.

Ais however, remained silent as the four of them walked down the corridor to meet the mysterious boy. As they drew close, they saw the boy's eyes open wide in shock.

Lefiya felt that it was a rather normal reaction. Realizing that the elites of Loki Familia (plus Lefiya herself) were the ones that had been following you would probably shock any Adventurer in Orario.

"F-Fina!?" The boy shouted in surprise before any of them could say anything. "And Elmina and Orna and…Aria!?"

At the final name, all of them froze. It had been a while since Lefiya heard someone call Ais, "Aria" but the only ones who had done so had been there enemies.

"Why are you all here!?" The boy continued, unaware of their inner turmoil and looking as though he had been reunited with people he hadn't seen in years. Even though the four of them had never seen him before. "No that should be obvious. The bonds we share with each other surpass even the boundary of time and space!"

Then in a blink of an eye, the boy was suddenly in front of Ais down on one knee and holding her hand as if she was a princess.

"But you shouldn't be here, Aria," the boy said, smiling rather brightly. "This place is filled with monsters after all. It's not a place where a princess should…go…huh?"

The boy then stood up and stared right into Ais's eyes, causing the girl to lean back.

"…Gold eyes…" he muttered before turning to Lefiya who took a step back. "And…full length ears."

There was a slight pause before the boy jumped away from them and prostrated himself on the ground in that legendary "do-ge-za" thing that Loki had mentioned offhandedly once or twice before. A mysterious pose originating from the Far East that had the power to ask any request or forgive any slight.

"I'm so sorry for my mistake!" The boy shouted, pressing his hands and forehead against the ground. "I mistook you all for someone else! Especially to that Lady Elf over there. Forgive me for mistaking you for my sister!"

"S-sister?" Lefiya repeated. "But…aren't you a human…ah…"

If he had mistook Lefiya for his sister but was surprised to see that she was an Elf then his sister must have been a Half Elf.

"Indeed, please accept my sincerest apologies!"

"N-no, it's fine!" Lefiya said quickly. "It's hard to notice at a first glance. It's fine, really!"

"Hey…when you said 'Orna,' are you talking about 'Orna the Storyteller?'" Tiona asked. "One of the Great Three Poets?"

"Heh, so she went on to become a storyteller after all," the boy said with a smile as he raised his head. "Good for her!"

"Did you hit your head somewhere?" Tione asked with a frown. "Orna the Storyteller lived centuries ago. Why would they be here now?"

"Why, you say?" the boy asked with a smile as he jumped to his feet, placing a hand on his chest. "Because _I_ am here after all!"

"…Who are you?" Ais asked, placing a hand over her sword to the surprise of the other girls. "What are you doing with Bell Cranel's body?"

"His body…what?" Tione asked but Ais refused to take her eyes off the boy in front of them.

"Bell Cranel…" the boy said with a small smile. "That's right. That's what this boy's name is. A young man who grew up hearing the story of Heroes so often that he himself wished to become one. Hahahahaha, as expected I suppose. It's only natural for our souls to resonate so!"

Ais's blade slipped out slightly from its sheath, causing the boy to quickly raise his hands up.

"Whoa whoa whoa, he's perfectly fine so long as I don't get hurt in the meantime," the boy said quickly. "He got involved in a fight with some shady people so he's in a bit of a shock so I had him sleep for a bit. In the meantime I wanted to take a look around this world where the gods have finally come to answer the prayers of humanity."

"You…who exactly are you?" Ais demanded.

"Just a passing by clown who also wished so desperately to become a Hero," the boy answered with a smile. "You may call me, Argonaut."

"Argo…naut?"

Lefiya and Tione repeated his name at the same time as they shared a glance.

"That's right," "Argonaut" replied. "You may have heard of me. The great hero who took up the late General Minos's power to defeat the monstrous Minotaur and save Princess Ariadne! _That _Argonaut now stands before you!"

As his voice echoed through the walls of the Dungeon, Lefiya and the others could only give him a blank stare.

"…I see that you do not believe me," Argonaut said, his smile holding strong. "That is fine. It is not every day one sees a living legend after all. But don't worry, I shall show you proof."

Thrusting his hand straight up into the air Argonaut then bellowed, "_Heed my call, Great Spirit Jupiter! Your contractor has returned to the mortal world! I hereby renew our contract. Come! My lightning blade! Bestow upon me my inherited raiment!_"

The girls took a step back and braced themselves for whatever it was Argonaut was planning…but as the seconds ticked away, nothing was happening.

"G-give it a minute," Argonaut said, suddenly sounding a bit unsure of himself. "That old fart's loves to make things harder for-"

A flash of lightning interrupted Argonaut's words, filling the entire tunnel with light as Argonaut let out an irritated scream, "YOU TOTALLY PLANNED THAT, DAMN IIIIITTTT!" Not only that, Lefiya could have sworn she heard the boisterous laugh of an old man echo in the halls along with Argonaut's scream.

As the light died down and the girls opened their eyes, they saw Argonaut standing before them as before, only now his arms and legs were adorned with an armor of gold with a beautifully weaved white cloth over the black shirt and trousers that Bell Cranel had been wearing with a flowing black cape to top it all off.

Slamming the golden Magic Sword that had suddenly appeared in his hands into the Dungeon Floor, he began to speak.

"This is the man who defeated the evil creature, Minotaur, allowing humanity to take one great step forward into the future! The one who called upon other great warriors to begin their Heroic Myths! The one who ended the era of sorrow and despair that has plagued this world since the dawn of time."

Argonaut opened his eyes and Lefiya felt her heart began to beat faster at the sheer aura he was exuding.

"I am the one who gave rise to the Era of Heroes! The vessel which lead the Heroes to come to greatness! The one who challenged the gods to view my glory! I am the Radiant Dawn, Argonaut!"

Lefiya believed him.

This was no imposter taking on the name of a children's fairytale in order to live its glory. This wasn't the humble boy who received the nickname from their mutual friend. This was the impossible made possible. A living legend manifested.

Humanity's First Great Hero: Argonaut.

"How's that?" Argonaut asked with a smile. "Pretty freaking cool, if I say so myself."

Lefiya could only nod her head but someone else had other plans.

"Uwwwwoooooooowwww!"

Namely the younger of the twin Amazons who had immediately let out a cheer as she dived at the Hero, sending both of them spiraling to the ground…and down the stairs to the Tenth Floor.

"Huh? No wait! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"

And humanity's first hero screamed all the way down.

X-x-X-x-X

This was the rebirth of a comedy.

A short continuation of the oldest legend in Gekai.

The Legend of Argonaut, begins once more.


	32. Radiant Dawn

**Chapter 32: Radiant Dawn Argonaut**

"Geez, do you always have to act like an idiot?" Tione was chastising Tiona who was sitting on her knees in front of her down on the Tenth Floor of the Dungeon.

"But come on!" Tiona protested. "It's THE Argonaut! The actually actual really real one!"

"Even so…that's no reason to knock him down the stairs. I mean, that's actually Bell Cranel's body, right? Though…I don't quite understand how that works."

Said Argonaut was lying on the ground a few feet away, looking rather battered as he was helped to his feet by Ais and Lefiya.

"Ahaha…it's fine…" Argonaut wheezed. "It's only natural to act in such a fashion when in the presence of a legend. Ugh…but please remember that this body is a rental…I don't want to break it before I give it back to Bell."

"But why _are_ you in Bell's body anyway, Mister Argonaut?" Lefiya asked. "He may be an Adventurer but he's still only a fourteen years old."

"Haha, it just so happens that my Spirit is drawn to the boy," Argonaut replied with a smile. "Perhaps he is my descendant or maybe even the reincarnation of my soul? Or perhaps its merely something as simple as that I have simply answered his desire for strength. Ah, but I don't mind if you jus call me 'Argo.' Argonaut is kind of a mouthful isn't it? Also, I apologize for saying it again but you really do remind me a lot of my little sister, Fina, and hearing 'Argonaut' instead of 'Argo' gives me the shivers."

"Did you not get along with your younger sister?" Lefiya asked.

"Oh no we get along perfectly!" Argo replied with a smile. "She is always there for me to hide behind when things get too tough for me to handle!"

"Huh?"

"D'uuh…I mean, I have always been able to trust my front and my back to her!"

"Hah…"

Lefiya then turned toward Ais who was staring at Argo's sword, which was resting on the ground. It was a golden blade that practically radiated in power. In the story of Argonaut, it was supposed to be the proof that the boy, Argonaut, had inherited the power of General Minos, a powerful warrior bearing the symbol of thunder upon his helmet that defended the last bastion of hope for humanity against the tide of monsters before he was slain by the Minotaur. Seeing such a legendary blade in front of her made Lefiya's hair stand on end, and it was not just because the blade was practically swimming in the power of lightning.

"This sword…is it the power of a Spirit?" Ais asked.

"Oh, you can tell?" Argo asked with a smile. "During my journey to inherit the power of General Minos, I came across a shrine dedicated to a powerful Spirit named Jupiter. After passing its trials, I was bestowed with its power. With it, I challenged and defeated the Minotaur terrorizing the kingdom. With a little help from the princess at the end I suppose."

"So everything that happened in the legend is true?" Tiona asked, suddenly appearing in front of Argo with a smile causing Argo to blink in surprise as if he was seeing something completely unnatural in Tiona's face.

"That I cannot say," Argo replied quickly bringing a smile to his own face. "Although I have some vague idea of what the story you heard contained thanks to Bell's memories, I expect Orna would have exaggerated some things to make it work as a comedy after all. Ah, but if you are asking about my heroic feats and my splendid heroic visage, then yes. Those will all be true! Ha ha ha!"

"Does that include being saved by the princess at the end?" Tione asked causing Argo to deflate, holding a hand over his heart as if he had been shot there. "Not very heroic is it?"

"Oh! You wound me, Miss Tione!" Argo said. "Your words are as painful as Elmina's love taps when I go too far in offering my compliments to Orna!"

"You said that name before," Tione noted. "Who exactly is Elmina?"

"Ahh, she was an Amazon who came to be known as the strongest warrior in the Kingdom after General Minos," Argo explained. "She was Orna's adopted sister. You may probably know her better as Elshana, the War Princess."

The revelation seemed to have struck the twin sisters speechless. Elshana had been an Amazon warrior of the highest renown in Telskyura. A powerful Battle Lord that was known throughout the country as the strongest of the Amazons.

"Man, I remember when I really made her mad and she tried to rip my arm off," Argo continued as a joke. "She really did not like me at all, ahaha! Compared to Minotaur, she was definitely the scarier opponent. But I have to ask…are you two true-blooded sisters?"

"Yeah, that's right," Tiona nodded, looking rather confused at the sudden question. "We're twins."

"I see," Argo nodded, a soft and kind smile on his face. "That makes me really happy. It means Elmina's wish came true. She and Orna became true sisters in blood as well as everything else. I thank the gods for allowing her wish to come true."

"Uh…sure?" Tione muttered, looking rather embarrassed as she scratched her cheek.

"Hey hey, does that mean you knew the other legends Orna the Storyteller wrote?" Tiona asked. "Like Galmusa and Yuris?"

"Of course! All three of them assisted me by helping me clear the path of monsters to reach Minotaur. Galmus was only eighteen when we met but he was already a powerful dwarf warrior with the strength of a hundred men. He also sported a full beard that reached all the way down to his waist. We all were surprised at his age when we found out. Yuri was a prideful werewolf who fought for a home for his clan, the Loga tribe. He took down two dragons and one wyvern all on his own under the light of the full moon. Oh and he was always willing to look the other way when I sneaked some food off of his plate. Usually."

Argo boasted about his companions like someone who was more of a tagalong to heroes rather than their companion but it was clear that he held them all in high esteem.

"To be honest, all three of them were way more heroic than I. They just needed someone to pull them all together for a common goal. And that someone just happened to be me! How fitting for 'Argonaut!' Ha ha ha!"

"So the four of you traveled together along with Orna the Storyteller?" Lefiya asked. "And she recorded your adventures as legends to be passed down?"

"Well, there were seven of us in total," Argo corrected. "Myself, Orna, Elmina, Galmus, and Yuri as you suspected. But my sister, Fina, also came along as our Mage. Also Ryulu or Wishe, I suppose, would sometimes tag along when we crossed paths with each other for more stories to tell. And I guess there was one more, but he left to raise a family. We did keep in touch though."

"It really was an 'Argonaut,'" Tiona said with a laugh before stopping as she thought of something. "Wait…Loga tribe? Isn't that Bete's family?"

"W-well that is his last name in any case…" Tione muttered.

"Ohh, to think another descendent of my friend would be in this town as well!" Argo cheered. "That means he must have succeeded protecting his people after everything. Truly it was a good thing for me to come here. For I have seen the wishes of all of my friends' wishes have come true!"

At Argo's words a growl sounded around them.

"Looks like the Dungeon's had enough of us just hanging around here talking," Tione said as imps and orcs started to close in on them.

"Ehhhhhh! I want to talk with Argo a bit more! Don't get in our way!" Tiona pouted as she prepared to get rid of them but Argo held his hand out.

"No, allow me," the hero said with a smirk as he hoisted his blade over his shoulder. "I've been using Bell's weapon for my entire time down here. Allow me to give my proper demonstration of my heroic power. Fight by my side once more, Jupiter!"

Without even waiting for the girls to say anything, Argo shot forward, clad in lightning as he disappeared in a flash of light and reappeared by the monsters with thunderbolts surging outward into the monsters, burning them to crisps.

"As I thought, it has to be with you after all," Argo said as he placed his hand on the flat of the blade. "My Radiant Sword."

Several bad bats started to surround him but with a single swing of his blade, they too were vaporized in an instant.

"And this body…" Argo muttered, glancing at his hand. "The backlash is almost non-existent. Is it because I'm now a Servant…or is it because of the goddess's blessing? Either way I should be more careful. I won't forgive myself it I do the same to Bell's body that I did to mine…"

Behind him, the girls were watching him with awe.

"Even if they were just Level 1 monsters, that speed is something else," Tione muttered. "That sword is the real deal…it's like I'm watching Archer work all over again."

"Bell's speed was always rather fast for a Level 2," Lefiya admitted. "Even I had trouble keeping up with him back when we were camping on the Eighteenth Floor. Is that Mister Argonaut's power mixing in with Bell's Status? And that Magic Sword…"

However, Argo let the sword vanish in his hands alongside his armor and turned back toward the girls.

"Well, I've had my fun," Argo said with a smile as he tapped his chest. "I better go return what I borrowed before they get mad at me."

"Ehhhh, do you really have to go so soon?" Tiona asked, her voice full of disappointment. "I wanted to hear some more of your stories."

"Hahaha, surely everything about me would be passed down by Orna?" Argo asked. "I asked her to spread my name far and wide after all. It must be my karma to be able to be reunited with my beautiful honeys after coming back to this world! Tis as though I have jumped back into my golden days!"

As he said this, Argo slipped into the middle of the girls and pulled them together in a hug. In response to this, both Tiona and Lefiya delivered a pair of beautiful punches into his stomach, causing him to bowl over in pain.

"Bufawagh!?"

"Wait, Tiona?" Tione shouted in surprise as Argo dropped to the ground. "And Lefiya too?"

""Ah.""

The two girls stepped back in surprise as they looked at their hand.

"Strange…my body moved on its own," Tiona muttered as she rubbed her hand.

"M-mine too…" Lefiya admitted. "I…think I'm also getting a headache. Is it because Mister Argonaut…umm…Mister Argo acts so different from Bell, I wonder?"

"Koff…ack…koff…yep…just like old times," Argo coughed as he remained curled up on the ground, clutching his stomach.

"Pfft…"

Tione, Tiona, Lefiya and Argo all turned as one toward Ais who quickly covered her mouth with a hand and looked away.

"Yes!" Argo said, pumping a fist. "I still got it!"

"Ahaha, as expected of Argonaut!" Tiona said with a laugh as she helped the hero to his feet. "You can make anyone laugh!"

"Of course I can!" Argo replied, throwing his chest out. "It is the duty of all heroes to make sure the people can live with a smile on their face!"

And certainly, the four girls around him did have smiles on their faces, although Tione's was a bit more stiff than the others.

To Lefiya it felt as though Argo was an actor who did his best to overact at every opportunity. He was called a Fool because he actively did to make people smile, even to his own physical detriment.

"Hey Argo, do you mind if I ask something personal?" Tione began.

"Of course, Miss Tione," Argo nodded. "I am perfectly willing to give you my autograph if you ask."

"We don't need it," Tione said, quickly slapping her hand over Tiona's mouth before she can contradict her. "In the story, it said that you set out to be a hero because you wanted to become one. Why is that?"

"Because the world needed one," Argo replied without hesitation, his expression becoming slightly more serious. "I don't have the entire picture of what the world is like today but back then, in the era of darkness, we didn't have anything as convenient as the Falna. Back then people lived with a looming shadow over them that they could die at a moment's notice. Every so often you would hear stories of cities being overrun or even an entire country disappearing overnight under the monster horde."

Argo closed his eyes as if he was trying to relive those dark days as clearly as possible.

Intellectually, Lefiya already knew this. She had learned about it during her lessons about the previous era but hearing it from someone who supposedly lived through it first hand was something else. With the Falna, none of the monsters on the surface would be any threat to humanity, but before then…people had to suffer under the endless horde with no hope in sight.

"It was an era where people would both throw their own children to monsters in order to live while others would throw themselves at them in hopes that their children could live even a moment longer. And even then, there would be people too focused on their own survival that they would ignore a girl crying over her parents' bodies. It is because I could not stand to see such things that I decided to become a hero! Nay, that was when I must become a hero!"

His eyes snapped open as he spoke his resolution.

"People needed something to rally around, a beacon of hope to shine during those trying times. However, I am nothing but a clown. I do not have the power to physically save everyone. But even so, that is something I could leave to other heroes. Instead I would save the ones that fall through the cracks! If I can give them a reason to laugh and keep smiling, to give them the strength to keep living, perhaps that one will go on to save hundreds of others in return! Heroes are there to shine as brightly as possible to leave something for the people behind them. If my comedy can make people smile, if it can let them get through even one more day, then isn't that enough of a reason for me to become a hero?"

"So you realize your story is a comedy?" Tione asked with a wry smile.

"Of course! For I have made it so! Although I will admit that even I didn't expect to be saved by Aria at the last minute, ahaha…"

"By 'Aria' you mean the Princess Ariadne, right?" Lefiya asked.

"That's right. Miss Ais's beauty is almost a perfect mirror to Aria's. Although her eyes were blue instead of golden. Which is why it must be destiny for us to meet here once more. So please, Miss Ais. Please allow me to take your hand in marr-bufwah!"

Argo's rambling was quickly cut off by Lefiya slapping him across the face.

"Stop saying such things with Bell Cranel's face and voice!" The elf shouted as Argo simply chuckled with his face firmly planted in the ground.

"Lefiya…" Tione sighed, causing Lefiya to flinch as she realized that she hit Bell's body rather hard. Again.

"A-Ahhhhh…I did it again…"

"Well…I'm only half serious," Argo admitted as he sat back up, rubbing his cheek. "While this body's heart beats rapidly at the mere sight of Miss Ais and Miss Lefiya, there's no point in a transient Spirit such as myself to tie myself down like that. As it is, I am but a mere Alter Ego of this boy. I will disappear in time."

"Rapid beats, huh?" Tione began with a smirk as Lefiya and Ais flushed at Argo's confession on Bell's body.

"You're going to leave!?" Tiona asked, cutting in to the conversation. "But I wanted to talk to you some more!"

"And I would love to hear more about your life as well, but as I must remind you, this is not my true body," Argo replied tapping Bell's chest again. "I will no doubt fade by the day's end and there is still much I need to do today. I need to hurry back up to the surface. My tour of this era has not yet ended after all!"

"Oh…does that include hiding from the rest of Bell Cranel's Familia?" Tione asked with a smirk as Argo flinched.

"I…might have escaped them in order to fulfill my desires, yes," Argo admitted. "But I swear on my name and honor as a hero that I will return this body the way I found it! Minus the few bruises I gained within the last few minutes of course."

Lefiya let out a groan as she buried her face into her hands. She needed to find a way to apologize to Bell after this.

"T-then can we at least talk as we head back up?" Tiona asked. "I have so much I want to say!"

"By all means," Argo replied with his usual smile. "If you ladies are able to keep up with me."

With that said, Argo turned toward the stairs and began to make his ascent back to the surface at a rather alarming speed considering Bell's Level 2 body. Was it because he was a Spirit or was it because of the power of lightning?

"Argonaut!" Tiona shouted as she quickly ran to follow him with the other three close behind. "I want to say that your story definitely helped me! It made me smile when I didn't know what to do with myself! It gave me the resolve to keep on smiling for myself and those that couldn't!"

"If that is true then everything I did was worth it in the end!" Argo shouted back to her without turning around as he disappeared up the stairs in a flash.

When the girls cleared the stairs to the Ninth Floor however, Argo was nowhere to be seen.

Only the echoing satisfied laughter of a clown, happy with what became of his legacy, remained.

X-x-X-x-X

_Clang. Clang. Clang_

His hammer struck the metal again and again, filling the admittedly messy and otherwise empty forge with signs of life. Even though the vacation had been cut short and smothered with a rather wet blanket in the form of Fia and the knowledge of the Xenos, the time Welf Crozzo spent with Hestia Familia had been rather enjoyable.

But now here he was, home alone in his forge with no one to keep him company.

Welf did not want to admit that he was lonely. He had spent so much time and effort on his own after all and he wanted to say that it was enough that Bell and the others were happy and willing to pay for his work. As a Level 2 High Smith of the Hephaistos Familia, he had the privilege of using his goddess's signature on his works and had the opportunity to make some more clients…at least in theory.

But his name would always draw in the worthless people who only saw the possibility of a powerful Magic Sword and nothing else. They were only after a product that would be discarded after use, not a trusted partner that would stand by them through thick and thin.

But it wasn't the Magic Swords' fault.

It was the fault of the Smiths who made them.

"_Magic Swords will always break._"

That was the fatal common sense that had been drilled into everyone. It was the undeniable "fact" that existed in this world.

Or at least, that's what it should have been.

Gram.

It was the name of Saber's Magic Sword. A blade so powerful that it could cleave through that Enhanced Monster Rex's arms and not shatter immediately after use. And even then he would use it as an actual sword and cut up monsters with it on occasion.

A Magic Sword that did not break. Such a thing was possible, somehow.

At first Welf thought that Saber had somehow managed to make a Durandal Magic Sword but the blade itself contained no trace of Orichalcum, the key material required to make Durandal weapons.

Simply seeing it in action stoked his Blacksmith soul while at the same time gave rise to some other complicated feelings. He had made such a big deal about never making a Magic Sword but as the days went by, the more and more he thought about making a Magic Sword that could rival that of Gram's might. It wasn't as though it was a mere boast either. He felt it, deep down in his soul, that he could make a blade that would rival that weapon…and it would be one step closer into catching up to his own dream.

To make a blade that could rival his goddess's.

When an aspiring Smith wanted to join Hephaistos Familia, they are taken to a private room and shown a single sword resting on top of a pedestal. A blade both simple and beautiful at the same time that it sent chills down his spine. A blade made by the goddess herself, using only pure human techniques while using none of her godly powers.

"_If you don't feel it, go someplace else._"

And feel it he did. Even just remembering the blade gave him goosebumps. A part of him wanted a fellow sword maniac like Archer to see it but he felt that his goddess wouldn't allow an outsider to lay eyes on it.

And his desire to create something to surpass it was easily read by his friends' Familia Captain. During the night before they set off to meet the talking monster, Caster and Welf had a small chat to pass the time. Although Welf had been the one to instigate it as it was only the two of them sharing the room together, Caster humored him.

When the topic came to Welf's dreams however…

"_You wish to create something that surpasses that of a god and yet you refuse to use the full extent of your abilities?_" Caster had asked. "_Do you consider your destination so shallow that you can afford to do so? Is it your desire to insult your goddess so blatantly?_"

It was never his intention to do so but he was ashamed that he only just now realize how it could be taken from an outside point of view. To surpass a blade created by a goddess without using the full extent of his abilities…it was like claiming to be able to beat a master swordsman recognized by the entire world in a duel while blindfolded with one hand behind your back.

There's confidence and then there is just running your mouth.

Welf then laid out the blade in front of him.

It was made from the ores he managed to find during the trip to Melen and had been completed into a beautiful red blade, making it look like it was made out of crystal rather than metal. Of course, it was a regular sword rather than a Magic Sword.

"Yep, I'm satisfied," Welf said with a metaphorical pat on his back.

It was made rather easily and quickly but it didn't mean it was low quality. It was just that the material was easy to work with. It should be able to stick with Emma for a long time, so long as something catastrophic didn't happen for it to shatter.

Welf then let out a long sigh as he rubbed his head.

Catastrophic as in finding out that there were a group of monsters in the Dungeon that could speak and understand humans and wanted to live on the surface with them. If he was honest with himself, he wanted nothing to do with them. Sure, he felt sorry for the harpy, Fia, and its companions but Welf did not have the motivation, opportunity, nor ability to help them.

But…he did want to help Bell help them.

"What do I do?" He muttered to himself.

He felt rather lost and there was no one that he could talk to about it.

"Well, you could just do what you want and worry about the consequences later."

Welf jumped up to his feet and spun around at the voice, only to place a hand over his chest and sigh.

"Ah geez, it's just you Bell," Welf said as he scratched his head. "Gave me a fright there."

"My apologies my dear friend," Bell replied with a smile, his head poking in from the window that Welf had opened earlier. "But I did not wish to disturb your work."

"…Why are you talking like Saber?"

"Well, probably because…I am not Bell but the legendary Hero, Argonaut!"

…

Silence filled the forge with only the sound of the smoldering embers cracking to fill in the blanks of Welf's head as he just stared at him in confusion.

"Are you feeling okay, Bell?" Welf asked. "Did that rescue mission addle your brains a bit?"

"Hoh hoh hoh, I expected such a reaction," Bell replied with a nod as he flipped through the window and landed inside the forge. "As expected of Crozzo's descendant! But would you believe me if I did this?"

"Bell" held his hand out and red lightning arced out of his arm and a blood red blade formed between them.

"Tell me, descendent of Crozzo! Does your blood still burn?"

"Bell!? What the-huh!?"

Welf's eyes fell on the blade and as the boy said, he felt something burn inside of him just by looking at it. It was a feeling similar whenever he looked at one of Hephaistos's personal works like Bell's black knife but this felt much more personal and intimate.

"You need not just simply take it in with your eyes," the boy said with a smile as he held the blade toward him. "Feel free to hold it as well. Though the blood of Ursu has thinned out, you should still be able to tell what this is, right?"

"This…this is a Crozzo Magic Sword," Welf said as he could feel the heat radiating out from within. Even without seeing it in action, Welf could tell that its sheer majesty made the power of Kazuki, the flames he used against the Monster Rex, look nothing more like a match stick in comparison. "But how?"

"I said so before, didn't I? I am Argonaut. And although the legends may have forgotten that he was a part of my story, I have not. It is a blade given to me by your ancestor, the first Crozzo."

"Then…this blade…" Welf gasped, his throat feeling rather dry. "It's…"

"That's right! The second Magic Sword forged by your great ancestor! The Magic Sword-"

"The original Minotan!" Welf shouted, holding the blade up. "It is it! I can't believe it actually existed! So he did end up making more Magic Swords after all!"

"Ahh…yes…Crozzo did call it that, didn't he?" Argo muttered with a dry laugh. "Well, do you believe me now?"

Welf nodded.

He had to. There was no way Bell could have gotten his hands on such a legendary blade within the span of a few hours since he last left him.

"I must say though…" Argo said as he placed a hand on his chin and looked up and down Welf as if appraising him. "You are the splitting image of my friend, your ancestor Crozzo. It truly is a strange fate that you would be friends with Bell Cranel as he was to me."

"Wait…does that mean Bell is your descendant?" Welf asked as he handed the blade back to Argo.

"Who can say?" Argo replied vaguely with a shrug. "He is but a simple farmboy raised only by his grandfather while I am a Heroic Spirit currently having fun while possessing his body. Our souls resonate rather well with each other though, if I do say so myself."

Argo let out another laugh before looking at Welf with rather serious eyes.

"But I didn't come here to talk about myself. I wanted to see how my friend's legacy lived on."

Argo looked around the forge to see the various blueprints and designs for the girls of Hetia Familia Welf had stuck up on the wall above piles of material he had planned to use for them.

"Compared to him, it looks like your business is actually doing rather well!"

"Hahaha…well, its all from a single source…" Welf admitted with mixed feelings that his ancestor also had trouble selling his wares as a blacksmith.

"Hmm…but do you not sell Magic Swords?" Argo asked. "Watching you, I can say that your skill would not fall behind that of my friend's in time. Any Magic Sword you create would surely be powerful beyond measure. Even the Magic Sword of Flames should easily be surpassed if you work hard enough."

To hear such high praise from a legend who new his ancestor stirred the same mixed feelings from earlier.

"I…" Welf began as he slumped down in a chair. "Don't want to make Magic Swords. I don't like them."

The confession caused Argo to frown slightly as he glanced down at the Magic Sword in his hands.

"I see…" Argo said with a nod as though he already knew Welf would say that. "My friend would be sad to hear that."

"No one asked you," Welf growled.

"My apologies, you misunderstand me, Welf Crozzo," Argo said quickly. "I do not mean it like that. I mean that he would be sad to hear that his blood seems to be the source of your problems."

Welf stared at Argo in surprise.

"I may not understand the problems you have with them but if you don't want to make Magic Swords then I'm sure he would support your decision with all of his heart," Argo continued with a smile. "He was that kind of person after all. He would smile, nod his head and say 'If that's what you want, then that's what you should do. If that is the path you want to take to your goal then go for it. I'll be here waiting either way if you change your mind.'"

"…It's not," Welf said as he held his head in his hands. "It's just my own personal beef with them. I can't trust them. Magic Swords always break after all, leaving their users behind."

"Is that really true?" Argo asked, a light tone in his voice as he walked closer to Welf and held the Magic Sword in front of Welf again. "Then why is this in my hands? How many hundreds of years have passed since my story became known across the land? But behold, the Magic Sword of Flames is still with me. It hasn't broken. It is still my trusty partner after all this time."

Welf lifted his head up, eyes wide as he stared once more into the dark crimson blade.

"I can't say what you should do," Argo said, standing up as the Magic Sword disappeared into red wisps of light. "I shouldn't have to. I think you already know what you want to do and how to do it. If there is a flaw in your Magic Swords…then you just have to remove it, right? Even a child like Jack can, and did, tell you that, hahaha."

"Yeah…she did, didn't she?" Welf asked with a smile as he looked toward his forge again.

"Well whatever you decide to do, know that Bell and the others will be with you right there to support you no matter what. That's what comrades do, after all."

Welf turned to look back at Argo but the young man was already gone, just as quickly as he came.

"Comrades, huh?" Welf muttered as he went to sit back in front of his forge. Taking a piece of metal ore from a bag, he stared into it before rubbing his back. "…I'll think about it as I work. It's not something I can just decide on a whim."

As the sound of flames and hammering of steel sounded out from the smithery once more, a young man smiled at the renewed spirits of his friend before disappearing back into the city.

X-x-X-x-X

"Nnnngghh! I had fun today!" Argo said as he stretched his arms over his head. "I got to see the power of the gods first hand and see a possibility that I never thought I would be able to see. A reflection of Orna's smile…haha…"

He didn't manage to see if all of his friends' descendants but considering he found so many of them within the limited time he had, he would call it a win.

"Now then…" he said before turning to look at one of the archways into one of the watchtowers that were placed along the walls of the city. "Can I help you?"

Another person was looking at him from the shadows. It didn't seem like they had been tailing him, but rather they had simply came across him by coincidence and was trying to keep themselves hidden while observing him.

It was one thing if they had been a cute girl, but Argo had no interest in letting a man watch him, no matter how handsome he was. Someone like Ryulu was free to watch him all they wanted though.

"My bad my bad, I saw little Gina and the rest of Hestia's Children running around looking for you that I wasn't sure if I was safe coming out."

And out came a golden haired man wearing a feathered cap over a smile. The aura he exuded was beyond anything Argo had ever seen before. Even without looking at Bell's memories, he could tell what this person was.

A god.

"Oh, what a divine visage!" Argo found himself saying while feeling a bit charmed by the smile. "If I had even a fraction of your good looks, I would have won over Aria and Orna in an instant!"

"Ahaha, I'm flattered Bell," the god replied with a small chuckle. "Or perhaps I should call you 'Argonaut' instead?"

"Oh, you have heard of me?" Argo replied with a smile.

"In passing. One of my children overheard one of Bell's Familia members talking to some of Loki's children and told me about it. First off, is Bell all right?"

"Of course. If anything were to happen to him, I would suffer for it in return in more ways than one. The moment his life were to be in danger I would sacrifice myself without a second thought."

"That is a relief," the god said with a nod. "I am rather fond of Bell myself so I'd hate to see something happen to him. Oh but I suppose I should introduce myself. I am Hermes, a…well, I suppose not quite 'friend' per se, but an acquaintance of Bell's. I've heard quite a few tales about you, Argonaut."

"Oh, so my legend has been seen by the gods above after all?" Argo asked, looking rather happy and pleased at the thought.

"That's right," Hermes nodded as he walked closer to Argo and leaned against the wall. "Sadly I was too busy to watch you during your original journey but I knew a few gods that were quite fond of your little performance so I heard about it secondhand. Zeus in particular absolutely loved it."

"Ohh! That is high praise indeed! For such a famous god to go out of his way to watch a clown's performance."

"Well, you did cause quite the stir after all," Hermes said with another laugh as he rummaged through his bag. "Though I suppose that is why so much of the true story was kept secret from the world."

Argo found himself frowning as Hermes held out a small book…no, it was more of a journal. It looked positively ancient with the cover just barely holding its contents together and several of its pages were frayed and torn. It would be a miracle for someone to make sense of its contents.

"What is that?"

"As you might have guessed, it is a journal. One written by someone very close to you. Close enough to know that you passed away on your very next adventure soon after saving the sacrifice from being offered to Minotaur."

"Ahahaha, what a strange tale. I certainly don't know anything about that."

"Argonaut," Hermes began softly. "I was wondering if it would work considering your unique circumstances but I suppose even someone like you cannot lie to a god without them knowing."

"Tis not a lie, Lord Hermes," Argo insisted with a smile. "Argonaut is the fool who wished to become a hero. Along the way he was tricked by the evil people around him and even the king himself. And in the end he was saved by the princess he set out to save and together they defeated the darkness looming over the kingdom. That is the story of Argonaut."

"…Lord Zeus's taste in heroes sure is something," Hermes muttered with another chuckle. "Well, I was only looking for confirmation about its contents. I won't spread them around, your highness."

"Oh dear, now I am certain that you have the wrong tale," Argo said as a laugh. "Certainly there can't be a prince so useless and incapable of protecting his people as the clown in front of you Lord Hermes."

"Haha, I suppose not. Then, if you don't mind me asking something random…if you were to have a wish for this new lease on life, assuming you weren't on a time limit what would it be?"

"Of course, it would be for everyone in the world to be able to smile from the bottom of their hearts!" Argo replied instantly, causing Hermes to chuckle.

"I'm sorry, I was asking Argonaut, the person in front of me, not Argonaut the Dawn," Hermes said as he adjusted his hat with his finger. "It's just the two of us, Argonaut. Surely you can have some selfish desires."

"…"

Argonaut just stared at the god for a moment before a rather bitter smile appeared on his face.

"Well, if we're being selfish, then I suppose I would want to duel Minotaur one more time," Argo admitted. "One where we face each other alone with both of us at our very best. And no Aria to be there to save me this time."

"Hoh…that would be quite a spectacle to see," Hermes muttered. "I don't suppose one of the many minotaurs roaming the Dungeon would work?"

"No, that one was special. It had devoured the lives of countless humans and monsters after all. It would have to be what people here call an 'Enhanced Species' I suppose."

"Ahaha…I suppose that is just one of the many reasons why you are drawn to Bell. His achievements usually center around minotaurs after all."

As if chuckling about some inside joke, Hermes glanced to the side for a moment before turning back to Argo.

"Well, I apologize for bothering you but I should say that it would be best to return Bell to his friends soon. Before they burn down the city looking for you."

"I shall take that advice to heart. I will return by the time the sun sets, have no fear."

"Then it was a pleasure meeting you, Argonaut."

With a sweep of his hat, Hermes gave Argo a quick bow before heading back down the same way he came.

"Geez, the gods are far seeing after all," Argo muttered. "But…it looks like everything worked out in the end for the most part."

He glanced back toward the city and Babel Tower that sat in the very center of it.

"The hole at the edge of the continent that Orna talked about has been plugged and the brave Adventurers of this city go in to keep the monsters from escaping with the help of the gods. Hahaha…would it be too much for me to take credit for this? Yeah…it was everyone's effort after all. Hmm?"

As Argo turned around, a pair of feet landed beside him.

"Oh, Miss Ais," Argo greeted the golden haired, golden eyed swordswoman. "I didn't think you'd be able to find me."

"I followed the wind," Ais replied as she looked out to the side toward the setting sun. "Argonaut…are you like Archer and the others?"

"Hmm? Ahh, well if you already know then I suppose more or less," Argo replied tapping his chest. "Although my presence is a bit more transient than the others. I'll disappear and Bell Cranel will come back."

"…I don't…"

"Hmm?"

"I don't quite understand," Ais said. "What exactly are you? You are Spirits…but also different from them."

"…I said so before, didn't I? I am a Hero. Someone who appears to make people smile."

"A Hero…and a Spirit."

"That's right."

"Then…if you're here…would _he_ be able to appear as well?"

"Who?"

A name escaped Ais's lips and Argo blinked in surprise.

"Ahh…that guy, huh?" Argo said with a chuckle. "If one thinks of a hero then that guy definitely comes to mind first or second."

"Then…!"

"I'm sorry, it probably won't happen," Argo said sadly. "The circumstances to call him here are rather specific and it's already too late for that to happen."

"…I see…"

Pain shot through Argo's heart as Ais's body slumped as if a lifeline had been forcibly tugged away from her. It wasn't the face of someone who was hoping to meet a fairytale like Tiona did and found out that it wasn't possible but a more personal sadness.

"But…when I go back to where I came from, I can try to find him for you," Argo said. "The Throne may be a big place but I'm sure I can find him if I look and pass along a message if you want."

"Throne?" Ais asked, sounding both confused and curious.

"Yep. The Throne is a big and magical place where heroes of all eras, past, present and future go and hang out. It's like one big dorm room."

"…Are you making fun of me?"

"No, I would never! I swear on my name, Argonaut!"

Ais just stared at him as Argo did his best to keep his smile up under the gaze of the Sword Princess.

"Is there…any way I can go there too?" Ais finally asked.

"Of course," Argo nodded. "However it is neither an easy nor a quick path. To reach that point yourself, you need to have lived a full life. A life full of adventure. A life without regrets. A life that you could be proud of. A life told by the entire world for years to come. A life of a Hero."

"Hero…"

"That's right, it is a place where only Heroes, people whose deeds have gave way into legend can reside even if their souls have gone onto heaven or have been reincarnated back into this world. If you truly want to see that person again, then I suggest becoming a Hero yourself."

"But…I don't know if I can."

As Ais held her arm and turned her head to the side, Argo placed a hand on her head with a chuckle.

"Don't worry about that," he said softly. "If a clown like me can become a Hero, then you definitely can. You've already taken the first step after all, 'Sword Princess.'"

Ais puffed up her cheeks in embarrassment as she lightly brushed Argo's hand off her head. As she did, his body began to glow in a golden light.

"Seems like time's up," Argo said, looking down at his hands.

"Do you have to go already?" Ais asked. "Tiona really wanted to talk to you more."

The two of them turned their heads back toward the city as if they heard someone screaming Argo's name as they ran through the town.

"Well, this is for the best after all. My story is already over. It's time for the next generation to make their mark…and I want to be a part of its audience this time. The roster for this play is already kinda full anyway."

A fun idea suddenly popped into Argo's head as he turned toward Ais with a smile.

"Though…if I could just ask for one little favor before I go…" he said as Ais tilted her head to the side in confusion.

X-x-X-x-X

It was as though He was looking through the eyes of someone else.

The eyes of a man who knew what he was, what he wanted, and how to achieve it.

The eyes of a Hero.

As the man interacted with the people of a town that was close yet faraway, He felt as though He could get a glimpse of what it was that He felt He was lacking.

"_Is it not because you lack a proper path to become a hero?_"

A path?

"_Indeed! To rescue a princess from a monster. To bring smiles to people everywhere. To simply help anyone you can. The routes one can take to become a hero are as many as there are stars in the sky!_"

He was looking out of the city on one of its many walls in the direction of the setting sun, standing beside someone who could be his twin. A copy perfect in form and voice. Although the voice sounded like His own, it was different. There was no shortage of confidence and drive in the voice, like they had already figured everything out.

"_The main thing is to simply do as you wish and don't listen to anyone that says that you can't be a hero. No matter how painful it is, no matter how much you want to cry, no matter how many people hate you, as long as you stick to your guts, you are already a hero. So, I ask of you Master, how do you wish to become a hero?_"

How did He wish to become a hero?

It had been his dream…and yet all he had been doing was chasing after that person's back.

Ahh…so that was it.

"_Indeed. It is not enough to simply chase after your heroes. You cannot become that person, no matter how hard you try. Therefore what you must do is seek the path beyond him! Do not limit yourself to such a simple goal. Seek out a path that will let you surpass him and be even better!_"

That was right. It was not enough to simply chase after that person. He had to…He _wanted_ to be better than him. His path would never end if he limited himself to that person's back. If He kept on doing so, He would simply always be a single step behind. If He wanted to truly stand beside him…He had to chase after something bigger than either of them.

The end of the path he wanted to reach.

"_And how will you reach it? Have you figured it out?_"

He did not. After all, He would only know that after He had already reached it. But He did know the first step to reach it. He would help the Xenos. Even if helping "monsters" was against everything being an Adventurer stood for, being an Adventurer was not his end goal…but a means to His end.

To lay the foundations to that the Xenos could live out their lives on the surface together with humanity…that is his current desire.

"_And what are you willing to risk in order to make that dream a reality?_"

He could not ask Lily, Emma, or the other girls to risk their lives for His dream. He was not a leader that would order His followers to make His desires a reality. While He would not turn away their help, He did not want them getting hurt for His own selfish reasons. He would stake His life, His reputation, His very soul on fulfilling his own desires, and no one else's. He would save those people who others would ignore and leave behind no matter who or what they were. This was His only path.

His resolution was met with a small chuckle of amusement and relief.

"_I am truly happy to meet you, My Master. It looks like you'll be all right now. I'll be turning things back over to you then, Little Hero. Let us see a new Heroic Myth._"

As the light began to dim, He could see his reflection smiling back at him.

"_I can't offer you anything else but if you ever wanna chat again, I'll be here to listen. Servant Alter Ego, Argonaut, will be at your service for anything other than fighting! Leave that to the others! But please enjoy one last gift before we meet again, fuahahaha!_"

X-x-X-x-X

"Mm…mmm…"

Bell found himself enveloped in a rather deep slumber. His body was wrapped in both the warmth of the setting sun and the gentle brush of the cooling breeze. His body felt strangely tired and coupled with the extreme softness around his head made him so comfortable that he didn't want to move.

It was only when he realize that part of the reason for his comfort was that someone was stroking his hair and brushing their fingers against his cheek.

…_Mom?_

It reminded him of a mother's gentle touch even though he had no idea what that would be like personally. The closest he got to that was when Rider insisted that he use her lap as a pillow the previous night and her kind maternal nature gave him one of the most peaceful and comfortable rests he had ever had. As expected of a woman who had raised and given birth to several daughters. Even Fia, a monster who only considered the Dungeon as her mother, had also fallen completely under her spell.

"_I'm sorry…but I'm not your mother._"

"_Huh?"_

It was not the voice of Rider nor any other member of his Familia.

His red eyes snapped opened and he found a pair of golden ones staring back at him.

"Are you awake?" Ais Wallenstein asked him softly.

Bell suddenly felt wide awake. He also understood that the soft feeling underneath his head was most likely her lap. Which mean that she was, for some reason, giving him a lap pillow like Rider did.

"…Am I dreaming?" Bell asked, begging someone for a lifeline.

"You are not," came the cruel reply of Ais and reality.

"U-umm…why are you doing this?" Bell asked, finding his voice slowly going up in pitch with each word.

"A friend of yours asked me to," Ais replied, brushing Bell's bangs to the side and out of his eyes. "He said you would be happy…was he wrong?"

"I don't hate it at all! In fact, it's more like a-a side benefit? I-I mean, no! No, that's not what I meant! Forget that! I mean, I did enjoy it, but—Wait, I didn't mean that in a weird way…!"

As Bell started panicking and running his mouth in seven different directions at the same time, Ais simply tilted her head, not quite understanding anything he was saying.

"Then, do you want to rest a bit more?" Ais asked, holding her arms out to the side.

"_Huh!?_"

Bell stopped his babbling long enough to turn and face her just in time to see her wave her arms up and down as if trying to invite him even more.

"Err…I…uhh…" Bell began, feeling his face light up as he looked around randomly. "I…I…"

"_Do it Bell! This is your chance!_"

Within the confines of his brain, Bell heard the voice of his grandfather edging him on and take advantage of the invitation to get closer to his crush.

"_Don't you dare do it, Bell! I'll never forgive you if you go after yet another girl!_"

On the other hand, his goddess's voice was pulling him away from his impure desires.

"_Don't get in the boy's way of a hero!_"

"_Wha-gyaaaahhh!_"

The goddess lost and evil triumphs!

"T-then…just for a little bit?" Bell asked, having already lost all inhibitions against lap pillowed the previous night.

For her part, Ais looked rather happy as Bell gingerly rested his head down on her lap again. As Bell tried not to enjoy the feeling too much, Ais started brushing her fingers through his hair again.

Bell was trying very hard not to focus on the softness below his head but it was impossible for his fourteen year old self. After all, was he not in a position of envy that hundreds, if not thousands, of other Adventurers would have killed to be in?

"What's wrong?" Ais asked. "Do you not like it after all?"

"I-it's not that…" Bell managed to squeak out. "It's just…embarrassing when I'm still conscious."

"…So it would be better if you were unconscious?"

That one question sent a thousand shivers down Bell's spine as he tried to focus on something other than Ais. And then something caught his eye on the top of one of the wall towers.

A smirking red bowman and a smiling dragon slayer.

Bell's embarrassed scream proceeded to echo under the red sky.

X-x-X-x-X

"Well…all that matters is that you're back home safe and sound," Hestia said once Archer and Saber brought Bell home with him kneeling in front of her in the living room floor.

"Yes…" Bell replied with a dry throat.

"I leave for barely five minutes and the Familia descends into chaos," Caster muttered rubbing his forehead. "Still, it looks as though the problem has resolved itself and before Ganesha Familia will be visiting too."

"Speaking of which, where did you go anyway?" Hestia asked. "I would have thought that you would stay and oversee Bell summoning Berserker."

"Considering the boy's state in the morning, he was no where near mentally capable of performing the ritual at that point in time," Caster replied simply. "Thus there was no need for me to remain here."

"Then did you go to the Dungeon after all?" Gina asked. "Or to the Casinos?"

"The Dungeon," Caster replied, raising an eyebrow as if surprised that Gina had guessed his intentions. "In order to prepare for what this city will have in store for us, I have judged it necessary to acquire more funds for the coming days. The material reward from Fels will not be included in this."

"Is there something that we would need a lot of money for?" Emma asked, placing a hand on her cheek in thought. "We're not in debt or anything, right?"

"Due to a certain goddess's suggestion," Caster began as he turned toward Fia. "In order to keep 'Tamed Monsters' on the surface, there would be an exorbitant fee. I suspect that it would be around ten million valis to start."

"I see…" Archer nodded in agreement as the mortal members of the Familia turned rather pale at the amount of money Caster suggested with Lily choking on her own saliva. "Around the price of a decent weapon for a High Class Adventurer. This way only a few Familia would even bother with it. Well, I suppose the reward I got from Loki Familia should cover most of it."

"Indeed," Caster nodded. "However, while the Magic Stones provide us no immediate use aside for feed for the harpy, the Drop Items are much more valuable. Do not part with them so easily."

Scales, fangs and talons from dragons from the Dungeon's lowest explored level tend to be that way after all.

"Still, it would not do for you all to rely on ghosts for all your monetary needs," Caster said with a smirk. "Therefore, I will have you all focus gathering funds on your own as well. Party B will be charged with acquiring three hundred thousand valis in two weeks and Party A will gather five times that number. A rather fair exchange, I think. Previous earnings will not count."

"W-we'll do our best," Gina said as Emma and Primo nodded their heads in agreement.

Considering that on average a party of five Level 1 Adventurers could gain around twenty-five thousands valis in a day, they might just barely reach it depending on their luck with Drop Items.

"O-one million five hundred thousand valis…" Lily muttered, looking rather pale. "W-well our Party's been lucky with Drop Items the last time we went into the Dungeon so it should be fine…Lily hopes."

"I hope Welf's got some progress done…" Bell said with a dry laugh. "W-well, with Berserker it should make things easier, hopefully?"

"We shall see," Caster said with a frown as if he didn't care for the Hero of rage to join their number. "Move the furniture and set up the circle. Be sure to use the modification in the chant."

"Y-yes!"

By his order, Bell and the others quickly moved the sofas and armchairs to the side of the living room for the final time as Hestia ran up to retrieve the Grail.

"You better not do something stupid again," Hestia said as she came back down while glaring at the golden chalice. "I'm watching you!"

Naturally, the Grail gave no response although it did seem to hum a bit.

"But the last one is a Berserker, right?" Primo began, looking rather worried. "Will we be able to talk to them?"

"That depends on the person in question," Archer replied. "While they are usually warriors who sacrificed their mind in exchange for pure power, they should have enough reason to listen to their Master at the very least."

"I am suddenly very worried."

"Have no fear, Primo," Saber said. "We have six other Servants on our side. It would be unlikely for a Servant that would refuse to listen our Master and be capable of overpowering all of us to show up."

"Well, at the worst case scenario we do have the Command Spells," Rider pointed out with Fia poking her head from behind her, completely at a loss to what was going on and what they were talking about. "Though I hope we can come to an understanding before it gets that far."

"I did not spend countless of valis on this manor just to have it destroyed by a rabbid dog," Caster growled.

With the preparations finished, Bell stood in front of the circle once more.

The time to summon the final Hero.

Although Bell shared Primo's worries about a Servant that wouldn't be able to listen to him, he wanted to believe that his Berserker would be able to understand and help him help Fia and the other Xenos find a proper life for themselves where they would't have to fight every waking moment against monsters and people just to survive. Granted, he couldn't discount the possibility that there would be a few of them that wanted and enjoyed that life but from Fia's words, they all had wanted to live above ground and outside the Dungeon.

Adding the Xenos to their Dungeon dives would also be a tremendous boon for not just Hestia Familia but other Adventurers as well. As they lived in the Dungeon, they must know several hidden paths in the Dungeon such as the various Safe Zones, areas where monsters did not spawn like the Eighteenth Floor, that the Xenos used as places to live and rest. Such places could be invaluable for Adventurers making long expeditions deeper into the Dungeon.

"_Yet, thou serves with thine eyes clouded in chaos. Thou, bound in the cage of madness. I am he who command those chains!_"

But as the summon ended and Bell could hear the drawing of weapons from the Servants behind him, Bell realized that something unprecedented had happened.

It was hard to believe the one in front of him could be called a Hero. The Servant in front of him could only be called a Monster.

"M-Minotaur!?"

"▂▂▃▃▃▃▄▄▄▄▅▅▅!"


	33. Future Dream

**Chapter 33: A Future Dream**

"Lord Ganesha…Lord Ganesha!"

"Yes, I am Ganesha!"

"Then at least answer me when I call you…"

"My apologies, Shakti. I was thinking about our destination."

Yes. Today he, Ganesha, was on his way to Hestia Familia, home of the Record Holder for the fastest time in hitting Level 2, and the talk of the city for defeating a Goliath with such a small amount of Level 1 Adventures and with said Level 2 being the sole High Class Adventurer in their party.

Not all of it good however.

Still, it was good to hear that Hestia, who had always hid herself away in her temple up in Tenkai to be properly leading her Children.

"Yes…" Shakti, Ganesha's Familia Captain and one of the few of his Children who knew the true purpose of their visit. "I find it hard to believe that they have something so…convenient on hand."

"Well, that is why we are going over to visit," Ganesha poinbted out. "So we may iron out the details and bring their Adventurer over for a test."

The two of them walked down West Main for a while before turning off the road into the various neighborhoods until they came across a manor bearing the emblem of Hestia Familia that stood alone and separated from most of the other occupied buildings.

"It's a rather big manor for such a relatively new Familia," Shakti noted. "I can't say much for their decorations though."

Two massive bearded stone statues were standing beside the gate, holding themselves tall with massive blades in front of them.

As Shakti was about to ring the bell beside the gate, Ganesha suddenly cupped his hands around his mouth and bellowed, "GREETINGS, HESTIA! IT IS I, GANESHA. I HAVE COME TO VISIT YOU!"

"L-Lord Ganesha! They have a doorbell! There's no need to shout!"

"It is only polite to announce yourself first, Shakti."

The blue haired woman let out a groan, sounding as though she'd like nothing more than to hurry on inside.

"Hmm? There seems to be some sort of commotion," Ganesha noted as the two of them tried to peer through the bars of the gate.

It sounded like a few children were struggling over something.

"W-wait a minute! I said, wait a minute! Stop! You can't go look!"

"Awawawa! Jack, get him to stop!"

"We can't do anything here, Gina!"

The source of the commotion quickly made itself known.

It was a monster. A minotaur to be exact but it was unlike any minotaur that Shakti or Ganesha had ever seen before. It stood almost three meters tall and wore various pieces of black armor on its body and a black mask over its face with a massive mane of white hair with two horns extending from the top.

Were it not for the sight of three girls…a human clinging onto its leg, an Amazon being dragged along by the ground as she refused to release her grip on its hand, and an Elf standing on its shoulders, gripping its horns and trying to steer it away from the door, Shakti would have instantly moved to strike it down.

But as it was, she quickly placed herself between her God and the monster. As a Level 5, a normal minotaur would be nothing more than a goblin to her but considering the reason why they were here…

The minotaur, paying no heed to the children clinging onto its body, stared at the gate for a moment before it extended its free hand out and carefully twisted the handle and stepped back, opening the gate for them.

"A-ahh…Lord Ganesha and Ankusha…" the Amazon girl spoke up as she twisted her body a bit so that she was facing them. "You're early…"

"Indeed, I am Ganesha," Ganesha nodded, still staring at the minotaur in surprise. "But I was led to believe that you had a harpy with you, not a minotaur."

"Ahaha…it's a long story…"

"HEY NOW!"

A sharp cry was followed by the front door slamming open. The three girls plus the minotaur started before they wheeled around at the red-headed woman stomping out toward them.

"Berserker, you're not supposed to be up here," the woman said, reaching her hand up near the monster's mask and yanking what looked to be its ear. "Come on! Be a good boy and follow me! Ah, excuse me, God Ganesha…Lady Hestia will be down in just a moment."

The minotaur let out a noise that could only be called a whine as the girls dropped to the ground and watched the woman drag the monster by the ear back behind the building.

"…_What_?" Shakti found herself asking.

"Like I said, it's a long story…" the Amazon repeated as she poked her fingers together. "But we do have the harpy we found earlier…the minotaur just…happened to show up unexpectedly." The girl then winced as if realizing how unconvincing that sounded before quickly adding, "We didn't take him from the Dungeon though, if that's what you're thinking."

Shakti stared incredulously at the Amazon before turning toward Ganesha for confirmation.

"Reality is truly stranger than fiction," Ganesha nodded, confirming her words as truth, as he folded his arms over his chest and nodded sagely.

"You're telling me," A tiny black haired girl said as she stepped out into the front lawn with her hands on her hips. With a quick glance at the three girls, she jerked her head toward the direction that the woman and minotaur disappeared to and the girls quickly ran off after them. "Anyway, I thought you said you'd be coming a bit later, Ganesha."

"My previous appointments had cleared up, Hestia. And so I, Ganesha, decided to head over and clear things up as quickly as possible."

"Well, I appreciate it I suppose," the goddess Hestia said with a sigh. "Anyway, come with me to my office."

"Will that woman who dragged away a minotaur by the ear be joining us?" Shakti asked as she and Ganesha followed the tiny goddess into the manor.

"Rider? No, she's not the one I wanted to talk about taming monsters with. Lancer's already waiting upstairs."

They walked all the way up to the fourth floor and entered an office with a rather homely feeling. Inside, a woman with long white hair was sitting on one of the couches with a red feathered harpy sitting in her lap. The harpy had a cloth mask covering the lower half of her face, just below her nose, covering her mouth, and had bits of her hair tied up in braids, courtesy of the long haired woman.

"So…this is her, then?" Ganesha asked as the harpy and woman turned to look at Ganesha and Shakti while Hestia moved to sit down beside the woman.

"Yeah," Hestia nodded, gesturing for Ganesha and Shakti to sit down across from her. "You've met one similar before, right?"

"I have," Ganesha nodded as he and Shakti sat down. "Although I had met a goblin wearing a red cap instead."

"I have not met one personally until now," Shakti replied. "Although…I must say that I am rather surprised at how…harmless…they seem."

"Well, I won't say they are completely harmless," Hestia shrugged. "She's still a harpy and an Enhanced Monster at that. She just knows when and who to fight."

"Is the minotaur one as well?"

"Asterios…or rather Berserker…is a bit different," Hestia replied. "But let's go over that at a later date. For now we're here to talk about a new method of Taming, right?"

"Indeed," Shakti nodded. "The report said that you could completely dominate the mind of a monster. Can you explain what that means?"

"Of course," the woman called Lancer replied with a nod, her enchanting voice causing both Ganesha and Shakti's heart to skip a beat as if she were a goddess of beauty. "It may take some time so I will try to summarize it as much as possible."

As Lancer began to explain her Rune Magic, Hestia let out a sigh as she sank back into the couch and thought back to Berserker's summoning the previous day.

X-x-X-x-X

They had been expecting another hero…only for their Berserker to be something beyond their wildest dreams.

"A…M-Minotaur?" Primo squeaked out in surprise.

"▂▂▃▃▃▃▄▄▄▄▅▅▅!"

At Primo's question, Berserker turned its head toward her and let out a massive roar, causing her to shriek and fall back and for Rider and Lancer to quickly step in front of her to shield her from Berserker's sight.

"…"

Seeing this, Berserker seemed to back down as he then focused his attention to Bell.

"Sah…vant…Berserker…" Berserker spoke up, causing Bell and the others aside from Caster to flinch in surprise. "Name…Asterios. Not…Minotaur."

"A-Asterios?" Bell repeated. "Is that your name?"

Berserker nodded his head as he knelt down to lower himself down to Bell's height as much as possible.

"Not…Minotaur…" Berserker repeated and Bell slowly nodded his head in understanding.

Bell placed a hand over his chest and took a deep breath before walking up to Berserker and gingerly placing a hand on Berserker's shoulder.

"I understand, Asterios," Bell said with a smile. "I'm Bell."

"Beru…Beru…Be…ru…"

Berserker said Bell's name a few times as though he was testing it.

"Hey Fia," Hestia began, turning to the harpy who had been staring at Berserker in a transfixed awe. "Out of curiosity, is there a Minotaur Xenos in your group?"

"Huh?" Fia quickly shook her head as she snapped out of her trance. "Oh uh…there wasn't one with us before I…you know…"

"Come to think of it…there was a rumor about a black minotaur roaming the Lower Floors with armor…" Gina began as Lily's eyes shot open wide.

"Wait…wasn't Lord Caster looking into those rumors before we went to fight the Floor Boss?" Lily asked, turning to Caster who had not taken his eyes off of Berserker.

"If I remember correctly, there were also rumors of a lizardman making off with someone's shield, correct?" Saber spoke up as well.

"Ahh…that's probably Lido…" Fia said with a wry smile.

As they were discussing the old rumors, Berserker turned his head toward Primo again. The tiny elf girl let out an "eep" and hid herself behind Lancer again.

"…Sorry…"

To everyone's surprise, Berserker was the one to apologize.

"I big…so scary," he admitted, realizing this aspect of himself.

Certainly, minotaurs were already rather frightening for anyone not at least Level 3 or in a Party of several Level 2s but Berserker stood at least a whole half meter taller than the minotaurs born in the Dungeon. If he stood at his full height, his horns would probably smash through the door frames of the manor.

Speaking of which…

"I hate to say this but…" Hestia began. "I don't think you will be able to sleep inside the house, Berserker...or Asterios? Well, we can figure that out later. Anyways! We can get you a tent but you'll probably have to sleep outside."

"Outside?" Berserker repeated. For a moment Hestia thought he was upset but his next words were full of hope. "Outside? I can…sleep under the sky?"

It would seem that like Fia, Berserker was a monster who also wanted to live on the surface.

Was it simply a trait of all monsters like Ouranos has suggested?

Still, it was rather lucky their new kitchen could open out into the back as it allowed Berserker to exit the building without scratching up too many of the walls, even if they were repaired in an instant by Lancer's magic.

The first thing Berserker did upon stepping out into the back yard was stare up at the sky, completely silent as he felt the wind against his body.

"It's great, isn't it?" Fia asked, flying over and landing on Berserker's broad shoulders with a smile.

The Servant simply nodded, his expression hidden behind his mask but Hestia believed that he was probably smiling beneath it.

"Ummm…"

A small voice rose up by Berserker's hand and he glanced down to see Primo looking back up at him.

"I'm sorry for calling you a minotaur…" she said timidly but Berserker shook his head.

"I am," he said, telling them that he knew what he was even if he did not like it. "But I…Asterios."

"R-right," Primo nodded her head quickly to show that she understood the difference. "My name is P-Primo! Pleased to meet you."

She then stuck out her hand to offer a handshake but Berserker took a look down at his own hand, which could probably wrap itself around Primo's torso without any effort, and didn't take it. Instead, he bent down and gently scooped Primo up in his arm, causing the girl to shriek in surprise, and lifted her up onto his shoulder.

"W-wait a minute! Too high! This is too high!" She shrieked as she wrapped her arms around one of his horns to help keep her balance.

For someone who stood on the earth at below one and a half meters tall to suddenly reach a height over twice that in an instant was probably frightening to her. Fia, being a harpy who was used to soaring even higher than this, simply laughed at the poor elf's expense.

Seeing Primo riding on Berserker's shoulders caused Assassin to rush forward in an attempt to scale Berserker's body and reach that height as well with Gina close behind, saying that she didn't want to be left out.

"It was a bit of a shock, but I think things will be fine, right Bell?" Emma asked, placing a hand on her cheek as she smiled at the sight of three young girls scrambling over the massive minotaur.

"Haha, I guess so," Bell agreed with a nod.

Hestia agreed too, but another problem was going to rear its ugly head.

"…We're gonna have to pay to keep Asterios up here too, don't we?" She asked as the two of them stiffened up and Hestia heard Caster let out a long and exhausted sigh behind her.

X-x-X-x-X

Back in the present, Lancer had finished explaining to Ganesha and his Captain her ability and how she planned to use them as well as answered most of their questions. All that was left was to perform a live demonstration at the Ganesha Familia Home.

Several of Hestia's Children were out of the Home on business. Bell and Emma had gone to see Welf and check on the progress of their equipment, Lily and Saber were out procuring potions from Miach's Blue Pharmacy, Caster was out doing his own thing again and Archer had gone out to fetch groceries. This left Hestia's young girl trio to stay at home and get Berserker settled in the tent they were setting up, Rider to take care of the chores, and Lancer to meet with Ganesha with Hestia.

Frankly, Hestia was about to accept Freya's shopping trip proposal just to get some proper time off from work and stress.

"So the main concern is the long term viability of your Magic," Shakti summarized and Lancer nodded her head.

"Yes," Lancer answered. "I can guarantee a month with just my magic for the monsters classified as Level 1 and half of that for Level 2 monsters but until I see how your tracking plates work, I cannot say anything else for certain. Of course, this is under the assumption that the monsters in question are not an Enhanced Species."

"That is already quite a lot," Shakti said, looking more and more convinced that the plan just might work. "Although it might be a bit tactless in present company but outside of Ganesha Familia Tamed Monsters don't last a month to begin with. This is both due to the Guild's policy of not allowing non-Ganesha Familia Tamers to bring their monsters up to the surface and the fact that most Tamers would send their monster out as a first wave against their enemies."

"That is understandable. Tamed Monsters are considered to be a lit powder keg if not handled properly after all. This is also to change the perspective of Tamed Monsters from a short term weapon to a long term partnership as well."

"Should we be worried that Tamers might get too attached to their monsters at that point?" Hestia asked with a wry smile.

"I think that would be a goal to reach, not a downside," Lancer countered. "Though I suppose the Guild would consider it problematic if the Tamers end up dying for their monsters."

"Someone dying for a monster would be rather unprecedented to say the least," Shakti sighed. "Again, present company excluded."

Fia simply nodded her head to say that she understood.

Xenos and monsters were completely different after all.

"Shall we move on to the practical tests then?" Ganesha suggested. "We have a few hellhounds that haven't been tamed yet for you to try."

"I have no objections to that," Lancer said as she turned toward Hestia for her permission.

"Take as long as you need," Hestia answered with a nod. "Though try to get back by dinnertime. We're going to be finishing up the last of the the beef after all."

"Of course," Lancer replied with a smile.

"A few more questions, Ganesha," Hestia said.

"Yes?" Ganesha asked. "I am Ganesha."

"Mu…have you…ever tried gifting your blessing to a monster?" Hestia asked, ignoring his usual quirk.

"A long long time ago," Ganesha nodded. "However, nothing came from it. A Status did not show up at all and the monster was still trying to kill me."

Shakti rubbed her forehead at this apparently new bit of information with a sigh.

"And how do you feel about all this? About Fia and the other Xenos?"

"To be blunt, I don't know."

"I figured as much…"

The two of them plus Lancer and Shakti glanced over at Fia who shrunk back a bit at the attention and hid her face behind her wings.

"However…" Ganesha suddenly spoke up. "If Fia and her fellow Xenos…no, all monsters in general…if we can truly live together in peace without bloodshed…"

Ganesha flexed his arms up and puffed out his chest with pride.

"Then I shall cease to be the 'God of the Masses' and become '_Neo Ganesha_, God of All Beings' for people and monsters!" he declared, his booming voice surprising the women in the room who stared at him in amazement.

"…This is the first time I've ever thought you were cool, Ganesha," Hestia admitted as her lips curled into a smile.

"That's because…I am Ganesha!"

Hestia let out a small giggle at his boast as Lancer and Shakti also smiled in return.

As the three of them left to show Lancer to the Ganesha Familia home, Hestia let out a sigh as she unfurled a piece of parchment from her pocket.

"I really hope everything goes well," Hestia muttered as she looked at its contents with Fia peering over her shoulder for a look herself.

X-x-X-x-X

_**Asterios  
**_**Level 000  
****Strength**: 000  
**Defense**: 000  
**Dexterity**: 000  
**Agility**: 000  
**Magic**: 000

**Magic**:  
**Chaos Labyrinth**: Territory Sublimation Magic.

**Skills**:  
**Monstrous Strength:** Increases Strength in exchange for a monstrous appearance. Strength gain increases the more the monstrous the user becomes.  
**Natural Demon**: Massively increases Strength and Endurance when engaged in combat against multiple enemies. Increase relative to amount of enemies. Strength increases further against Humans.  
**Monstrum Union**: Hybrid. Neo Irregular. Status Bug. Anima Erosion.

X-x-X-x-X

"…What a…unique Home," Lancer said, looking up at the Ganesha Familia Home, the IAM GANESHA, which took the shape of a massive statue of the god himself.

"Please…do not say anything else about it," Shakti begged her with a tired sounding voice that spoke of her distress. The Ganesha guards around them also looked rather defeated about it as well.

Lancer nodded her head in understanding as they passed through the large doors located at the statue's groin into what looked like a large open grassy pasture. Were it not for the sounds of the crowd in the nearby marketplace, Lancer would have thought that she had left the city.

All around them were various stables the size of small factories that were holding countless monsters inside them. Each of the bars were as wide as a human torso and made out of the same materials used to forge the weapons of High Class Adventurers. And of course, there were guards posted by each of the cages.

It made Lancer realize just how serious Ganesha Familia was when it came to taming monsters and why they were the only Familia that was allowed to keep monsters in the city.

"This way," Shakti said, tapping Lancer on the shoulder and directing her to one of the stables.

As Lancer drew close, she noticed that several of the Adventurers around her were staring at her. Most of them were probably wondering why an outsider was in their Home while those who knew the reason were probably curious as to just how she was planning on taming the monsters.

The thought that they might have been transfixed by her beauty did not cross her mind.

"Here."

Lancer found herself in front of a cage holding a hellhound. The monster was pacing back and forth behind the bars, growling at the humans and demihumans standing just beyond its reach.

"Do you need a weapon?" Shakti asked.

"No," Lancer replied, shaking her head. "One would not be necessary. I will 'tame' it without allowing myself or the monster to come to harm."

Shakti raised an eyebrow at the declaration but said nothing as she stepped back to stand beside Ganesha who wanted to see the process personally. Several other Adventurers were also gathering to watch. Then, at Shakti's order, the gate was was opened and the hellhound shot out, making a beeline straight toward Lancer.

Without a single word, Lancer held up her finger and began rapidly tracing several runes in the air. As the monster lunged at her, the runes began to light up, holding the monster in place in midair for a moment before they settled onto its head. The hellhound then slowly floated down onto the ground and shook its head rapidly as though it was trying to shake out water in its fur.

"Stay," Lancer said and the hellhound stopped immediately. "Sit."

The beast obeyed, plopping its backside down on the grass as it looked up at the Servant with its tongue hanging out of its mouth as though it were a simple dog.

"Good boy," Lancer praised it with a smile as she stroked its head with her hand and the beast started pushing its head against her hand as if craving her affection.

At the sight, the crowd began to break into whispers as Ganesha and Shakti walked up to Lancer and the hellhound.

"I can't believe it…" Shakti muttered as Ganesha quickly lowered himself in front of the monster. "It actually worked."

"Shake!" Ganesha said, holding his hand out toward the hellhound, only for it to tilt its head to the side as if it didn't understand him.

"The magic is tuned to me so it can only understand my words," Lancer explained as Ganesha's shoulders sagged in disappointment. She then drew another rune on the hellhounds head. "Try it now, Lord Ganesha."

"Shake!" Ganesha said again and this time the hellhound placed its paw in Ganesha's hand. "Oooooh! Who's a good boy! You're a good boy! Not a scary hellhound!"

"Lord Ganesha…" Shakti let out a sigh as the god started hugging and fluffing the fur of the monster. She then turned to look at Lancer. "I must admit…I was skeptical all the way to the end…but you proved that it was possible. Well done."

"Admittedly, that was the easy part," Lancer said as she glanced at the hellhound which was allowing Ganesha to rub its belly. "As I said earlier, the challenge will be making sure the spell lasts. May I see the tracking plates?"

"Of course. Follow me."

The tracking plates that the Ganesha Familia used were magic items designed to attach to a monster's body, no matter its shape, and constantly broadcast its location to a receiver. A broken plate would immediately set off the receiver's alarm, alerting Ganesha Familia to the situation. If one of their monsters were to escape, the Familia would be the first to know.

"Hmm…I see…" Lancer said as she flipped one of the plates over in her hands to examine it with Shakti looking over her shoulder and Ganesha playing catch with the hellhound a few paces behind them.

"Would they be useful in what you are planning?" Shakti asked, turning back to Lancer.

"Yes, these will be perfect," Lancer replied with a smile. "But…I would still need some more materials to make it work."

"Do you know what you need?"

"I do…but I worry if I would be able to acquire them."

"I won't say price is no object but if I can get a list then I can send some of my people to acquire them for you."

"No, it's nothing like a Drop Item from the Dungeon," Lancer clarified. "I need something to bind the monster's loyalty to their designated Tamer. In short, I would need the Adventurer's blood…as well as Lord Ganesha's. This way, the monster will consider its Tamer its…I suppose 'pack leader' for lack of a better term. With Lord Ganesha's blood, it would also consider him and anyone else with his blood, as in your Familia, to be members of the same pack and will protect them and listen to their orders as well. Although its Tamer's orders will supersede all others'."

"I see…" Shakti muttered, placing a hand against her chin. "You have put a lot more thought into this than I gave you credit for."

"Anything for my Master's dream and the future of 'those children.'"

Shakti nodded her head before her hand shot out behind her to grab the ball that Ganesha was playing with out of the air.

"Please pay attention, Lord Ganesha!" She shouted, causing both her god and the hellhound to flinch in surprise. "Really now…just because the monster has become almost disturbingly docile doesn't mean you can treat it as a pet…and where did this ball even come from?"

"I, Ganesha, prepared it in anticipation for this day!" Ganesha admitted with a smile, causing Shakti to let out another sigh.

"Your Familia has its own share of troubles as well," Lancer noted with a small smile.

"Not nearly as much as yours, I think," Shakti pointed out with her own smile. The two women shared a laugh before Shakti took off her glove and pulled out a small knife. "I'll offer my blood to test it out. How much do you need?"

"Just a drop would be enough," Lancer replied as she started tracing her finger across the tracking plate, carving the runes into the metal alongside its magic. "Lord Ganesha too."

"Of course!" The boisterous god replied as he stepped forward with the hellhound trotting behind him.

The god and his Captain each dripped some of their blood on the plate, causing the runes on it to glow red. With that done, Lancer handed it to Shakti who walked over and fastened it onto the hellhound's body and the monster accepted it without any fuss as if she was just putting a collar on it and not inserting the plate directly onto its skin.

"And this is the receiver, correct?" Lancer asked, holding a smaller tag to which Shakti nodded.

"Indeed. With that, I would be able to locate the monster wherever it goes."

As Shakti said this, the hellhound then walked up to Shakti and laid down beside her feet as if it was nothing more than a pet dog once more.

"Ahhh…Damian…" Ganesha said sadly as if he was someone who had just been abandoned by a lover for someone younger and prettier than he was.

"Don't name it!" Shakti snapped with a sigh before turning back toward Lancer. "If it's like this then I'm sure there will be no problem with the plan Lady Hestia proposed. So long as the technique continues to be passed down of course."

"Of course," Lancer agreed. "But will it be all right for your Familia as a whole? You are the famed Ganesha Familia's Legendary Tamers after all."

"We're not so attached to such a title," Shakti replied with a smile. "But it would be a waste to lose all that training. I propose that we only come to you for your magic after we have already properly tamed the monster."

In short, the taming process would go as follows.

The Tamer would have to prove that they would be able to physically control the monster through the normal method of taming in order to force the monster to submit and accept that the Tamer was its master. This would show that they were skilled enough to be called a Tamer and that they would be able to control it. Then they would contract Lancer or another member of Hestia Familia in the future to make the beast docile and completely obedient.

It was necessary for the Tamer to be able to handle their monster as you couldn't tell if something were to happen, either by accident or enemy action, and the plate was destroyed or someone had the strength to nullify Lancer's magic. That was why it was the Tamer's responsibility to either restrain or kill the monster should it lose control.

As a rather extreme example, this way a child would not be holding onto the reins of a minotaur.

Of course, due to Hestia Familia's true plans, it would be unnecessary for them to force the monster to submit. They would only be interested in Xenos after all and Fia's comrades were already intelligent enough to not attack humans if they didn't have to.

"As thanks for your work you can take two tracking plates and receivers for your harpy and minotaur," Shakti said. "I suppose the future license for Tamers in Orario will have to include the costs of these items as well, wouldn't they?"

"Yes, I understand," Lancer accepted Shakti's terms. Considering magic items like the tracking plates could only be made by Adventurers who had a certain Development Ability, Caster's prediction of it costing around ten million valis was a rather accurate estimate. "Then, while I am here, are there any other monsters I should make docile for you."

As if on cue, a massive wave of Ganesha Familia Tamers surged forward toward her, making Lancer wonder if she was going to be able to return home in time for dinner.

X-x-X-x-X

Across the city, Bell and Emma were making their way to Welf's forge.

"But really, I didn't think something like that could happen," Emma said, referring to the incident with Argonaut the other day. "I suppose it just goes to show how big this world can be."

"No kidding," Bell replied with a nod and a wry smile.

Although he had been at the very center of the commotion, he had no recollection of what had happened for the most part, having found himself receiving a lap pillow by Ais when the last thing he knew he had been talking to Hestia in her office. Still though, as nothing bad had happened as far as he could tell, it was nothing more than a funny memory for the most part…and a wonderfully soft one for the rest of it.

"Aside from getting involved with Loki Familia for a bit, it doesn't look like he did anything else," Bell added.

"Do you think they know about the others?" Emma asked in a worried voice.

"Saber said that they only think I got involved in a Spirit's prank so it should be fine," Bell replied. "Well, in any case they're _the_ Loki Familia. So I don't think anything bad will happen if they find out anyway."

"I guess you're right. Although I only met them once at the beach party, I can tell that they are all good people…even if our goddesses don't get along very well."

"I suppose that's something only the two of them would understand, haha…"

It was knowledge known only in the realm of the gods after all. It wasn't something mere mortals would be able to understand.

As they headed to the Industrial District, Bell suddenly turned around to look over his shoulder.

"…Is something wrong?" Emma asked, turning around as well but she didn't see anything particularly out of the ordinary.

"…Someone's been looking over toward us…" Bell replied with a frown before gesturing for Emma to keep on walking.

"Is it like the time when you first took us to Welf's place?"

"No…that gaze was different…"

That gaze had been directed at Bell himself. This one however…

Bell shot another look over his shoulder, trying to catch anyone that might have bad intentions toward them but in a city this big it was impossible to tell exactly who was looking at you in admiration and who was looking at you in loathing. All he could do was quicken his pace, prompting Emma to do the same as they quickly made their way to Welf's workshop.

The sound of metalworking could be heard well before they arrived at the front door. A quick knock went unanswered but as the rhythmic sound of a hammer banging against metal could still be heard, Welf was clearly inside.

Therefore, the two of them walked around the building toward the window and found Welf working on what looked like a breastplate for Bell. On the wall across from the window, they could see another breastplate made out of light red metal and a purple robe on the stands. Just below the breastplate was a sword with a beautiful simple brown sheath with a golden moon design on it could be seen.

It would seem Welf had been hard at work ever since they separated the previous morning.

Or rather, did he even sleep since then?

Finishing with his current step, Welf let out a long sigh as he rolled his shoulders. He then turned his face toward the window and yelped in surprise at seeing Emma and Bell peering in.

"Emmy! And…Bell, right?"

"…Who else would I be?" Bell asked, tilting his head to the side.

"N-never mind," Welf said quickly. "Just a strange dream I had."

Bell and Emma shared a glance. Did Argonaut make his way to Welf as well?

"Anyway, come on in! I just finished your armor, Emmy," Welf said as he hopped over to the door to let them in. "Primo's coat is all done as well."

"Did you sleep last night?" Emma asked with concern as she and Bell stepped inside the building.

"Of course I did. A proper eight minutes!"

"That's no good, Welf! I bet you didn't even eat either! Here! Rider made this for you."

Saying that, Ema quickly opened up the pouch she was carrying and held out its contents for Welf. It was a small container filled with several minced meat sandwiches as well as a thermos full of some hot soup.

Seeing this, Welf's stomach roared with desire, causing the smith to chuckle in embarrassment.

"Sorry about this," Welf said as he happily accepted the food. "I got hit with some inspiration and wanted to get it done and before I knew it…it was morning again."

"Rider did think that you were someone who might forget important things while working," Emma noted with a sigh.

Bell supposed it was only expected of a mother to notice things like that.

As the three of them shared the lunch, Emma's gaze was on the sword on the wall.

"Go ahead and take a look," Welf said as he chewed on his food. "It's yours after all."

"R-right," Emma nodded, sounding rather nervous.

Standing up from her seat, Emma walked over and took the sword from the wall and examined its sheath more closely. As she ran her fingers along the wood, she carefully pulled the blade out with a gasp of awe.

"It's beautiful, Welf!" She said with a smile.

"Hell yeah!" Welf shouted with a cheer. "Satisfied Customer Number Two!"

"Number Two?"

"Don't worry about that, Emma," Bell (Satisfied Customer Number One) said with a smile. "Are you going to come up with a name for it or are you going to let Welf do it after all?"

"I-I got one!" Emma said quickly as Bell let out a chuckle. "Let's see…a moon…blooming…how bout Gekka(Moon Flower)?"

"Then I guess I should make a Nikka(Sun Flower) to pair with it?" Welf joked before he quickly fell into deep thought. "Should it be yellow? Or maybe blue? Which ores would give off that color and still be decent for the level…"

"Ahaha…I appreciate the thought but please eat as you plan," Emma said as she returned the blade to its home and Welf picked up another sandwich as he remained lost in thought. "Can I try on the breastplate?"

"Go ahead. Let me know if its too tight or loose."

As Emma happily tried out her new equipment, Bell glanced over at his armor still in the works. Seeing it slowly come together was exciting in its own way.

"I should probably be done in about two days if I have no interruptions," Welf said with a smile after following Bell's gaze. "Then its back to the grind before I forget how to fight monsters!"

"I feel the same," Bell nodded as the two shared a laugh.

He was still a bit unsure about fighting them on the possibility of a monster being a Xenos, but it wasn't something he would receive an answer to any time soon so there was no point in worrying about it at every waking moment. He would have to deal with it as it happened.

"So…what's going on with you-know-who?" Welf asked, his voice dropping slightly.

"Lancer's supposed to be meeting with Ganesha Familia today but things are pretty optimistic," Bell replied. "Although Caster's expecting us to make one million valis by the end of the month to help cover the costs…"

Welf nearly choked on his food at the amount.

"…Are we going to go past the Eighteenth Floor?" Welf asked.

"Hmm, I haven't decided yet," Bell admitted. "Camping out on the Eighteenth Floor again as we hunt around the Sixteenth or Nineteenth Floor is an idea though."

However, he suspected that it would be difficult to be away from home for a long time. The Floor Boss preparation period was something that couldn't be helped due to the abnormality but thanks to Loki Familia being there, the camp was rather comfortable. Without that though, they would have to take turns keeping watch.

Or at least that's how it should be but thanks to the nature of the Servants, either Saber or Archer could be up all night keeping watch. Bell would feel bad asking them to do that even if both of them would do so without him asking and without complaint to boot.

Larger Familias that can go on Expeditions for weeks on end and veteran Adventurers that can live full-time in the Dungeon Town of Rivira are amazing.

"Well I'm fine with camping if you need to make money fast," Welf said. "Guess what I'm saying is that I'll keep on following your lead."

"Thanks Welf."

It was nice to be trusted so much like this.

"So, how's the fit, Emmy?"

"It goes over my clothes perfectly," Emma reported with a smile as she twirled around a bit as if the armor was actually a dress she wanted to show off. "It's a bit heavy but I can learn to get used to it."

"You'll practically forget about the weight once your Status goes up a bit," Welf replied. "It'll also help boost up your Endurance a bit too."

"Is that how it works?"

"Well, it's either that or letting someone smack you around for a bit."

Emma could only let out a dry laugh at that as she would be joining Bell in early morning training with Archer and Saber starting tomorrow.

"We should have brought Primo along too," Emma noted as she glanced at the robe on the wall.

"She busy with something?" Welf asked.

"She's…entertaining our guest," Emma said, picking her words carefully.

"Ah, got it," Welf replied with a quick nod. Bell was sure he was considering a different guest but he supposed Fia would be hanging out with Berserker now if Lancer had left to go see Ganesha Familia at this point in time.

"Well anyway, with this we should be able to go back into the Dungeon tomorrow," Emma said as she clapped her hands together. "Primo and I, along with Gina, have to make three hundred thousand valis as well."

"Geez, His Royalness is really going to work you guys to the bone, huh?" Welf asked as he scratched his head.

"On the other hand, you could see it as him having high expectations for us," Bell countered with a smile. "Well, we'll just have to do the best we can either way."

For the sake of the Xenos' dream. And Bell's as well.

X-x-X-x-X

"I see…so you lived in a Dungeon too?" Fia asked as she and Berserker laid down beside each other, looking up into the sky.

"Mmm…" came the blunt reply of the minotaur. "Manmade Dungeon. Different…but same. I, only monster there."

"But it's still just the same prison, huh?" Fia asked, turning her head toward Berserker who nodded his head sadly. "If things work out as the people here hope…are you going to go into the Dungeon here?"

"I want to help," Berserker replied. "Help Primu…Beru. Help Fia's friends too."

And Fia was grateful for that, she really was. Even though it made her feel extremely guilty.

She had zero desires to ever set foot inside the Dungeon again. She had tasted the freedom of an endless sky and she had no desire to willingly lock herself away ever again. She also felt that she would rather die than go back…

But…if there was a situation where they needed help…could she really just sit back and watch?

"…What should I do?" Fia wondered to herself.

"You should do whatever you want to do."

"Huh?"

Fia sat up and turned around just in time for something to enter her open mouth. She wasn't sure how to describe it but it was hot and amazingly tasty. Far better than Magic Stones or the sweet Dungeon Fruits.

"Wow, what is this?" Fia asked in between chewing as she looked up at Rider who was placing the same food into Berserker's mouth after the minotaur removed his mask.

"Just some seafood fritters," Rider replied with a smile. "Caster made a request to eat some for dinner before he left so I made a few as a test. This is for the two of you so enjoy. If you want some more just ask…although I suspect those three will finish up the rest before long."

Those three being those three girls that have completely succeeded in mingling with Berserker despite their previous concerns.

Smelling the food, Berserker sat up and carefully removed his mask to eat properly. Taking a piece, he carefully plopped it into his mouth and chewed it for a moment before swallowing.

"Tasty…" Berserker said before showing a smile that revealed just a bit too many teeth to be comfortable. "Thank you, Rider…"

"Ahaha…even though you're such a good boy, Asterios…" Rider said with a slightly strained smile as she patted the minotaur on his head. "I guess there's no helping that fact…"

"Hmm?"

Berserker didn't seem to understand as he placed another fritter into his mouth before holding one up toward Fia who accepted it gratefully.

"Seeing you like that really makes me think that I take having hands for granted," Rider noted with a wry smile.

"Well, I didn't really pay much attention to that fact until I came across doors…" Fia replied with a wry smile of her own. "But…what was it you said before?"

"I said that you simply should do what you want to do," Rider replied. "If you feel like you aren't doing enough and that you have to go back into the Dungeon, don't be. You got the message to us and therefore we now know that your friends exist. Now we are doing our best to try and bring them to live with us on the surface as well. It will take time but I'm sure it is doable. So don't feel like you haven't done enough."

_You've done your part, now leave the rest to us._

That was the message she felt that Rider was sending.

Fia wondered if they would take it as though she didn't trust them if she didn't relent here because that couldn't be further from the truth. What little she saw was enough for her to believe that a future for her and the others was possible.

As Berserker was about to drop another fritter into her mouth, a series of screams sounded out from the manor.

The three shared a quick glance before rushing back toward the kitchen. There, they found Primo, Gina and Hestia standing on the kitchen table.

"What are you three doing!?" Rider demanded. "What's going on!?"

"R-R-R-R-Rider!" Hestia called out. "A C! There's a C that showed up!"

"C?" Rider repeated before realization slowly dawned on her. "Ahhh…I suppose it got in since we usually have the doors to the yard open all the time now."

"C," the dreaded enemy of men and women alike for reasons that could not truly be explained.

"Putting Lady Hestia aside for a moment," Rider said before turning to the other two girls. "Should Adventurers, who dive into the monster infested Dungeon, really be afraid of something like that?"

"This and that are completely different!" Gina, the most veteran Adventurer in the entire Familia shouted as she clung onto Primo, the least experienced Adventurer in the Familia.

"She's right!" the elf replied in agreement. "Besides, I've only been an Adventurer for a single day! So you go take care of it, Gina!"

"No way, I'm just a fragile ten-year-old!"

"You're an Amazon!"

"Don't believe in stereotypes!"

"Girls please, don't fight!" Hestia said. "As your goddess, I ask that both of you go take it out!"

""WE REFUSE!""

Rider let out a long sigh as she looked around the kitchen/dining room area.

"Wait…where's Jack?" She asked.

"Here We are!" Assassin said, popping up beside Rider while holding _it_ up in front of her with her bare hands, all while wearing the smile of a child wishing to be praised. "We caught it! Ah."

It was fortunate that Rider recoiled in disgust at the sight of _it_ as _it_ had wormed its way out of Assassin's grasp and flew toward her face.

As Rider's panicked scream was quickly cut off by Berserker clapping his hands in front of her, followed by everyone begging Berserker to wash his hands and to not open his hands up before then, Fia wondered if trusting these people with her life was really the best thing to do.

"...It'll be fine...right?" Fia wondered as Rider and Hestia started pushing Berserker back outside toward the garden hose.


	34. Hestia Familia's Day

**Chapter 34: Hestia Familia's Day A Quiet Afternoon**

Mornings at the Hearthstone Manor were always rather peaceful, considering all the different types of people that lived within. A deity, several Spirits, mortals of several different races, and monsters all living under the same roof in relative harmony.

Well, the monsters were sleeping outside under a massive tent with plenty of pillows but they were completely satisfied with that arrangement for the time being as it meant they were sleeping under the open sky for the most part.

This morning was rather noisy however, with the clashing of steel happening just outside the walls as two different pairs were training out in the yard. Bell was continuing his daily training with Saber and Emma was beginning her training with Archer. As they would no doubt be quite hungry once they were finished, it was up to Rider to start the preparations for a big enough breakfast for them all.

Not only that, Caster came home the previous day with several ingredients for sweets such as chocolate, sugar, and honey. He then requested that she make something out of them with it being enough for at least twenty people. Any leftovers were then hers to use as she saw fit.

She had already done all the prep work for the dough so all that was left was to let it set for about an hour.

As she hummed to herself, she poured herself a cup of a fragrant dark liquid made from beans that Caster had also procured in the marketplace as well. It was rather bitter but she found the taste rather addicting and had helped herself after preparing a pot for the King. With his permission of course.

As she enjoyed the aroma, she found herself being stared at by three sets of eyes just across the counter.

"Good morning, girls," she greeted them and Primo, Gina, and Assassin greeted her back in turn.

"Miss Rider, what is that?" Primo asked, pointing at the mug in Rider's hands.

"This? It's a drink called coffee," Rider replied.

"It smells really nice!" Gina said with a smile on her face.

"Can We have a cup too?"

"Hmm…it might be a bit early for you but…" Rider began as she pulled out three smaller cups and poured a bit of her drink in each. "Here you go. But be sure to take small sips or else…ah."

The three of them downed their cups in one go before Rider could finish her warning. Then, right in front of her eyes, all three of their faces scrunched up in unison as the bitterness washed over their tongues. Rider couldn't help but giggle into her hand at the rather adorable sight as she tuned toward the fridge and pulled out a large jug.

"Here you go," she said filling their cups with milk. "Use this to wash out the taste."

"So…bitter…" Gina groaned as Assassin could only wheeze and twitch to the point that she looked like she wanted to cry.

"I-it's not…so bad," Primo insisted although she was fairing little better than the other two and was no doubt just putting on a strong face.

"No need to try and be tough," Rider said as she reached across the counter to pat the elf on the head. "It's fine for children to sweeten it with sugar or milk beforehand."

"Sweeten what now?"

Caster walked into the kitchen, looking as though he had pulled yet another all nighter, prompting Rider to pour the Captain his drink.

"Oh nothing," Rider said as she held out the golden colored mug out to Caster who accepted it with a nod. "Just the girls wanting to try the coffee but it's too bitter for them."

"Humph, what immature palates," Caster scoffed at the notion as he took a sip of the coffee before frowning slightly.

As Rider turned around to return the milk jug to the fridge, two golden circles appeared over the king's mug dispensing a plentiful amount of white sugar and milk into the drink, turning it a lighter color. As the portals vanished he caught the three girls staring at him with accusing eyes.

Three sweets sealed in brightly colored wrappers landed on the counter in front of them before any of them could say anything. It was a clear attempt from the king to buy their silence. The sweets were quickly removed from their wrappers and hidden in their mouths. The bribes had been accepted without hesitation without the queen being any the wiser.

The sound of the front door could then be heard from the kitchen, telling everyone that the morning training had ended.

Caster then made his way out of the kitchen with the three girls trotting along after him like baby chicks that had imprinted on the first being that came into their view.

As they entered the living room, they can see Saber and Archer walking in with a rather battered Bell and Emma staggering behind them.

"Uuu…I'm all sweaty and sore…" Emma groaned. "How do you do this every morning, Bell?"

"Ahaha…I'm just used to it by now," Bell replied, his eyes following Saber who sank into an armchair with a sigh.

"Well, it'll only get more difficult from now on," Archer said as Emma let out another groan as she rubbed her back. "Go wash up before breakfast you two."

Bell and Emma nodded their heads as they headed to the bathroom and Archer turned to head into the kitchen, walking pass Caster and the girls as he did.

"Morning," he greeted.

"Faker," Caster replied with a nod.

"Faker?" Primo repeated in confusion.

"Faker!" Gina said with a smile.

"Counter Faker!" Assassin cheered.

Archer's body froze at the girls words while Caster threw his head back in laughter.

"Marvelous!" Caster said as a few more pieces of candy fell into their hands. "Accept that as a reward. Fuhahahaha!"

The three girls looked back and forth between the two men before Caster headed toward the stairs, shoulders still shaking in mirth, while Archer's body swayed listlessly into the kitchen.

"Good morning, Archer," Rider's voice came out from the kitchen. "Hmm? Are you all right? You look as though you just had your heart mercilessly shattered."

"Just…give me a minute…" Archer replied in a shaky voice.

Back in the living room, Primo muttered, "I think we hurt his feelings."

"How so?" Gina asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Yeah, Mister King calls him that all the time," Assassin pointed out.

"It's probably not a nice thing to say to him," Primo said as she noticed someone else coming down the stairs.

"Quick hide!" Gina said as she pulled Primo and Assassin behind the armchair across from Saber's.

"Why!?" Primo asked but she allowed herself to be dragged down with them nonetheless.

The three of them then carefully poked their heads out in a totem pole style, with Primo at the bottom and Assassin at the top, to see Lancer enter the living room. The woman spotted her husband sitting in the armchair and slowly crept up in front of him, gazing lovingly at his face.

"It must have be exhausting to train Master every morning," she said with a giggle. "But you shouldn't fall asleep here, my love."

Lancer then waved her hand in front of Saber's face as if to check if he really was asleep before looking around to see if anyone was around. Seeing that the coast was clear, Lancer then lowered herself down to Saber's cheek and gently pressed her lips against it.

Seeing such a blatant act of affection, Primo let out a squeak of surprise but Gina and Assassin quickly placed their hands over her mouth to quiet while also using their other hand to cover each other's mouths.

Lancer pulled her face away from Saber's, stepping back with her hands placed against against her cheeks as she turned away in embarrassment.

As she was completely lost in her own world, Lancer did not notice Saber's body starting to shiver from the sudden act of affection. The man had not been asleep after all. He had been completely conscious to Lancer's "evil" deed and seemed to be exuding a pressure begging for someone to give him an opening to "wake up."

"W-while the opportunity is here…" Lancer suddenly muttered, prompting Saber's body to stop shaking immediately. "T-the mouth should be fine too, right?"

The shaking returned even more violently than before.

Unable to just sit and watch any longer, Primo pulled Assassin and Gina's hands off of her mouth and jumped up with a loud, "BOO!"

Lancer jumped at the noise, showcasing just how distracted she had been while also giving Saber an opportunity to "wake up."

"H-hahaha! Got you!"

"M-Miss Libera!" Lancer said as Saber slowly opened his eyes. "H-h-h-how long were you there?"

"J-just now?" Primo replied, inwardly wincing at how unconvincing she sounded as Gina and Assassin also poked their heads up. The latter two showing zero inclinations in forgetting what they had seen.

"I-is that so?" Lancer asked. "Y-you shouldn't play pranks so early in the morning."

"Is that really what you should be saying to us?" Gina asked, her smile stretching from ear to ear.

"What do you mean?" Saber asked, clearly playing ignorant with his tone of voice betraying none of his inner feelings.

"Nothing~"

"We didn't see any kissys!" Assassin "helpfully" added before Primo grabbed them and dragged them into the dining room, leaving the flustered couple behind.

And so began another day in the life of Hestia Familia.

X-x-X-x-X

Within the hour, everyone came down and settled around the breakfast table with Berserker and Fia sitting on the ground beside them, each with their own plates of food.

As they ate, Hestia started to speak.

"So to re-summarize what happened with Ganesha Familia the other day," Hestia began. "Lancer's work was perfect and there doesn't seem to be any problem with the plan. So right now the ball is in Ganesha and Ouranos's court so all that is left for us to do is wait and keep Fia and Berserker hidden until it becomes officially official."

The harpy and minotaur nodded their heads in understanding. The two of them each had a large cloth wrapped around their bodies depicting the Hestia Familia Emblem, showing that they were part of the Familia. As far as Ganesha and the Guild was concerned, they were already "legally" part of the Familia. They just needed to wait until the Guild officially announced the new Tamer Laws. Until then, Fia and Berserker were to be kept a strict secret. If they were found out before then…

"So much for taking Berserker into the Dungeon for a test run," Gina sighed as she brought her fork up to her mouth. "It'll probably be at least a week, I guess."

"Considering the circumstances, Lily considers that that would be extremely fast," Lily pointed out and Gina nodded her head in agreement.

"Do you need to go back to the Ganesha Familia for anything?" Primo asked Lancer who shook her head.

"No, I had demonstrated the effectiveness extremely throughly," Lancer replied with a tired smile. "There should be no problems for the near future."

"What is the estimate that the monsters will remain dominated?" Caster asked from his usual spot at the head of the table.

"Provided that there is no damage to the plate, two months with extreme activity such as fighting in the Dungeon daily. Five without."

"I suspect that this city's culture will change rapidly in the coming days," Rider muttered. "Pets don't seem to be a common thing that I've noticed around here."

"Well, that's because most of the people who live here are Adventurers," Gina pointed out. "And…well…Adventurers tend to have a rather…unreliable lifespan, you know?"

"Ahh…"

There was no point in keeping a pet if you worked a job where you might not come home to after all. Not to mention that most Familias have enough on their plate just feeding their Adventurers. They didn't have the time or resources to worry about animals as well.

"Well, it all might change in the coming days anyway."

"I would rather our plans stop changing every single day," Caster said irritably. "With the Xenos problem mostly handled, Lancer will join Party B today in the Dungeon instead of Archer."

"Fine by me," Archer replied as Lancer nodded her head. "I got shanghaied by Tsubaki to talk to Hephaistos about some business either way."

"Ahh, it's going to be about _that_ isn't it?" Hestia asked with a knowing nod. "Well, she's covering her bases with concern for her business after all."

"Well, I'll try to get a good deal out of it," Archer said with a shrug.

"Then there needn't be any more changes," Caster declared. "Arde, today you shall be accompanying me on my business."

"Huh?" Lily looked up from her cup before quickly placing it back down on the table. "A-ah, yes! Lily understands!"

"I planed on getting your request done by noon, Caster," Rider spoke up. "But I can get started earlier if you want it immediately."

"Unnecessary. I will not be leaving until after noon in any case."

"Hey Jack, do you have any plans?" Hestia asked. "If not, then can you come with me today?"

"To work again?" Assassin asked.

"No, not this time. I need to meet with someone and I could use the company."

And a guard.

"Okay!" Assassin replied cheerfully. "Can We get some Jagamaru-kun anyway?"

"Of course you can!"

"Oh right, Saber…" Archer said as he stood up from the table, having finished eating. "I'll leave the thing you asked for by the front door. Don't forget it on your way out."

"My thanks, Archer," Saber replied with a nod.

"I guess it's finally time to go back to the Dungeon," Emma said, pumping her arms to psyche herself up. "Are you ready, Primo?"

"Y-yes!" Primo nodded. "It's time for our revenge!"

As everyone seemed to be leaving with plans for the day, Bell found himself watching Archer's back as he headed out to his meeting with Hephaistos. Once everyone shuffled out to be on their way, Bell was left alone with Rider, who had humming to herself as she washed the dishes.

"Ah, let me help," Bell said quickly as he hurried to the sink.

"Oh my. Thank you, Bell. Then I'll do the washing while you dry them before putting them pack, okay?"

"Got it."

As the two of them started working, the B Party stopped by to say their farewells before heading off to the Dungeon.

"Bye Bell…bye Rider," Emma called out with a wave.

"Watch out, monsters!" Primo shouted. "The future Great Mage is making her comeback!"

"That's the spirit!" Gina cheered. "Let's make the fifth floor our goal!"

"I wonder if that's a bit fast…" Lancer muttered as she followed the trio out.

"Bye everyone!" Bell called out after them.

"Stay safe," Rider said as well.

Bell had to admit, Emma and Primo's new equipment suited them well. Welf's work was great as usual. If only other people could see that instead of just focusing on his Magic Swords.

"By the way…what did Caster ask of you?" Bell asked as he wiped down the glass in his hand.

"He asked for some baked goods for some reason," Rider explained. "So I'm planning to make some donuts for him. Although I have no idea what he's planning to do with three dozen of them. Is he holding a party or something?"

"Can I help?" Bell offered. "I don't have any plans for today so I guess I'm looking for something to do."

"Well I won't turn down the offer but are you sure? Shouldn't a boy your age be going out on a date with one of your girl friends? Like that waitress girl…Syr was it?"

"I-I don't have anyone like that! Wait, why bring up Syr of all people?"

"Hmm? Well, wasn't she all over you the other day? You shouldn't lead people on Bell."

"I'm not! She's the one teasing me!"

"Fufu, I wonder~"

As Rider giggled into her hand, the last of the dishes was put away and Lily came back into the kitchen, holding her white and pink cloak in her hands.

"Hmm? What's up, Lily?" Bell asked.

"Lily is just waiting for Lord Caster to call for her," Lily replied as she hung her robe over a chair. "Lord Caster asked Rider to make something, right? Can Lily help?"

"Of course. Right then, it's a bit early but I guess there's no harm in starting now."

With all the dishes put away, Rider wiped down her hands on her apron and headed to the fridge and pulled out a few bowls. Each of them had a large ball of dough resting within it.

"I've already kneaded the dough so all we have to do now is portion it and then fry and flavor them."

"What are we making?" Bell asked as he and Lily peered at the massive dough balls.

"Donuts," came Rider's reply with a wink and a smile. "They're relatively simply to make while also being easy and quick to flavor."

"…It's probably a good thing the trio are gone or else Jack might have made off with three of them without anyone noticing…" Lily muttered as Bell let out a dry laugh, unable to deny that.

"Then can you two portion the dough out and roll them into balls for me? Try to make it so that there will be enough for one person per ball."

"Enough for one person…" Bell repeated as he glanced out the kitchen toward the yard where Berserker was lying on the grass with Fia lying on top of him.

"Well, let's make it normal for a human, ahaha…" Rider clarified. "There should be at least thirty-six of them so don't make them too big. It should be fine for them to be smaller though."

With a nod, Bell and Lily got to work with Rider busying herself with various sweet items like chocolate, honey, and sugar.

"Roll…roll…roll…" Lily was saying as she tore out a piece of flour from her bowl and started rolling it into a ball as she was told. "Roll…roll…roll…"

"…Roll…roll…roll…"

Bell found himself doing the same as he worked.

Pull it out. Roll it up. Set it aside. Pull it out. Roll it up. Set it aside. Pull it out. Roll it up. Set it aside.

Three simple steps that were so easy to complete that he found himself lost in his own work.

After several minutes, there were several rolls of dough balls sitting in front of the two of them.

"Guess we're done," Bell said, tilting one of the empty bowls, feeling a bit disappointed that the work was over.

"Thank's for the help, you two," Rider said as she looked over the dough balls. "Now we have to let these sit for a bit before we continue so how about a drink?"

Rider poured out some juice for the two of them which they accepted after washing their hands.

"All this work for some snacks that will disappear in minutes," Lily muttered as she took a sip of her drink. "Cooking for a large group everyday really is hard."

"Well, I won't deny that," Rider admitted. "However, seeing everyone's satisfied faces during mealtimes makes it all worth it in the end. It's basically its own reward too and it's my way of thanking everyone for their hard work every day."

"A way to thank someone…" Bell muttered before setting down his glass before quickly standing up and turning to Rider. "Rider, I have a request!"

"Eh? Uh…yes? What is it?"

"Please help me cook something!" He asked, lowering his head to the surprise of his Servant and Supporter.

X-x-X-x-X

After Saber left the manor, he made his way into the Dungeon to meet with his appointment.

Zipping past the hundreds of Adventurers making their way down into the depths, Saber focused on his destination, the Eighteenth Floor.

In order to avoid any misunderstandings, he had already cleared this meeting with both Caster and his beloved. After all, he was meeting a woman from a different Familia.

Before long, he reached the mist filled Tenth Floor and stopped at the top of the stairs.

He remembered the first time he came here and how three dragons had set themselves upon his Master and the rest of his Party.

Fortunately, the abnormal situation did not happen a second time. Perhaps it was nothing more than a freak accident…or perhaps the Dungeon was testing the waters against an unknown threat.

"I hope nothing happens to the girls either…" Saber muttered, glancing up above him before continuing on his way.

As they should be staying on the Upper Floors, no monster should be able to overpower Lancer and hurt the girls…but that only included those that spawned within the Dungeon itself. _That_ incident still weighed on his mind a bit and not only that, there list of possible enemies have only grown since then.

"No…I should pay attention to the job ahead…"

With a shake of his head, Saber continued forward.

He had passed through the misty Tenth to Twelfth Floors often enough the entrance to the Middle Floors without any problems. From there, by jumping down the numerous holes that littered the Middle Floors, he was able to reach the Boss Room without any trouble. From there, the Eighteenth Floor, and the meeting point, was a mere step away.

It was located on the same grounds that Loki Familia had camped a while back but the Dungeon had already removed all signs of their presence there. Not a scrap of food or trash had been left behind, either absorbed by the Dungeon itself or devoured by a passing monster.

It certainly did explain why the upper levels were not constantly filled with garbage and refuse considering the sheer amount of people that passed through it every day. As he scanned the grounds, he heard someone walking up to him.

"You are here," Saber noted as he looked over his shoulder to see Ais Wallenstein standing a few feet away.

"Yes," the girl nodded. "I'm sorry to take up your time with this."

"It is fine. We are only waiting for our Vice Captain's armor to finish being maintained."

Ais nodded again to show that she understood as she looked around the old camp ground.

"Umm…how do we start?" She asked.

"First off, I need to set a baseline," Saber said as his sword appeared in his hands and he placed it into the ground in front of him. "Therefore, let us begin with a spar. I will come at you rather seriously, so please prepare yourself."

As he said this, red lightning sparked out of his body and blade before light began to rise from his body. Then, in a flash, Saber's appearance changed right in front of Ais's eyes. The blade in his hand had undergone a massive change. The red crystals had transformed into a tranquil green, the same color as the man's eyes and had nearly doubled in width. Even the silver daggers along his waist had changed to have the same color as the sword, most of them now hidden by a cape that had appeared around his shoulders while his mask had vanished.

From where she stood, Ais knew that it was not a simple cosmetic change, far from it. It was as though the man's aura had suddenly became more divine as he stared at her with his icy gaze.

"As we shall be Teacher and Student I shall reveal my true name," Saber declared, gripping his blade's handle with both hands as if in prayer. "My true name is…Sigurd, King of Warriors."

"Ais Wallenstein…" Ais followed up his declaration with her own as she drew out Desperate in preparation for his attack. "Loki Familia."

With a nod, Saber pulled his blade from the ground and took a stance.

"Then…prepare yourself."

Although he said that, Saber did not move. The two of them simply stared each other down as silence fell around them. Even the monsters in the distance seemed to have quiet down as if they were fearful of drawing the attention to two alpha predators that were about to fight.

Then, as Ais's eyes closed in a blink, Saber struck. In that short span between her eyelids closing and opening, Saber had closed the distance between them, blade swinging in from her right. She quickly shifted her blade to parry the strike but she was still forced back from the sheer power behind the blow. A blow that should definitely not come from a mere Level 1.

Before she could even land back on the ground, Saber was once more upon her. His blade had vanished and his hands were filled with two green daggers.

Green lights shot toward her and she quickly rebuilt her defense.

She was surprised.

The power he was showing now was on a completely different level than the other night in the fight against the Ishtar and Kali Familias. It was as though he had undergone a Level Up right in front of her.

Even though she was Level 6, she felt that her power and speed was lacking in the face of the man in front of her and a different power within her was trying to surface.

Just like against _that_ person. _That_ Creature.

Even now, a black flame was raging within her chest, demanding to be let out against the black 'Dragon' in front of her. But she refused to unleash its fury.

A massive explosion erupted between the two from the tip of Saber's daggers as Ais jumped back to get some distance between the two.

"Tempest!"

With the power of wind shielding her, Ais began her counterattack. Striking forward with speeds as sharp as the wind, she attacked the Hero in front of her. And, as expected of a Hero, the man followed each of her strikes with his own.

Green wind clashed against green lightning. Each swing shattered the earth, split the air, and crushed the surrounding trees. Their spar was more like a destructive hurricane than a friendly match with neither side backing down under the fury of their clash.

It was as though she was facing a wall. A wall of ice that refused to shatter or break under her wind.

Saber caught her blade with a massive grunt of effort and launched her back.

"Impressive," Saber complimented her as he adjusted his glasses with a push of his finger. "But…you seem to be holding back still. Is your wind all that you can use, Miss Wallenstein?"

"What do you mean?" Ais asked as Saber returned his blades to his waist, signaling the end of their spar.

"It feels as though you are restraining yourself from using everything," Saber said. "Well, I suppose that that's only to be expected. This is only a short spar to compare our abilities after all. Perhaps there is a flame roaring inside you that you wish to keep contained?"

Ais twitched in surprise at the man's words and turned her head away.

"It is all right," Saber said kindly. "It is natural for people to fear fire, as fire burns and consumes all. Swords, lives, thoughts, time, and even fate. Even I will hesitate to use fire due to this."

Ais nodded her head in agreement. She indeed did have a burning flame inside her. A terrible black flame that wanted to consume her and everything around her within its rage. It was only thanks to her friends and loved ones in Loki Familia that that flame was pulled back.

But still, she was surprised that Saber could see through her so easily.

"But I understand where you stand now," Saber said as light shined on his body once more and his blades returned to their original red color. "Here."

Saber suddenly tossed something to Ais. Catching it, she saw that it was a near perfect copy of her Tempest, although the hilt was red instead of blue.

"Archer's?" She asked and Saber nodded. "Did he not say that he couldn't make Durandal weapons?"

"I have no knowledge of that so I cannot say," Saber replied. "However, even Durandal weapons can crack, no? You will be up against my demonic sword so it would be unfortunate if you do not have your main weapon with you outside of our lessons. I will test the very limits of your 'Unbreakability.'"

Ais didn't say anything. She knew that he was completely serious with his declaration.

"Let us continue," Saber said, taking up his own sword as well. "We will discuss things as we clash."

"Yes sir," Ais said, feeling that it was only right to treat her teacher with respect. She learned her lesson with Riveria after all.

The man simply chuckled as his mask reformed around his face.

"Begin."

That was all the warning she got before he lunged toward her and her vision was filled with red.

Although the power of the blade wasn't as powerful as it was before, Saber had chosen to strike much faster to compensate for it. Like Ais, he was clearly holding back his true power.

"Can I…ask a question?" She asked as she pushed forward, breaking from her defense to go on the offense and force Saber back for the first time since they started.

"Yes?" He replied in a calm voice despite the wind surging dangerously around him.

"Why do you call yourself a dragon?"

"Why do you call yourself Ais?" He asked in return. "I call myself that because it is what I am. I have taken in a dragon's flesh, power and knowledge, therefore I am one."

He punctuated his statement by pulling his blade back, throwing off Ais's balance and clenched his free hand into a fist, seemingly gathering his lightning into it. Seeing what was happening, Ais quickly moved her blade in front of her stomach, blocking a fierce punch that scattered her wind and sent her soaring into the air.

Not to be deterred, she flipped herself around and her feet kicked off a tree the same instant she touched it, shooting herself straight back toward Saber like an arrow.

"Hmm!"

Saber held the flat of his sword up to block the attack, using both hands to support it. The blow was still powerful enough for his feet to slide backwards across the ground. But even so, his blade held and he threw her to the side with sheer strength.

"My turn," Saber began as Ais's False Desperate and his Gram clashed once more. "Why do you seek strength?"

"There are people I need to take back," she replied. "To do that I must defeat _that_ monster. To do that…I can't afford to wait for someone to help me. I need to become my own hero!"

Ais's words seemed to have had an effect on Saber as his eyes widened slightly in surprise and his blade's swing was a bit slower than before, allowing Ais to break free once more and put some distance between the two of them.

"Kukuku…ha ha ha ha ha…"

Then, to her surprise, Saber started chuckling.

"I see," he said, his eyes filled with mirth. "It is a wonderful reason. The younger generation is truly a wonder to see."

With the mirth out of his system, Saber took his stance again.

"Then overcome the myth in front of you," he urged her. "Take your future into your own hands. I am but a mere stepping stone in your own legend. Climb over and continue striving forward. That is what it means to be an Adventurer…to be a Hero."

"Yes, sir!" Ais nodded.

And so the Wind clashed against the Dragon once more.

X-x-X-x-X

"…You want to cook something for Archer?" Rider asked, looking rather surprised at Bell's words.

"Yes," Bell replied with a nod. "I want to show my appreciation to him for everything he's done. But I only know how to cook simple things…things that aren't good enough for me to express myself."

"Fufu, I understand," Rider nodded as she stood up from the table and walked over to a cupboard where she pulled out a book with various tags and marks in it. "Let's see here…which one will be good?"

"Miss Rider, what is that?" Lily asked.

"It's Archer's handwritten cookbook," Rider replied with a smile. "He has a lot of recipes written down in here with several notes scribbled here and there as well. Anyway…if we want something that can express your appreciation for Archer…let's go with this one!"

Rider placed the open book on the table and pointed to a recipe that had several notes written down for it to the point that it nearly covered the pages were nearly covered in revisions and the like. However, everything was written in a language that neither Lily or Bell could read.

"This looks like..Far Eastern script," Bell muttered and Rider nodded her head.

"All these notes and revisions tells me that the recipe is probably important to him," Rider said, running her finger carefully down the ink covered margins as she listed the ingredients out loud. "I think he'll be quite surprised if you make it for him."

"He never made anything like that before though," Lily pointed out.

"There seems to be a few ingredients that he likes to use that we don't keep on hand," Rider said, pointing to a few items circled in different colored ink. "There probably just hasn't been a good opportunity to make it."

She then turned back to Bell.

"So what do you think?" Rider asked with a smile. "Wanna give it a go?"

"Yes!"

Bell wasn't completely confident that he would be able to make something on Archer or Rider's level, but he still wanted to try. The recipe was probably something that someone important to Archer made for him in the past or vice versa.

Perhaps he had been trying to improve the recipe or trying to recreate it. If either case, Bell believed that it might give Archer a good memory if he ate it.

"Well then here," Rider said, holding a slip up in front of Bell.

"A…shopping list?" Bell asked.

"Of course. We don't have all of the ingredients after all. Especially not since we used up most of it last night during dinner. Berserker can really put it down after all…"

"…Sorry…" came a voice from the window, causing Lily and Bell to jump in surprise. Spinning around, they saw Berserker poking his face in from the window. "But…Rider and Archer…food really tasty…"

"Ahaha, I'm happy to hear that. And don't worry, I'm not mad. It's only natural that you need a lot of food with that big body of yours. In any case…here's the list of things we'll need. Go buy them, Bell."

"Just me?" Bell asked, taking the list.

"Of course. I have to make Caster's sweets and Lily has to be here to leave with Caster when he's ready."

"Ah…right."

"Good luck, Bell," Lily said as Bell let out a sigh as he pulled on a coat and headed out.

Thankfully he had managed to find everything on the list rather quickly.

More beef after they used it all up last night.

Some onions, garlic and other vegetables.

Some extra seasoning just in case.

"Where do I get these sauces though?" Bell muttered as he looked around the market.

"AR-GO-NAUT~"

"Uwah!?"

Someone slammed into his back from behind and Bell quickly grabbed his purchases to make sure he didn't drop anything.

"M-Miss Tiona?" Bell asked as he turned around to see the Amazon clinging onto his back. "That's dangerous…"

"Ah, it's the Little Argonaut instead," Tiona said, sounding a bit disappointed.

"Ahaha…sorry to disappoint you," Bell said with a dry laugh. Tiona had been one of the few who interacted with Argonaut after all. She probably found him interesting. "But uhh…can you let me go? Your uh…chest…is rubbing against me."

He hoped that it would get her to let him go but instead, she simply smiled at him.

"M-Miss Tiona?"

"Ei~"

"W-wait! Why are you clinging onto me harder!? Why are you smiling!? Please let goooooo!"

After a few minutes of Bell trying to escape a Level 6's grip, Tiona finally released him.

"Hee hee, sorry about that," Tiona said with her usual smile. "Were you shopping for dinner?"

"Yeah," Bell replied with a nod. "It's a little secret dinner I'm planning for Archer."

"Heh…that sounds fun. What are you making?"

"I…actually don't know. The recipe was written in a different language but Rider translated the ingredients for me."

"I see."

The two of them fell silent as there was a lull in the conversation.

"Hey, can I ask you something random?" Tiona suddenly asked. "Have you ever been in love?"

"L-love!?" Bell repeated. "Why?"

"Umm…just curious?"

Bell wasn't sure that was the case, but he supposed that there was no harm in answering.

"Umm…I don't think I've been in actual love," Bell admitted. "I've had one-sided crushes before but I don't think that could be considered actual love."

Then again, he didn't have any close examples outside of Saber and Lancer.

"I see…"

"…Is it really just curiosity?" Bell asked.

"Kinda?" Tiona admitted, tilting her head to the side. "You know my sister, Tione? She changed a lot after falling in love with our Captain. She hardly ever smiled before, you know?"

"…That's…hard to believe," Bell muttered. He had only met the older of the Amazon twins a few times but she was no less kind of cheerful as her younger sister.

"So I was wondering if just falling in love can change someone so much and kinda want to experience it for myself."

"I see."

Bell's thoughts immediately fell upon a certain lovey-dovey couple in his Familia.

"I don't have any real experience in love but if you don't mind me repeating what I've heard second hand…" Bell began. "One of my Familia members said that they had thought that they didn't need love in their life. However, after meeting his wife for the first time, he fell head over heels for her. She also said that he started emoting a lot more since they met too."

"Is it that 'Saber' person? He doesn't look like the type."

"Oh…he is…" Bell said, unable to hold back the exhaustion seeping out of his mouth. "He is…"

"It sounds like you have it tough as well," Tiona said with a laugh before glancing off to the side. "Hey, has Archer ever fallen in love before?"

"I have no idea," Bell replied. "He doesn't really talk much about his past…huh."

And it was at this moment that Bell realized just how little he knew about Archer.

What _did_ Bell know about his idol? His name was Emiya Shirou. He is a Hero from the Far East. He cooked a lot as a hobby. He loved looking at swords and going over their histories. All surface level things.

Things like his friends, his family, his dreams…

All of those things were locked away as tightly as Caster's past. The other Servants had been much more open about their own pasts, so long as they avoided landmines like a certain woman for Saber and Lancer and a certain emperor for Rider.

"…I don't really know much about him…" Bell muttered, the realization fully sinking in.

"Hmm? Isn't that fine?" Tiona asked. "It takes a lot longer than two months or so to really know someone even if you're living with them. You'll get to know him a little bit more each day. Huh."

It would seem as though Tiona had reached an epiphany of her own as she tried to encourage Bell.

"I guess you're right," Bell said as he scratched his cheek. "Thanks."

"No problem! So…back to my question…how do you you fall in love anyway? They always make it seem so easy in the stories…"

"You mean how its simple for a hero to save a girl and they fall in love?" Bell asked, kicking away his past desires and memories off the proverbial cliff as quickly as he could.

"Yeah, I tried that but it didn't work," Tiona said with a sigh.

"…Tried?"

"Yeah. I pretended to be in trouble but no one came to my rescue at all. All the guys just screamed and ran away."

"Aha…ha…"

If a Level 6 were to come across something that put them in danger, the only thing anyone Level 4 and lower (as in the majority of Orario) could do was run away else they just get in the way. Still, it was probably best that Bell didn't mention that.

"Is there anywhere else you could meet a guy?" Tiona asked.

"Umm…how about a party or something?" Bell suggested.

"Party?"

"Yeah. A dance party, or a Society Ball or something like that. The stories usually has a scene where the hero dances with the girl, right? Maybe you'll find a partner if you go to one?"

"I see…like a big ball held at a palace or something, right?" Tiona asked and Bell nodded his head. "…But is there one around here? A palace?"

"Uhh…maybe a Guild owned building would work?" Bell offered. "Caster mentioned that nobles and the like often came to Orario for networking purposes. There's probably a party happening around somewhere…"

The Entertainment District never sleeps in more ways than one after all. There's always some big gathering going on at one point or another.

"Would I be able to go though?" Tiona asked. "I'm not a princess or a noble or anything like that."

"Maybe? I mean, you're from Loki Familia right? The entire world knows about your Familia. I think you'd be able to get in if you asked or your goddess asked."

"Heh…that sounds fun! I'll give it a shot!" Tiona decided. "Ah…I should probably get a dress or something right? Like a princess dress."

"R-right…I don't think any of those places would let you in in Amazon casual wear even if you are from Loki Familia…"

"Hmm…I guess I'll have to ask Loki for one. She's probably the only one that's my size."

Bell turned his head to the side to force himself from looking.

"Anyway, I'll give it a shot!" Tiona said as she nodded her head toward Bell. "Thanks again, Little Argonaut! Sorry for bothering you!"

"No, I'm glad I could help," Bell said as Tiona ran off while waving back at him. "Good luck!"

As Tiona disappeared into the crowd, Bell let out a sigh.

"Comes and goes like a hurricane," he muttered with a laugh. "Anyway…better get back to shopping. Anyway…sauces…maybe I should ask at the Hostess? No, I shouldn't bother them at this time…let's do a sweep of the stalls again."

Worst case scenario, they would just try to make the sauce Archer used the other day instead.

With that in mind, Bell returned to his shopping, wondering just how Archer would react when he got home.

X-x-X-x-X

Several layers below the surface, a few hours after they left the Hearthstone Manor, Gina was successfully leading her Party into the Dungeon.

They had made it to the Third Floor with little trouble against the goblins and kobolds that made the upper levels their home. Under the watchful eyes of Lancer, the group did not encounter anyone or anything that could threaten them.

"All right, let's take a break here," Gina said when they came across a circular dead end. "Monsters don't spawn here all that often so all we need to do is worry about the entrance. Lancer, can we leave it to you?"

"Of course," Lancer nodded as she set down the bag she was carrying as their Supporter.

"Ugh…it's a lot more crowded this time around," Primo muttered as she leaned back and drank a Mind Potion.

"Is it because it's still early?" Emma asked.

"Yep. The top five floors are usually very crowded since that's where most Level 1s stay at since it's safe…well, safer I guess. And most of them are still beginners so they crowd around the spots that have been mapped the most. Only Bell is weird enough to go beat a Floor Boss so quickly…and that's not counting the other three."

"So Lily's fine?"

"Well, she's a Supporter and has been an Adventurer since she was born so it's not that unnatural for her to finally hit Level 2 or be part of a Floor Boss fight. I think Jack being part of the main fight should have raised some eyebrows…"

"Is it because she looks like a human kid?" Primo asked.

"Well, that and I wonder if people are going to wonder if she's the second coming of the Sword Princess," Gina explained. "Asfi said that she used to be call 'Doll Princess' you know? Because she didn't show any emotions while she was slaughtering monsters. From what Bell and Lily told me, Jack can slaughter monsters with a big smile on her face."

"While it is concerning, it should not be surprising," Lancer chimed in as she kept an eye out for monsters at the entrance. "Recall that she is Master's 'Assassin' after all."

"I still don't get that classification system…" Primo admitted with a sigh. "It's completely turning everything I know about Spirits on its head. Granted I don't know _much_ but…"

"I guess we can just consider Lancer and the others a separate thing from the other Spirits," Gina pointed out as s. "I mean, it's not like Spirits are that well-known to begin with and Lady Hestia didn't really know much about it either."

"I do not believe it is very complicated," Lancer began. "We are but mere shades of an entire legend inserted into our Class containers."

"Only shades?" Emma repeated as she rummaged through the bag to pull out their rations and bowls. "So…does that mean you are incomplete or something?"

"In a manner of speaking. Although the containers are powerful, they are nowhere near enough to hold an entire Heroic Spirit."

"Ohh…I think I get it," Primo said. "Is that why its separated into seven? Like if a hero is known for using a sword and a spear, if they're in a Saber class they won't be able to use their spear?"

"That is simplifying a lot of things but that is the gist of it."

"Then…does that mean it might have been possible for Bell to summon two of the 'same' Spirit?" Gina asked.

"It is theoretically possible. I could have been summoned as Rider or Berserker as well after all."

"I don't think Orario would survive two of you going after Saber," Emma joked with a smile. "Or Saber himself for that matter."

"Please do not mention that," Lancer begged as she placed her hands on her cheeks in embarrassment. "I cannot help but lose myself around that person."

They took a break in the discussion so Lancer could trace a rune on the kettle they brought along, heating up their water so they could pour over their rations and start eating.

"While we're here, do you want to try your Skill again, Emma?" Gina suggested.

"With who?" The older girl asked.

"With me. Last time you did it with Bell and Lily right? Both of them are higher Level than you with Magic and Skills. Maybe if you do it with someone without either, like me, then there won't be much of a backlash?"

"When you say it like that it kinda makes me feel bad…" Primo muttered.

"Ahahaha, don't worry about it," Gina quickly said with a smile. "This is normal for an Amazon. Especially since I don't spend as much time in the Dungeon compared to other Adventurers. I used to be from a Delivery-type Familia, remember?"

"And you should get your own Magic eventually once I teach you my Runes," Lancer added and Gina nodded her head.

"But is it safe to try it down here?" Emma asked.

"It's as safe as its gonna be. Besides, where are you going to se that Skill if not in the Dungeon, right?"

Not having a counter to that, Emma quickly finished her food, letting out a satisfied sigh, before setting the bowl down.

"Okay, I'm ready," she said with Gina nodding and setting her own bowl aside as well.

"All right, let's see how this works!"

Emma placed her hand over her chest as she closed her eyes. She fell into a deep silence for a moment before pink lights began to shine across her body.

"Oof…I'm starting to feel it…" Gina said as she rubbed her chest.

"Are you okay?" Primo asked quickly.

"Yeah, just a bit tired."

"I wonder if I'll ever get to use this Skill," Emma said with a sigh. "Would there ever be a situation where it's better for me to fight alone instead of with a group?"

"Perhaps we should have hope that the Skill's drawbacks will lessen with consistent use," Lancer chimed in. "We should also consider the possibility that adding another Status upon your own also acts as a temporary Level up, not just a Parameter boost."

Indeed, the only time Emma tested the Status increase was when she accidentally took Bell's Status and the extreme increase in speed sent her flying.

"…But how exactly would we find that out?" Emma asked. "Try it with Lily's Status then spar with Bell?"

"The two of us right now should be sufficient," Lancer said as her spear materialized in her hands. "I've set up a few runes down the tunnel so no monsters will come without me noticing."

"Uhh…me against you?" Emma muttered, no doubt recalling how well she had done against Rider the other day.

"I have seen your normal Parameters when you fought against Rider and Archer. I should be able to judge the increase in your abilities."

"Uuu…I guess there's no helping it!"

Emma smacked her cheeks in an attempt to psyche herself up before drawing her swords.

"Then, whenever you are ready, Miss Flores," Lancer said with a nod.

Although Lancer gave her the go ahead, Emma did not strike immediately. She took a few steps to the side while Lancer remained still as a statue as she only used her eyes to follow her.

"Hah!"

Then, with a grunt of effort, Emma shot forward toward Lancer much faster than she had been able to in the earlier fights. However, every single one of her attacks were being parried by the Heroic Spirit of the Spear.

Red and silver sliced through the air trying to meet its target but none drew even close to home.

Although Lancer's spear was massive, the woman easily moved it to deflect Emma's relatively amateurish strikes with a single hand.

"…You are indeed much faster than before," Lancer stated the obvious between swings. "Even when compared to Miss Gwen your speed far surpasses hers…there must be some added benefit with layering the Statuses after all…ah!"

Even as Lancer was speaking, she was still parrying Emma's strikes…up until the girl suddenly stopped glowing and fell forward into Lancer's waiting arms.

"Well, compared to when you did it with Lily, it definitely lasted longer," Gina muttered, taking deep breaths as Primo rubbed her back. "At least ten minutes. Though is it because I'm Level 1 as well or is it because she's getting used to it, I wonder?"

"Well…either way…it's good…right?" Emma coughed out between breaths as Lancer drew a rune over her chest.

"Do not force yourself," Lancer said as the rune sank into Emma's chest. "This should revitalize you a bit."

As the light of the rune, vanished, Emma took a deep breath like someone having broken up and through the surface of a lake.

"What was that?" Primo asked as Lancer helped Emma sit up straight.

"A small rune that's the equivalent of a stimulant," Lancer replied as she traced the same rune and sent it over to Gina as well. "It restores your stamina but there can be some side effects if it is overused, even if your bodies have been blessed by Lady Hestia. But a single use would be fine."

"Runes are amazing…" Primo muttered.

"They are certainly powerful and versatile but it is not easy to master," Lancer said before turning to Gina. "Shall we continue our Adventure, Miss Gwen? Or shall we rest a bit longer? I can begin my lessons on Runes as well."

"Hmm…how are you feeling, Emma?" Gina asked. "Are you good to go?"

"Umm…I wouldn't mind resting a bit more," Emma admitted.

"Then let's have a magic lesson!" Gina said thrusting her fist into the air. "I mean, we still have to worry about the goal the Captain gave us but it's all right to take it easy on the first day, right?"

"Very well," Lancer nodded with a smile. "Miss Libera. Although Caster has said that it would not be necessary for you to learn as well, there should be no problem in following along if you are interested."

"I am!" Primo replied quickly with a smile and a nod. "I mean, it's like putting an entire chant into a drawing and getting magic out of it! As a Mage, I want to know how it works!"

"Fufu…of course."

And so the first Rune Magic lesson began in the depths of the Dungeon.

X-x-X-x-X

Bell's search for sauces to use for the recipe didn't take very long.

One of the stall owners selling cooked meat managed to point him in the right direction and allowed him to hurry on home.

"I'm back!" He called out as he entered the manor.

"Welcome back," Rider's voice greeted him from the kitchen. "You just missed Lily and Caster."

In the kitchen, Rider was cleaning up a large pot of oil as Berserker was snacking on a donut covered in chocolate while his other hand was holding a sugar covered on for Fia.

"Umm…"

"Don't worry, there are still a few left on the table."

"Haha…thanks…"

Setting his purchases on the counter near Rider, Bell quickly ran over to pick out a plain donut for himself.

"Oh? Not picking a sweet one?" Rider asked, taking notice of Bell's choice as she took out the groceries from the basket.

"I don't really like overly sweet things," Bell replied as he enjoyed the snack. "So plain is fine with me."

"I guess that's just how most boys are," Rider said with a smile before nodding her head. "All right, looks like you managed to get everything. So wash your hands and we'll get started."

"Right…though did we really need so much meat?" Bell asked.

"You're not thinking of letting Archer eat alone, are you?" Rider asked back with a teasing smile. "Just think how sad the goddess and Jack would be if they learned that you cooked without leaving anything for them."

"Ahh…good point," Bell admitted with a nod. "So where do we start?"

"Hmm, first off we need to mice the beef and the onions," Rider replied as she glanced at the recipe book. "It's about an entire onion for three or four people so…"

Rider started picking out the ingredients they needed before handing some onions to Bell.

"Dice those up as much as you can," she instructed. "I'll work on the meat."

"Got it," Bell nodded before taking a handkerchief and wrapping it around his face, causing Rider to giggle and for Bell to get a bit defensive. "What? It's better than crying, right?"

"I didn't say anything," Rider said with a smile. "Now then let's get to work."

"Can we…help?" Berserker asked, peering through the window as usual.

"And how exactly am I supposed to help?" Fia asked, flapping her wings up and down.

"With taste testing of course," Rider said. "It's the first time anyone here is making it so there might be some problems with the taste."

"So we're just garbage disposals?" Fia asked with a wry smile on her face. "Well, I suppose burnt meat would still be better than what's in the Dungeon."

"I-I won't burn it!" Bell insisted. "I can do at least that much!"

With the teasing done, Bell and Rider got to work.

First off was for Bell to dice the onions into fine pieces before setting half of the pile to the side. Rider then had him caramelize one half in a large pan in oil with some salt.

Once she was done mincing and kneading the meat, Rider placed the meat, the sautéed onions, seasonings and an egg into a bowl.

"Here you go Bell," she said, pushing the bowl with the various ingredients inside toward him. "Use your hand and mix it up as much as possible."

"R-right," Bell nodded as he plunged his hand into it after washing them. "Uwaa…its seeping through my fingers…how long do I have to do this?"

"Until it's all mixed in~"

"G-got it…"

"Can I…do it too?" Berserker asked.

"Sure, we got a bit extra," Rider said as she quickly filled a larger bowl with the same ingredients. "Come to think of it…you'd probably want bigger portions, wouldn't you?"

"Sorry…"

"I said you didn't need to apologize, right? Big boys need their food after all. We'll need some more onions though. Wash your hands first, Berserker."

Berserker nodded as Fia picked up the hose and sprayed down his hands for him, skillfully using her talons to turn the nozzle for the spray.

"But you can't turn a doorknob huh?" Bell asked.

"I can't grip it cuz it's too round!" She shouted, her cheeks turning the same color as her feathers. "If it was in this shape then it would be fine!"

"I wonder if we should replace all the round knobs with horizontal bars instead?" Rider muttered as she placed the giant bowl in front of Berserker who plunged his massive hand into it.

"…Hee…hee hee…hee…"

And the massive minotaur started laughing as the texture tickled him. The rather eerie sounding chuckle combined with the minotaur bearing his teeth painted a rather frightening picture..

"Please stop," Fia begged him as she took a step back.

"Sorry."

Once the meat was all mixed up it was time to shape them.

"Shape them?" Bell repeated, tilting his head to the side. "Like what we did with the donuts earlier?"

"Kind of," Rider said, picking up a clump of the mixed meat. "Just pick up about this much meat then toss them back and forth into your hands like you're playing catch with yourself."

As an example, she tossed the clump between her hands.

"Like this, it gets rid of the air pockets in the meat and gives it its shape."

"I see…"

Bell and Berserker mimicked Rider's movements and pretty soon, small balls of meat were flying around between them as Fia just watched them blankly while occasionally glancing down at her wings.

"Sorry."

"I-I didn't say anything!"

Although Bell tried to apologize for leaving her out, the harpy denied everything.

Once the meat was shaped, Rider set them into the fridge to sit.

"Maybe we should send some to Welf to make sure he eats," Rider said as she and Bell started cleaning up a bit. "It's hard living on your own after all. It would be a load off of my mind if he were to live with us when he isn't working. Of course, Caster would never allow that."

It felt as though both King and Queen wanted Welf to live with them. That being said, so did Bell but Welf was too attached to Hephaistos Familia to leave them and Bell didn't want to get in the way of his dream of becoming a great blacksmith just for his companionship outside of going into the Dungeon.

"By the way, Bell," Rider suddenly called him. "Have you thought about what to do with the side dishes?"

"Uhh…I was thinking about grilling some of the veggies?" Bell asked. "They got the Demeter Familia seal so I think they'd be pretty good."

"I see. Yep, that sounds fine. Pick out the ones you think are good and I'll help you."

Carrots, mushrooms, potatoes and sprouts.

The vegetables were quickly cut to make the bite-sized and either grilled or pan-fried over the stove. Once they were done, Rider took several of the patties and placed them into a new pan that had a layer of oil poured over it.

Bell watched the meat patties cook over the medium level flame for a moment until the outer layer hardened up and flipped it. Out of the corner of his eye, Bell could see Fia and Berserker slightly drooling as aroma of cooking meat.

Once both sides had hardened, Bell placed a lid over the pan and let it sit for a few minutes before turning the heat all the way up for about fifteen seconds.

"Is this part really necessary?" Bell asked as he turned toward Rider.

"Hmm, it looks like it's just personal choice for the texture," Rider noted. "Well, it's fine I suppose."

Once that was done, they plated the meat and arranged some of the vegetables beside it.

"It's done right?" Fia asked, leaning in through the window. "Hey, it's ready to eat right?"

"Well, Bell?" Rider asked with a smile. "Do you want to give it to Fia to taste first or do you want Archer to be the first one to taste your food?"

"Haha, I don't think we should tease Fia like that," Bell said as he picked up one of the plates along with a fork and walked outside. "Here you go, Fia. Open wide."

"Ngh…it's embarrassing when you do it like that…" Fia grumbled but nonetheless opened her mouth and accepted the food. "…It's good. It's really really good!"

"Oh, thank goodness," Bell said with a sigh as Rider took the fork from Bell and started feeding Fia instead. "I hadn't had to cook ever since I summoned Archer so I was worried that I'd make a ton of mistakes."

"Have more faith in yourself, Bell," Rider said. "You can't look unsure of yourself when you ask Archer to eat, right?"

"Well he's still at the meeting with the Goddess Hephaistos, right?"

Rider simply smiled as she held up three fingers.

"Three, two, one..."

Once the last finger fell down, the door opened and someone stepped in.

"I'm back," Archer's voice called out. "If there's anyone home to answer anyway."

"Welcome back, Archer!" Bell greeted him as he quickly poked his head out of the kitchen to see Archer taking a step on the staircase.

"Oh, you're still here, Bell?" Archer asked.

"Yep! I spent the day cooking with Rider!"

"That so? Well have fun. I gotta head back out right away. The Goddess Hephaistos asked me to undertake a Quest for her so I won't be having dinner tonight."

"…Eh?"

"Yeah it was rather sudden but I don't really have a reason to refuse and she's shorthanded right now."

"But you should at least have time for a quick bite, right?" Rider cut in, placing her hands on Bell's shoulders with a smile. "Bell worked really hard on it you know?"

"Rider…"

Archer just met Rider's gaze for a moment before letting out a quick sigh followed by a wry smile.

"All right, all right," he said, holding his hands up in defeat. "I'll have a bit before I leave."

Stepping back down from the stairs, Archer walked over toward them and entered the kitchen.

"Hmm? This smell is…"

Archer glanced over at the counter to see the plate sitting there.

"Hamburger steak," Bell answered with a smile. "We made it by following some of the instructions from your cookbook."

Archer didn't say anything as he just stared at the dish in front of him, looking as though he was lost in his own world.

"…Archer?" Bell called out to his first Servant, snapping him out of his trance. "Are you all right?"

"A-ahh…yeah," Archer said quickly as he covered his mouth with his hand and looked to the side. "I was…just thinking about something."

Meanwhile, Rider was standing across from them on the other side of the counter with a smile on her face.

"Like I thought, this dish seems to have some sort of special meaning for you, doesn't it?" She asked.

"…Well, I'm not sure I would call it special," Archer replied. "I don't particularly like or dislike it."

"…But?" Rider asked, urging him to continue.

Archer fell silent for nearly an entire minute before answering.

"…It was my old man's favorite dish," Archer admitted. "I was just thinking about the first time I made it for him."

"Well, don't be shy," Rider said, placing another fork in front of Archer. "Dig in."

"…Yeah. Thanks for the food."

Archer's fork dug into the meat, letting the juices inside the meat to seep out and mix with the sauce. He then slowly brought it up into his mouth in silence as he slowly chewed it.

"W-well?" Bell asked, feeling as though he was back on the Seventeenth Floor about to face the Black Goliath once more.

Archer didn't answer right away and instead scooped up another chunk of meat into his mouth first. Archer then turned toward Bell with a big satisfied smile, causing his heart to skip a beat.

"Well, it's not bad," he said before placing a hand on Bell's head to ruffle his hair. "No, that's not it. It's pretty good. Good job, Bell."

"N-no…I just followed your recipe with Rider's help," Bell muttered, feeling his cheeks heating up. "I'm nowhere near as good as you or her."

"Really now, is Caster the only man in this Familia that isn't overly modest?" Rider asked with a an exasperated smile and a sigh. "Just take the compliment."

"I suppose so…" Bell mumbled as Archer simply chuckled and continued to eat.

As Bell continued to watch him with a strange feeling bubbling up in his chest, the door suddenly slammed open, signaling the goddess's return.

"We're back!" Hestia shouted as she and Assassin came sliding into the kitchen as well. "And something smells really good!"

"Meat!" Assassin cheered. "Is lunch ready?"

"That's right," Rider nodded. "Today we're having Bell's hamburger steaks."

"Bell cooked!?" Hestia asked in surprise. "You still have some left right!?"

"Sorry, this is the last piece," Archer said, making a show of savoring the last bite. An action he would soon regret as Hestia suddenly launched herself at him. "Whoa!?"

"Noooooo! Give it to me! I want some too!"

"T-there's still over a dozen patties left, Goddess!" Bell said quickly. "I'll grill them up right away!"

"Beru…I want to eat too…" Berserker said, having also watched Fia eat without getting any himself yet.

"R-right! You want some too, Jack?"

"Yes Mommy!"

As Bell ran to the fridge to get out some more burgers out, Rider slid up next to Archer who was dusting himself off after getting the goddess to release him.

"So how do you feel?" Rider asked him. "You made quite the face earlier."

"Whatever do you mean?" Archer asked, playing ignorant.

"This was Bell's way of showing his appreciation for you. Well? Do you feel appreciated?"

"Hmm…I wonder? Well…I will say that I think I understand what the old man felt when he had it for the first time."

"Really now, aside from Saber, the men in this Familia can't be honest with themselves either."

Rider let out a sigh and she shook her head before heading back over to the stove to help Bell cook up some more steaks. Archer quickly turned around, not wanting anyone to see the smile on his face, before he headed up to his room to prepare for the quest.

And so, just another simple afternoon within Hestia Familia came to an end.


	35. Hestia Familia's Evening

**Chapter 35: Before the Storm**

When Lily had been ordered to accompany Caster, she thought she would be acting like an assistant of sorts during an important meeting or as a carrier for the king's purchases. She did not expect to be told to disguise herself and follow without saying anything.

"…You look like you have a lot of questions," a rather high pitch voice completely different from her king's usual voice said to her.

"Quite a bit," Lily admitted honestly.

"Hahaha, well, just wait until we reach our destination."

So said the golden haired "human" boy that was the same size as her Familia Goddess.

Lily, currently in her usual werewolf disguise ala Cinder Ella, followed dutifully from the Hearthstone Manor all the way to the eastern end of the city. From there they entered a storage building filled with various storage safes.

"This one," the boy said, holding up a key to a safe marked #689.

Inserting the key inside, the safe door opened without any trouble…and its contents made Lily's jaw drop.

Jewels of various colors and sizes, gold and silver rings, and three large books that Lily recognized to be Magic Grimoires were sitting there without a care in the world.

"Fuahahaha, not bad Fels, not bad at all," the boy said with a laugh as the treasure disappeared into a golden portal. "I suppose it's no longer necessary for you all to pay for the Tamer Licenses now…but I think it would be better to store this as emergency funds instead. Oh, but we can probably use the Grimoires instead of selling them. What do you think, Lily? Want one?"

"L-L-Lily thinks using a Grimoire on a Supporter is a waste…Lord Caster," Lily replied, picking her jaw up from the floor. Level 2 or not, Lily was still not eager to be in any sort of combat role.

"Hmm, you shouldn't call me 'Caster' when we're in disguise like this," 'Caster' said as he rubbed his chin. "I shouldn't be calling you Lily either come to think of it. So call me 'Gil' and I'll call you 'Milly,' got it?"

"If you say so…"

Seeing Lily's mind in complete turmoil, 'Gil' let out a sigh as he snapped his fingers, causing a small wand to appear between them. Immediately after, the air around them seemed to still.

"There, now we can talk without any risk of being overheard," Gil said with a smile. "So what's wrong, Lily? Did you not want to come along?"

"N-no it's not that!" Lily said quickly. "It's just that…the news that Lord Caster was the one who attacked Freya Familia…it is a bit much for Lily to take in right now."

"Oh? And what makes you think that it was me?"

"The Guild bounty said that the attack was a 'human boy' or 'male pallum' with golden hair and red eyes. The estimated Level is 4 or 5. The only Pallums that are that high are in Freya Familia or Loki Familia's Braver. Of them, only Braver has blonde hair and even then his eyes weren't red. That just leaves you."

"Ahahaha, touché," the boy nodded with a melodious laugh.

"How can you even make yourself younger anyway?" Lily asked. "It's different from Lily's magic since your height also changed."

"You can just consider it a little party trick. I can share one with you if you want but…I don't think it'll do you much good if you were to get even tinier. Will you even change all that much if you were to take the reverse candy to grow older though?"

"No…Lily thinks this is as big as Lily is going to get," Lily admitted with a long sigh. "Even Loki Familia's Braver isn't that much taller than Lily."

"Pallums really do have it hard," Gil muttered with a nod.

"Lily also thinks Lord…no…Gil's 'party tricks' are way too crazy for normal people to consider as 'party tricks,'" Lily added, hand over her the ring hanging from her necklace.

"Ahaha, everything's relative my dear attendant," Gil replied with another laugh. "But really, you seem much more comfortable speaking to me in this form than as my usual adult self."

"Grk!"

He was right.

Somewhere along the way, Lily's mental exhaustion from all of this had made her act in a very informal manner with her king.

"Not that I mind it," Gil continued, ignoring her inner turmoil. "Showing reverence is fine but there's no need to overly force yourself and give nothing but empty platitudes. I need someone that can speak their mind when needed, not a sycophant."

"Y-yes, understood!" Lily said with a nod and Gil smiled and snapped his fingers.

"Good. Now then, let us continue our date."

"Yes!" Lily nodded again as she followed behind Gil only to stop as her thoughts caught up to her brain. "Huh?"

"What's wrong?" Gil asked with a smirk. "We're burning daylight."

"W-w-w-w-wait a minute, Lord…no, Gil!" Lily said quickly. "Since when was this a date?"

"Since I have declared it so."

"B-but aren't we just taking a walk?"

"And thus, a date."

"Two people walking together doesn't qualify as a date!"

"Is that not the very definition of a date?"

"Lord Caster!"

"Ahahaha, are you so against the idea?" Gil asked with another laugh.

"Please don't tease Lily like this…"

More and more of her energy seemed to be floating away as Gil seemed to look apologetic.

"All right, all right, I got it," Gil said with a smile and a sigh. "I'll stop."

"How are you so different from your usual self?" Lily asked as she rubbed her forehead. To her surprise, Gil's eyes clouded over as they glanced over to the side.

"That question haunts me at every waking moment," Gil muttered. Did Lily step on a landmine? "Anyway! We should quickly head to our next destination."

"Where exactly are we going?" Lily asked falling into step behind Gil again.

"To the place of my informants," Gil replied with a grin. "They must be working hard so the donuts are part of my appreciation for them."

"Ahh…that explains a lot."

"Of course I offer monetary compensation as well. This is just a bonus."

Lily nodded her head again as they headed south for a bit, making their way through several narrow alleyways that Lily was rather familia with.

"Are we heading to Daedalus Street?" Lily asked, looking around the maze-like alleyway that Gil was navigating without any problem.

"That's right."

Daedalus Street.

A residential area said to have been built by an architect that had gone insane and remodeled the neighborhood many times over. Its stone buildings, stairwells and winding roads were all going up and down with no rhyme or reason and no sense of order or direction. Some steps even stopped right in the middle of a building's wall or even went through a window and out the other side.

It was no wonder that the area was often called Orario's "second Dungeon."

It was also the place where the poor and destitute tended to gather, making Lily feel a bit worried that someone might see a pair of kids and think they would make for an easy mark. She prayed that no one would be stupid enough to try, for their own sake.

Once or twice Gil would stop and look at a red arrow on the wall and change direction. These arrows were painted onto the walls and ground of Daedalus Street in an attempt to lead people who got lost back out.

People referred to them as "ariadne."

Eventually they stopped by a building near the heart of the labyrinth.

"…A church?" Lily asked in surprise.

"Feeling nostalgic?" Gil asked. "My informants live in this church. Although it's been abandoned once before and is currently being used as an orphanage."

"Orphanage?" Lily repeated. "Then…Gil's informants are…"

"Indeed," Gil nodded as a bag dropped on the ground between them. "Pick that up and prepare yourself."

"Prepare for what?" Lily asked, dread creeping up her spine as she slung the backpack around her shoulders. No sooner did she do so however…

"Ah! It's Gil!"

A young Chienthrope poked her head out the door and called out the moment she saw them and then a wave of children of all races surged out of the doors in a blink of an eye.

Lily let out a scream as she quickly retreated from the scene as the children mobbed the laughing Gil.

"Yes yes, I finally managed to sneak away again to play," Gil said as he was tugged back and forth by the children. "Is Mother Maria in, Lai?"

"She is!" A human boy answered with a nod. "She's in the cafeteria."

"Got it. I need to talk to her for a moment then we'll get to business. Milly, come!"

At Gil's order, the sea of children parted with all of their gazes focused on Lily as she hurried to keep pace with Gil. Most of the children weren't that tall. At the very least, the tallest one was only just a bit taller than Lily. But they didn't seem to be unhappy about their situation judging by the fact that they could still smile so happily.

Lily then turned her attention back to the church. The building was very old and rundown, as most churches were since the advent of the gods. However, there were signs of recent repair to the window and walls showing that they had at least some sort of income. Perhaps donations from some Familia or Gil himself? Or maybe some of the older children were doing some jobs to help make money? Gil did say he was using them as informants.

The inside of the building was rather wide, being at least ten meters across with doors lining the walls leading into other rooms. All of which were showing signs of recent repair. Even the ground at Lily's feet had recently sealed cracks in them.

The pews that would normally line the main hall had been stacked up in one of the corners, rearranged in a way that made Lily think of a fort that children would usually make out of cushions and the like instead.

Gil and Lily made their way across the hall and into the back of the church into a cafeteria where an elderly human was tending to a stove.

"Mother Maria, Gil's here again!" Lai said as he rushed passed them to the old woman.

"Oh my," Maria turned around with a smile. "It's been a while, Gil."

"Ahaha, I'm sorry Mother Maria," Gil apologized with another smile on his face. "But I got in trouble for sneaking out so I had to wait a bit before I could come back."

Mother Maria had long black hair that was tied up in a bun on the back of her head. She looked rather thin, not surprising considering the state of their home, but she had a calming aura about her that made the kids love her.

"And that girl there?"

"The child of one of my attendants," Gil lied smoothly. "Her name is Milly. I dragged her along too."

From that Lily guessed that Gil was pretending to be the child of some noble living in Orario rather than Familia Captain. Certainly if he said he wasn't part of a Familia, people would be less likely to suspect that he was the mysterious boy rampaging against the High-Class Familias.

"Anyway, I brought groceries!" Gil said as he walked behind Milly and opened up her bag, pulling out several vegetables and meat.

"Oh Gil, I've said you don't have to go out of your way to do so."

"And I've said that I want to do it so I'm going to do it. All the children who live here are my precious playmates. So of course I want to help out."

It was scary that Lily couldn't tell if he was being honest or not. The usual Caster would never play with children like this so easily but the current Gil was nearly the exact opposite that Lily couldn't believe that they were the same person even though she saw him change right in front of her.

Then again, despite his standoffish attitude, Gina, Primo and Assassin seemed to like him a lot and not just because he was their Familia Captain.

"Besides," Gil continued. "It's either this or I donate Valis and since you won't accept that even when you accept it from several goddesses and their Familias…"

"It's not that that I don't want to accept Valis," Maria said with a sigh that told Lily that this was an argument they had often. "I told you it's because you are offering far too much."

Gil's response was to shake his head and sigh.

Still, Maria accepted the food in the end. With that done, Gil took Lily by the hand and went back out to the main hall where all the kids were currently waiting by the fort made out of the pews.

"Now then!" Gil said, walking over and climbing on top of the fort with his arms crossed. "The King's court is now in session. First order of business, let me hear what you all have learned since our last session. Let's start with…"

Gil began calling the names of the children one by one.

To Lily's surprise, the children were indeed being used as informants. After all, orphan children were the norm in Orario. Adventurers who had relations outside of the Familia whose child wasn't allowed to join the Familia after their death, unwanted babies from night workers from the Entertainment district, or just people who couldn't or didn't want to care for a child. They all made their way into Daedalus Street one way or another.

All sorts of information was being shared by the children, even if a few were doubled up on. A few of them mentioned that Adventurers bearing the Loki Familia emblem were combing the streets as if searching for something. Others mentioned hearing strange noises near the entrances to the sewers. But the biggest thing was…

"We saw a bunch of people walking around!" Lai said as a half-elf and the chienthrope girl that spotted them when they first arrived nodded their heads.

"Strange people?" Lily repeated.

"Yeah!" The chienthrope, Fina, added. "They were wearing white robes and were being very sneaky."

"So we tried to follow them but…" the half-elf, Ruu, continued only to be cut off by Gil.

"Are you three stupid!?" Gil shouted, causing everyone to flinch in surprise. "Who told you to put yourself in danger by following suspicious people? I said to only keep an eye out for strange things, not to go looking for it!"

"B-but…" Lai began but Gil was having none of it.

"No, you shut up and listen! Mother Maria and Big Sis Syr must have told you over and over, right? Dangerous people wander around here. They'll ignore you if you don't do anything overt but if you follow them, it won't just end with a scary person yelling at you, you know! They'll come and hurt Mother Maria and everyone else as well"

He did not give them a chance to explain themselves and the three children hung their heads as he chastised them. However, Lily could tell that Gil's agitation was genuine. He didn't want them putting themselves in danger for his sake.

"That goes for all of you," Gil said, looking at the other children. "If you see strange people, run away and tell me the next time I come. Absolutely do _not_ follow them, under _any_ circumstances. Do I make myself clear?"

A round of "Yes's" and quick nods of heads answered him.

"Good." Gil nodded his head as if satisfied with their answer. "Is there anything else?"

The children all shared glances but no one offered anything else.

"Then let's begin the next event," Gil declared, his smile returning to his face. "Milly, take out that box!"

"R-right!" Lily replied. She then took off her backpack and set it on the ground and pulled out the last item inside. "Here you go. Donuts for everyone!"

When she opened the box, a sweet smell filled the area and the children let out squeals of delight.

"Everyone line up behind Lai, Fina and Ruu," Gil said as Lily moved so that those three kids were in the front. "There is enough for everyone and if you want seconds you have to go to the back of the line. No more than three for each person though. And don't start eating until everyone's seated. That means you, Fina."

"Wasn't gonna!" Fina protested as she picked out a chocolate donut and quickly ran off to get back in line.

Once everyone had grabbed at least one donut, leaving only two left, Gil had Lily pick one out while he took the last one.

"Everyone's got at least one, right?" Gil asked and everyone held up a donut. "Then let the donut party begin! Oh, but keep it a secret from Mother Maria…" he added after a thought.

"""Kaaaaay!"""

As everyone began eating, Lily saw something glowing within her bag. Holding the donut in her mouth, she opened it up again and saw several thermoses inside, each one a different color next to several wooden cups. After opening them up, she saw that they were filled with various juices or milk.

Understanding what Gil wanted her to do, she took them out and started pouring them into cups as the children came over and took one to go with their snack.

"Is it okay to give these kids so much sugar?" Lily whispered to Gil who laughed.

"As long as we get out of here before Mother Maria finds out, it'll be fine."

"That's horrible, Gil…"

"In any case, our next destination has been decided," Gil said.

"Where those robed people went?"

"Indeed."

Gil then stepped over to Lai, Fina and Kuu.

"Are you three satisfied?" He asked and received the reply in unison.

"""Yep!"""

"I'm sorry for getting mad earlier," Gil continued. "But I need to make sure the three of you understand. Things are getting more and more dangerous lately so if you want to protect this place and Mother Maria, you can't go actively looking for dangerous things. Just tell them to me if you see something strange, okay?"

"Yes…"

"I understand…"

"I'm sorry…"

They gave three different replies this time.

"Then, even though it completely goes against what I said earlier…I need you three to show me where you saw that tunnel. At the very least, it needs to be sealed so suspicious people can't use it to move about the city easily, or worse, let criminals escape and enter the city at their leisure."

Gil then placed several coins in front of them.

"This is payment for the three of you to lead me near the place you found it, eight hundred valis. It should be enough for some snacks for everyone."

All of the orphans eyes widened at the amount of money placed on the floor.

"But listen carefully you three," Gil continued, grabbing Lai by the face. "Do not misunderstand me. This is not a 'reward' for putting yourselves in danger. If you do something like that again…I'm going to be _very_ unhappy. Understand?"

"Y-yessir…" Lai answered while the other two quickly nodded their heads.

Satisfied with that, Gil directed the other children to distract Maria while he had the three of them show him the way to the tunnel, heading out through the back of the church garden.

"Over here!" Fina said as she pointed toward a massive field of rubble. "They disappeared somewhere in this field."

"There aren't any tunnels when we looked here later though," Lai said.

"Maybe they closed it up?" Ruu suggested.

"Milly follow me," Gil said taking a step onto the rubble. "You three…_stay there_."

They nodded their heads and quickly ran to hide behind a large stone block, poking only their heads out to watch them.

"Remember," Gil said as he turned back to the three orphans. "No matter what happens, do not move from that spot unless I tell you to run."

The three of them nodded again just as Gil glanced down at Lily's feet as she stood on top of a particularly large stone slab.

"Milly, that rock…remove it. Carefully."

Lily nodded as she hopped down and dug a bit in the rubble until she found the edge of the stone.

"One…two…!"

Digging her hands under the block, she felt her skills, Artel Assist and Crownsguard, activate in unison. The first adjusting her strength to allow her to carry any weight and the second boosting all her parameters to allow her to follow her king's orders.

The combination easily allowed her to lift the massive stone block that was easily the same size of Berserker over her head and toss it to the side.

Level 2 was amazing.

And judging from the flabbergasted expressions of the three orphans, they agreed as Gil simply let out a laugh.

A few more minutes of tossing rocks away later, the area was completely cleared out, giving more room for the strange growling to seep through from the newly revealed tunnel.

"…There really was a secret tunnel," Lily muttered as she took a few steps back while Gil stepped forward.

"…"

The golden haired boy was completely silent as his eyes glared down into the darkness.

"Hey Gil, is it safe?" Lai called out, snapping the boy out of his contemplation.

"It definitely is not," Gil replied, his casual attitude slowly disappearing in favor of the mask of a king. "The three of you are to go back to the orphanage, _immediately_."

"What? That's not fair!" Lai protested. "Milly gets to go with you!"

"Despite her appearance, Milly is also a High-Class Adventurer, as you may have already noticed. The three of you have never been in a fight so you cannot properly protect me properly. And no, petty squabbles between your friends is nowhere near the same scale."

Not wanting to give up, Lai then turned to Milly.

"Hey Milly, can we join your Familia?" He asked.

"That isn't for Milly to decide," Lily said. "That's up to Milly's Captain and Goddess. But Milly doubts that they will allow it since Lai and the others are still a bit young."

Lily's response seemed to surprise Fina.

"What? But you don't look any older than we are!"

"The youngest in our Familia is ten years-old. Milly is just short for her age."

Judging from their expressions, none of them were at that age yet, except for Lai who looked back at his friends as if unwilling to leave them behind and possibly join a Familia on his own. As expected of the group's "leader."

"With that settled, get going," Gil said, his mask slipping slightly as he shooed the three away. "We have work to do."

As the orphans slumped away, Lily turned toward Gil.

"Lord Caster does realize that once we go in, they're going to follow, right?"

The long sigh that came out of his mouth was the only reply she got and needed.

Nevertheless, the two of them turned back to investigate the tunnel.

Thanks to the blessing bestowed on her by Soma and currently powered by Hestia, the pitch darkness of the tunnel did little to hamper her vision. Everything around here seemed to be made out of stone. The stairs leading into the tunnel, the walls, the ceiling…

"Was all of this made by Daedalus too?" Lily wondered out loud but Gil did not respond, keeping his eyes forward the entire time.

"…This tunnel must span throughout a large portion of Orario," Gil finally spoke up. "At the very least…the scent of the Pleasure Quarter reaches here."

Lily was surprised that Gil could tell that much despite the fact that they had't walked very far yet. That said, the Pleasure Quarter wasn't _that_ far from Daedalus Street. Both of them were in the southeastern quadrant of Orario with Daedalus being in the East-Southeastern part and the Pleasure Quarter being in the South-Southeastern part.

But still, for a secret tunnel to lead from here to there is strange.

"That _goddess's_ scent is seeping through," Gil continued, his red eyes seemingly glowing in the darkness. "There is no mistaking it. She uses these tunnels often."

Although Lily couldn't tell something like that, there was something else she could tell.

"Gil…the smell of monsters is also rather strong…" she whispered, tugging on his sleeve. "Like a lot of them had moved through here recently."

"Monsters? Ahh…so that's how it is…"

"How what-" Lily began only to clamp up. "Wait…Fia!"

"Indeed. This must be part of the system where monsters, and probably _those ones_, are moved through the city. I see…the picture is coming together. Hmm?"

The path in front of them suddenly came to a stop. The stone path in front of them had disappeared and was replaced by a massive golden door about three meters tall with several red gemstones embedded in its luster. Its sheen was unlike anything Lily had ever seen before in Orario.

Gil didn't say anything as he placed a hand against the door and gave it a slight push. As one would expect, it did not budge.

"Lily hasn't seen this metal before," Lily muttered. "It doesn't look like Adamatite…"

"It's Orichalcum," came Gil's answer, much to Lily's surprise.

"Orichalcum!?" Lily shouted, her voice echoing in the tunnel. "You mean this door has the unbreakable Durandal trait!?"

"Hahaha, who can say?" Gil shrugged as his hands disappeared into his pockets. "But I suppose this is where our search ends for the time being. I cannot continue on this path today."

He glanced at Lily as he said that to which she was both grateful and frustrated.

Grateful that she would not have to join in an investigation involving people who could hunt down the Xenos, meaning that they were at least Level 3 and over. And yet she was frustrated that her presence was the reason her king had to end his investigation for the time being out of concern for her safety.

The contrasting emotions served to only heighten her frustrations even more.

"Well let's get back before they get worried."

With that said, Gil turned around and grabbed Lily by the hand to start walking back. However, once they had walked away from the door, Gil wheeled around and three golden portals appeared around him. Massive hammers slowly slid out from the spiraling lights before they were shot out at breakneck speeds, smashing into the door and sending a loud vibration throughout the tunnel.

"Hmm…I suppose it is quite sturdy after all," Gil said, completely ignoring the fact that Lily's ears were ringing as she was crouched low on the floor with her hands pressing down on them to try and dull the pain. "I don't think I should waste any more of my treasures to try and force it open."

Raising her head, Lily's mouth fell open as she saw that the three hammers had shattered themselves upon the massive door but not without creating several large cracks like spiderwebs at the impact spots.

"As expected it'll take a bit more to shatter something that bears the name 'Durandal,'" Gil said as if he was merely trying to shatter a glass window with a rock. "As expected of one of humanity's greatest achievements that did not require the blessings of the gods."

"I-is it necessary to do something like this?" Lily asked, quickly standing up and hiding behind Gil.

"Probably not," Gil admitted with a smile. "But it does leave quite the message doesn't it? The one who took on Freya and Ishtar Familias has turned his eyes on them…and can probably break through the unbreakable given a bit of effort. The more they panic, the more mistakes they will make."

"…Lily understands how Gil can grow up to be like _that_ person now."

"Why does everyone keep _saying_ that!?"

Lily let out a sigh as she followed the depressed child that would soon return to being her king, and left the tunnel behind her, dragging three unrepentant orphans they had met on the way out.

By then, night was slowly falling down on Orario.

X-x-X-x-X

"…I look, ridiculous."

"Fufu, you look fine. Don't worry about it so much."

When Hestia had learned that Archer was going to accompany Hephaistos, she had fussed over him to make him look presentable. Thus he was put into one of the suits that she bought earlier while on a shopping trip with another goddess, had his hair combed down, and even had glasses placed on him so "he could look smarter."

"I look like an attendant rather than an escort…" he noted.

"You look fine, honest," Hephaistos repeated. She herself was wearing a tight black dress with a blue rose over her chest as well as a black hat tilted over her face to cover her right eye, also with a blue rose.

"But is this really okay?" Archer asked. "I'm not sure how much help."

"It's fine," Hephaistos said as she patted his arm. "It's just a small business meeting that happened to be taking place during this ball. Of course, the opportunity for networking is always there. As I said, I just need an escort for this formal occasion. I'd wanted to ask Welf but he's a bit busy with your Famlia's equipment. Just take the time to enjoy some high-class food and drink while I take care of some business."

"Well, if you say so."

They took a carriage from Hephaistos's shop to a section of the Shopping District on the south end of the city. Lavish buildings, hotels, casinos, theaters and high end bars occupied the entire view.

"…So this is where Caster goes to every other night," Archer muttered, glancing at the sparkling buildings illuminated with various high quality Magic Stones.

"Oh, I heard from Hestia that your Captain frequents the casinos around here," Hephaistos commented as they cross through the entrance with the goddess flashing an invitation letter to the doorman with her free hand while her other hand was locked in Archer's arm. "You're not slowly getting into more debt, are you?"

"Not at all, quite the opposite in fact. The Captain always comes out ahead in his little trips."

As they made small talk, they crossed into the main banquet hall.

Several golden chandeliers lit up the massive room, illuminating the guests and appetizers spread out on several tables. There was a band on a small stage playing a light tune for the guests to listen to as they discuss their business with each other or went about with their networking.

"Now that I think about it," Archer began. "Is this something you yourself should be doing? Couldn't you leave it to your Captain?"

"Do you really think that Tsubaki is a good fit for a place like this?" Hephaistos asked with an incredulous look on her face.

"…Point."

"I can trust her to make her own contracts with Adventurers since most of them don't care for niceties and etiquette but here…"

Archer simply nodded his head. Certainly he was sure the half-dwarf could step up to the challenge if it came down to it but she would definitely seem out of place. Almost as much as if Assassin or Tiona were to attend one.

Then again, it's not like Archer himself was one to talk.

Still, all he had to do was stand by Hephaistos's side as she conducted her business and make sure nothing untoward happened to the goddess.

All in all, a rather simple Quest that should be able to be completed without any trouble.

Sure things were a bit boring but that was to be expected in a Escort Quest in an area surrounded by nobles from outside of Orario and Ganesha Familia members working as guards and waitstaff.

Only a complete idiot would cause a fuss here.

Still, that left Archer without much to do besides sampling the food left out for the guests. Which he did without hesitation for purely academic purposes.

"Hmm, a peach tart, huh?" Archer muttered to himself as he took a treat off a tray from a passing by waiter. "It's a small slice from a whole but it probably looked like a blooming flower. The girls will probably love it…as for the taste…"

The baked treat crumbled and melted away in his mouth, spreading its sweet flavor throughout his mouth. It had a fruity sweetness that wasn't quite as strong as the honey cloud on the Eighteenth Floor of the Dungeon but it might be too sweet for Bell to enjoy.

"Knowing him, he'll probably eat it anyway to be polite," he thought with a wry smile. "Maybe if I use less sugar and rely on just the strength of the peaches he'll be able to enjoy them a bit. That guy's been pestering me about using lamb for the next meal too so let's try that one next."

Lost in his thoughts about recreating the delicacies at this ball for his Familia to enjoy, Archer nearly missed someone walking by in a bright orange gown adorned with flowers the same colors as the sun.

At first, he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. After all, there was no way _that girl_ could be here. It wasn't exactly a place she would willingly go to after all. A fun loving and rowdy girl like her would not really find a place where the high class elite talk circles around each other while flaunting their wealth and connections.

"Gah! The hem!"

It was her.

Archer winced as he turned to see that his…friend…he supposed, from outside of the Familia had tripped on the hem of her gown and fallen flat on her face.

A quick glance around showed him that no one was interested in helping her up. The other guests were sneering at her and whispering behind her back. They were without a doubt thinking that she didn't belong here…which was in a way exactly what Archer was thinking himself although in much harsher words. The fact that his thoughts had reached the same level as the people shamed and angered him.

He couldn't pretend he didn't see her, no matter how much he wanted to keep from being involved. Seeing her on the ground completely defeated was something that he couldn't ignore even though it would no doubt be rather troublesome. He let out a sigh and ran his hand down his face for a moment before walking over to the fallen Tiona.

"What are you doing laying on the ground like that?" He asked as he knelt down in front of her head. "A party's no place to be feeling sorry for yourself."

"Huh?"

Tiona lifted her head and glanced up toward Archer's face.

"Come on, give me your hand."

"Uh…right."

Tiona's expression was blank as Archer helped her feet.

"As a Level 6 I don't think I need to worry about you getting a bruise or something," Archer said as he straightened out the wrinkles in her dress. "Looks like the dress is fine too. It looks good on you so it'd be a shame for it to get torn or something."

"Ah…thank you…"

While fixing the flower embroidery hanging near her waist, Archer chanced a glance up at the Amazon's face.

She had the back of her hand up next to her mouth as if covering her face as she seemed embarrassed that he had seen her in such a state. Well, he'll take that rare expression as payment for helping her.

"All right, everything seems fine now," Archer said as he stood up. "You okay? It doesn't look like you're having too much fun here."

"Y-yeah…I'm really not…" Tiona admitted, eyes downcast once more.

Archer let out another sigh as he took her hand and led her to the side of the room, picking up two water glasses from a waiter along the way. He handed one to her as he stood by her side, back resting against the wall.

"Well take a moment to gather yourself then decide if you want to stay or not," Archer said. "Although it is commendable for you to try to go someplace outside your comfort zone, if you aren't comfortable in this atmosphere then there's no need to force yourself to stay."

"You're probably right…" Tiona muttered with a sigh. "But I think it's getting a bit better now."

"Heh…that's good to hear."

"Umm…if you don't mind…can you-"

"Ah, there you are!"

"Ah, damn."

The Goddess Hephaistos was walking up to them. A wry smile formed on Archer's face as he realized that he had completely forgotten about the reason he came here in the first place.

"My apologies, Goddess," Archer apologized with a quick bow. "Someone else had caught my attention."

"So I noticed," Hephaistos replied with a smile. "You're one of Loki's kids right?"

"Ah, yes! I'm Tiona Hiryute!" Tiona introduced herself quickly.

"Right, that was the name. Were the two of you catching up since the Expedition?"

"Expedition?" Tiona repeated as she turned back toward Archer. "Oh, did you join us to the Fiftieth Floor? Sorry but I don't remember all the Hephaistos Smiths that joined us except for Tsubaki."

"Huh?"

"Eh?"

Hephaistos let out a noise of surprise which was immediately followed by Tiona's sound of confusion.

"Are you serious?" Hephaistos asked, mouth agape before bringing her hand up to stifle a giggle.

"W-what? It's hard enough remembering everyone in my own Familia," Tiona protested.

Hephaistos simply smiled as she turned her face toward Archer who sighed before he took off his glasses and ran a hand up through his hair.

"Ahhhh!" Seeing this, Tiona immediately shouted in realization as she pointed a finger at Archer. "It's Archer!"

"Yes. It's me."

"…What's with the get up?"

"_You_ of all people are asking me that?"

"Ahaha…right."

"I've hired him to escort me during the party," Hephaistos interjected. "All of my Familia members are busy with their own work so I couldn't ask any of them. The two of us had a meeting earlier and since I'm friends with his goddess I asked him to take on this duty as a Quest."

"Well, it's not like this job really required me to do anything to begin with," Archer pointed out.

"Like I said, it's fine like that. As your Familia's slowly gaining prestige what with your fight against a Floor Boss with only a handful of Level 1 Adventurers and a single Level 2. Consider it practice for when you have to escort Hestia or even go to another country to represent Orario."

"In that case it would be my Captain or Vice Captain to go, right?"

"Besides, party like this isn't something a woman goes to alone unless she is looking for a companion at the party."

At this, both Hephaistos and Archer turned toward Tiona.

"Hmm? What is it?"

"No, never mind," Archer said, turning his eyes away as Hephaistos let out another giggle.

"So what have you been doing while you're here, Archer?" Tiona asked. "It's all been pretty boring in my opinion."

"I've been standing around as Lady Hephaistos's guard. In short I've been working."

"So you've been bored too?"

"I didn't say that," Archer said quickly as he tucked his fake glasses into his breast pocket.

"It's fine," Hephaistos said. "I'm finding it a bit boring too. It's not as though forming contracts is particularly enjoyable in this sort of atmosphere. Even if they do turn out to be lucrative."

"If only my goddess can imitate your work ethic…"

"Loki doesn't even work at all."

The two Adventurers compared their respective goddesses to the admirable one in front of them who could only an offer laugh to their indirect praises.

"Well, Loki Familia's already well established and powerful so Loki also working would just be redundant," Hephaistos pointed out as if she wanted to defend her friends' honor. "She also probably has her hands full managing the budget and stuff that she doesn't just leave to Braver. And compared to her time in Tenkai, Hestia's work ethic is already a thousand times better. The fact that she's still working at that potato puff stand in spite of the fact that I'm sure you're pulling in more than enough money yourselves."

Archer knew that the goddess of the forge had a point but he wasn't able to reconcile that fact with the constantly reclining and/or napping goddess in his mind.

"Well, I still have a few more people to greet," Hephaistos continued with a cough into her hand. "Why don't you keep Tiona company for a bit."

"_And do what exactly?_" Was what Archer wanted to say but tactfully kept his mouth shut as the goddess walked away, leaving the two Adventurers alone.

"So?" Archer began, turning toward Tiona. "Why did you come to a Night Ball in the first place? I can't think of anything that might make you want to come here willingly."

"Uhh…promise you won't laugh?" Tiona began but continued without waiting for his answer. "You know how Tione is in love with Finn, right?"

"I think anyone with a working eye and half a brain can see that."

"Right. And she changed a lot after she fell in love and she seems super happy about it too. I don't quite get what it means to change like that. So I wanted to experience it myself. I talked to the Little Argonaut about it and he recommended going to a Ball since heroes and princesses usually fell in love there in the stories. And I thought I'd give it a shot since being rescued wasn't going to work."

"'Love,' huh?" Archer repeated. He didn't feel like making fun of her for it. She looked as though she was seriously thinking about the topic. Well, that may be a reason to tease her for it in of itself.

"Yeah," Tiona nodded. "What about you? Have you ever fell in love?"

"…"

Now then…how was he going to answer that?

"Archer?"

"No, I was just surprised at the question," Archer replied honestly as he folded his arms across his chest. "Falling in love…well, I suppose that was a lifetime ago."

"Eh, really!?" Tiona shouted in surprise. "Who was it? What was she like? No, what did it feel like?"

"Who she was isn't really important. It's a pretty embarrassing tale now that I look back on it. I was under attack and she saved me."

_A spear faster than the human eye can perceive aimed toward his chest like lighting. The moonlight repelling it to save him._

_A beautiful clang that was nothing more than the clash of steel._

_The image of a girl in armor that was neither beautiful or refined but the girl's beauty was enough to turn the clash into a charming sound like a bell._

_The faint moonlight filtering in and illuminating her golden hair, revealing her quiet green eyes and the royal blue outfit that symbolized her._

"It felt as though time had stopped. Our eyes met only for a second that lasted for an eternity. It was a scene that I'll remember no matter how many times I fall into hell."

"…Archer?"

"No, it's nothing. Anyway, at the risk of sounding cheesy, I don't think you should go looking for love. It finds its way to you without warning and sticks to you for the rest of your life."

"…I see," Tiona muttered before frowning slightly. "Hmm? What's with this feeling?"

Before Archer could ask what was wrong, the band at the edge of the hall started playing a different melody, encouraging the various couples in the hall to converge in the center of the hall and move together to the beat of the song.

"Hoh, looks like a dance is starting," Archer noted.

"Ehh, a dance?" Tiona asked. "I tried earlier and I wasn't any good at it. Do you know how to dance?"

"…I've dabbled."

"Then you know more than me! Come on!"

"Wait, what?"

"Since I'm not good at dancing and you said you knew how to then you can teach me!"

The Servant was then dragged by the hand to the dance floor.

"Fine! Just stop dragging me!"

Seeing as he was nowhere near strong enough to fight the grip of a Level 6 Amazon, the only thing he could do was wait until she released him herself. Naturally, Tiona seemed to realize that the moment she did, Archer would immediately leave the dance floor so she was forcing him to take the lead while she had a death grip on his left hand.

"Place your other hand on my shoulder then follow my movements," Archer said as he moved his right hand to her waist.

"Like this?" Tiona asked, mirroring his steps to the beat. "Ohh, so this is how you do it."

"Right. If I step forward, take a step back with the foot on the same side and vice-versa. Follow the beat. One…two…three…"

"Heh…so just a change of partner can make things really fun."

"I thank you for that but why do I get the feeling that you swung your previous partner around like a rag doll?"

"Ahaha…"

With a roll of his eyes, Archer continued leading Tiona with the dance. Even though this was probably her first real dance, Tiona was following his lead perfectly. Her experience as an Adventurer probably coming to play as she mirrored his steps perfectly without looking down at their feet and simply following the subtle gestures of his movements.

"Still, I wonder if this is like the story of the Knight Lazlo."

"Really now…I would prefer not to be compared to a romantic affair…come to think of it, is Tione not around? The two of you are usually together."

"Ehh…it's not like we're joined at the hip or anything," Tiona muttered. "And I kinda left without telling her where I'd be going anyway."

"Why?"

"Because she kept pushing my buttons!"

"…So what exactly was the argument about?" Archer asked.

"She kept going on and on about how it was too early for me to find love even though we're twins!" Tiona replied. "We have the same face and the same age so why should it be so different for us?"

Archer bit his tongue to keep from saying anything but Tiona still stomped on his foot.

"Don't you start too!" She warned.

"I didn't say anything…" he protested weakly. "Don't hit a Level 1 with your Level 6 strength…"

"You're still saying things like that huh?" Tiona asked with a smile. "You're far tougher than any Level 1 in history you know?"

"Oh, I wouldn't say that. Saber can kick my butt up and down Babel with his eyes closed if we ever get into a sword fight."

"You're just being humble again aren't you? Well, that's just one of your good points after all."

The music ended as Tiona offered him a big smile to which Archer responded with a small one of his own.

Well, things like this wasn't so bad once in a while.

X-x-X-x-X

It was past midnight when Ais returned home to the Twilight Manor; a time much later than usual. She felt that she learned quite a bit in fighting human opponents when facing off against Saber but she felt that she still had a ways to go.

She didn't want to use the black flame inside of her, a Skill that she had wanted to seal away, but from the looks of things, if she were to face against an opponent on the same level as herself or higher, it may be her only option.

Saber was sympathetic to her decisions but he also agreed that there may be a time where she would have to choose to do so in order to save her friends. He then punctuated that statement by disarming her of the Fake Desperate.

She did not refute him. Loki Familia's enemies were too powerful for her to keep holding back. And although she did not think it would be possible, there was still a chance that Hestia Familia may be included amongst that number in the future. It might not be because of Evils but there was a chance that a small squabble between the goddess could spiral out of porportion in the future. Such things happened quite often in Orario after all.

So for the next training session, the gloves will be off and the two of them will be going at each other at as close to their fullest as possible.

But did she really stand a chance at facing a living legend? Of course not. But that was why she wanted to do this. To get as close to that legend as possible.

The legend of a Dragon Slayer.

And there was one certain dragon that stood in the way of that dream.

As Ais sat in the cafeteria to have something to eat before turning in, someone came up to her.

"Miss Ais?"

Lefiya stood beside her, dressed in her casual wear while looking rather distressed about something.

"Lefiya? Is something wrong?" She asked.

"Umm…I was thinking about some things since yesterday and I wanted to ask you a few things."

"What about?" She asked as Lefiya sat down beside her. The two of them were the only ones in the cafeteria right now aside from those inside the kitchen working the late night shift but they were too busy to pay attention to the two girls.

"Umm…you remember two days ago, how the Spirit of Argonaut took over Bell Cranel's body for a while?" Lefiya asked and Ais nodded. "And how he was able to summon a Magic Sword in front of us?"

"Yes."

"And you know how Mister Archer can make Magic Swords without any problem?"

"Yes?"

"And then back in Melen how Mister Saber also called Magic Swords in front of him?"

"…Uh…"

"And then there's the Captain, Caster, who summoned countless magical wands and staves on the level of Lady Riveria's Magna Alfs!"

"…"

Uh oh.

"Miss Ais…" Lefiya began as she took a deep breath. "Do you think…perhaps…the stranger members of Hestia Familia are actually…"

Ais braced herself for the secret that was about to slip out.

"Possessed or at the very least had their power gifted by Spirits as well?"

…

"Huh?" Ais asked, tilting her head to the side.

"I mean, Mister Argo said that he was able to summon his lightning sword due to a contract with a Spirit right?" Lefiya reminded her. "Do you think that the members of Hestia Familia are also the same? At the very least, I think the ones who have been given those strange nicknames by Goddess Hestia are deeply connected to Spirits in some way."

Well, she _wasn't_ wrong per say but Ais probably shouldn't say anything that might push her on the correct path.

"I don't know about that, Lefiya," Ais said. "That's…quite a lot of people, right?"

"Guh…probably…" Lefiya admitted. "If we count Bell himself and the pallum uh…"

"Lily?"

"I think that was her name…then that would make it…seven people…"

Master, Supporter, Saber, Archer, Lancer, Rider, Caster.

"Uuu…when I say it out loud it sounds really dumb," Lefiya sighed as she thumped her head against the table. "It sounded really good too."

Ais didn't say anything as she nibbled on her food. Hopefully she won't pursue this line of thought any further.

"Is there a difference if they are powered by Spirits or not?" Ais asked.

"I guess I would be worried if the Mister Archer we know is actually him or the Spirit that might be possessing him," Lefiya admitted. "If he was possessed by one and then the Spirit leaves, won't it be sad if the first thing he says to us is 'Who are you?'"

"Ah…"

That was indeed a good point. Ais herself was not sure if the Spirits of Hestia Familia were using their own forms or borrowing a body like Argonaut did with Bell. It would be sad if Archer didn't recognize Ais and the others after everything they had been through.

Before either of them could say anything else though, a sharp crack echoed in the distance followed by the massive beating of pouring rain.

"A thunderstorm?" Lefiya wondered aloud. "In this season?"

Ais didn't respond, instead turning her head toward the west where she knew a house full of Spirits resided.

X-x-X-x-X

The world was pitch black. Not because it was night but because of the black clouds in the sky.

A ceaseless storm poured down upon the world, creating an endless flood that threatened all life.

It was the rage of a goddess, one that had been slighted by those that had been created to worship the gods and instead turned against them.

But even as lighting burned across the sky, there was a small crack in the clouds. The end of the storm was nigh, but at what cost?

He was here again. Again once more in this land of dreams. He knew this as although the rain soaked everything under its tears, He himself remained dry. Dry in everything save for his eyes as he stared at the sight in front of him.

There was a man, one that He revered nearly as highly as the gods themselves for his majesty and strength. That man was currently on his knees, clutching a limp form desperately in his hands as the form was slowly crumbling to mud.

He could not see the man's face…only his back. And yet He had never seen something so broken and lost in his entire life.

He took a step forward, only for a hand to grasp him tightly by the shoulder. Wheeling around He saw His own reflection staring back at him.

But it was not Him, standing there dressed in his pajamas. It was a reflection adorned in golden armor with two Magic Blades by their side. It was Him and at the same time, someone completely different altogether.

They said nothing, only shaking their head to tell him not to step forward. To tell him to simply watch as the dream played out. To tell him that there was nothing he could do for anyone right now.

And so, He waited. And so, He watched.

And then, a voice spoke up.

"_Why are you crying?_" A voice asked with none of its usual arrogance or majesty. "_Could it be that you now regret choosing to stay by my side?_"

"_It's not that_," another voice that was neither male nor female responded. "_Who would understand you after I die? Who else would march forward by your side? When I think that you will live on all alone henceforth, I can't help but shed tears…but I suppose that is too much for a weapon like me to think about._"

Their voice was faint and weak. One that could only be heard at this distance because this was a memory within the realm of dreams.

"_I won't allow this!_" Desperation sank in as the man brought the crumbling form closer to his chest. "_Why must you be punished for my own selfishness!?_"

The heavens above seemed to weep even harder, as if the world itself was crying in place of the broken man.

But the dying form simply let out a weak laugh as if to try and comfort the man.

"_You don't need to be sad. I'm a weapon. Just one of all those treasures you have. You'll find countless treasures after this, much better than I am. You see, there's nothing so valuable about me that gives you reason to drench your cheeks like this._"

But the man would have none of the self-depreciation.

"_You have value! Value no one else has! I declare it here and now. In all the world, I have only one friend. So — that value will never change, for all eternity!_"

They were words spoken deep from the confines of the man's heart and soul. The one dying in front of him was an irreplaceable and priceless treasure. One that the man would never find again for as long as he lived and even further beyond.

But the body could no longer answer him. They had already crumbled away, leaving nothing but earth in the man's hands.

"_Ridiculous. You lived with me, spoke with me, fought with me. That is neither a person, nor a tool. That is called a friend, —._"

And with that declaration the man sealed his own fate. The fate of all kings.

He fell onto his knees as he watched the king stand up and stare up into the crying heavens, allowing the rain to fall upon and down his face.

There was no rage or fury contained in the king's form. Only a wound in the king's heart that would never be filled.

He never wanted to see something like this. He was always afraid he would see something like this. He didn't want to see one of His Heroes in such a painful state.

"_Enough._"

He lifted his head up and saw that the king was staring right at Him. No emotion could be seen. Not the rage or anger that He would have expected from this invasion of privacy.

There was simply nothing at all reflected back at Him through the King's eyes.

His reflection grabbed Him by the arms and hoisted him to His feet. As they did, the world around them began to crack and crumble. The dream was ending…

He reached a hand out toward the King but they had already turned their back to him to stare back up at the sky once more.

X-x-X-x-X

Bell Cranel's eyes shot open and his room was filled with the distant thunder and the pitter patter of raindrops beating against his window.

But he did not move his sobbing eyes from the ceiling of his room.

For a certain office was situated just a few floors above.

The office of the subject of his dream.

A dream that showed no sign leaving any time soon.


	36. Looming Anger

**Chapter 36: Erupting Rage**

The storm did not subside when morning came.

Thankfully, Berserker and Fia had managed to get under the cover of the pavilion just outside of the dining area to keep themselves dry when the storm began but the harpy did not appreciate the constant booming thunder at all.

"I guess we forgot to take into account freak rainstorms when setting up their tent," Hestia said with a sigh as another clap of thunder caused Fia, Primo and Assassin to flinch. "Do we have to build a small hut or something instead?"

"We might be able to get away with just making the tent larger and using some undine cloth for the outer layer," Archer said as Fia buried her head into Berserker's chest to try and hide from the thunder. "Though I suppose that that's a bit expensive."

"We could set up runes instead," Lancer suggested. "But I am unsure how viable it will be for a long-term solution"

"Well, it's not like we can set anything up without a budget anyway," Hestia muttered, glancing across the table to the head seat, which was currently empty. "And Caster hasn't left his room yet."

"I went up to check on him a bit earlier, but he didn't answer when I knocked," Rider said.

"Maybe he's just not feeling well?" Emma offered.

"…Do Spirits even get sick?" Gina asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Maybe he just…has a lot on his mind," Bell replied, having not told anyone about his dream yet and had no plans to share something like that.

"Hey Primo, Caster called you up last night, right?" Gina continued turning to the elf. "Was everything okay?"

"Huh?" Primo blankly stared at the Amazon for a moment before quickly shaking the cobwebs out of her head. "Oh right. Everything was fine. We just had a chat about some things, but he seemed…normal? I don't really know him well enough to say I guess."

"Well, it's not as though Gil is really into making friends after all," Hestia shrugged, and Bell inwardly winced at his goddess's words. "In any case, we'll bring him something up later. Will you guys be going into the Dungeon today."

Primo and Emma both turned toward the window at the downpour with hesitant faces while Gina let out a small giggle.

"W-we probably should, huh?" Emma asked Primo who reluctantly nodded her head.

"And Lily and the others can't take any more time off, right Bell?" Lily asked, turning to Bell. "Bell?"

"Huh? Ah…right. Yeah."

Looking around, Bell realized that everyone was staring at him.

"Are you all right, Master?" Lancer asked. "You seem distracted."

"S-sorry, I guess I'm just worried about Caster," Bell admitted. "I know that it's not like he shows up for breakfast every day since he sometimes has business to attend to, but he always showed up if he's at home though."

"Come to think of it, that's true huh?" Hestia muttered with a nod. "Something must really be bugging him then."

"Then what should we do?" Rider asked. "It might be best just leave him alone for a bit, right?"

"He definitely isn't the type to talk to someone about his problems," Archer pointed out. "He'll probably insult anyone who tries to find out too."

"…Adults always keep their problems to themselves after all," Primo noted with a bitter face.

"Well we're talking about _that_ Captain after all," Gina added. "His problems are probably something us mere mortals can't hope to understand."

"So, we should have the goddess go talk to him then?" Emma asked.

"I think me going up to someone who claims to hate deities to ask what's wrong will just make him even angrier," Hestia replied.

"Everyone keeps saying that, but I don't ever see him do anything that shows that he dislikes the gods. If anything, he showed both you and the goddess Loki quite a bit of respect."

"Well, even so, I don't wanna find out what he means when he says he doesn't like us."

The Servants save for Berserker and Assassin shared a glance and Bell had a feeling what they were thinking about. If a god had been responsible for the scene that he saw…Bell couldn't blame Caster for his rage. Even Bell was not sure he would be able to forgive anyone who would hurt Lily, Emma or the other girls, deity or not.

The doorbell suddenly rang, causing everyone to turn toward the front door.

Wanting to clear his head a bit, Bell jump up first and headed toward the door, only stopping to catch an umbrella thrown at him by Archer.

Bell couldn't think of anyone who would visit in this weather except for…

"Welf!?" Bell called out as he ran out to the front gate toward his friend who was smiling despite standing in the rain with nothing more than an Undine Cloth Cloak over his head, his greatsword hanging on his back and a crate tucked under his arms. "What are you doing out here?!"

"Well I didn't know if we were going to go to the Dungeon or not with this hell of a storm, so I thought I'd head over to check and bring your armor with me."

"Well we were but you didn't have to come all the way here. We could have met up at Babel."

But Welf simply smiled and waved him off as he crossed through the gate with Bell lifting his umbrella over the taller boy's head. As he moved to close the gate however…

"Wait! Please don't close it just yet!"

A voice called out to them from down the street.

"Syr!?"

The pub waitress was running down the street with nothing but a raincoat over her head as she clutched a small package under her arms.

With a quick look at Welf, who nodded in understanding, Bell ran out into the street to meet her halfway.

"What's wrong, Syr?" Bell asked as he held the umbrella over her head. "Why are you all the way out here?"

"Because of you!" Syr replied, raising her voice a bit so she could be heard over the rain. "How long has it been since you came over to pick up a lunch?"

"…Lunch?"

"Yes, my lunches!"

"…AH!"

Bell remembered. He had always stopped by the Hostess of Fertility to pick up a handmade lunch from Syr. However, due to various circumstance, the last time he had done so was way back before the Floor Boss Fight, before he had even met Emma and Primo. Then there was the fact that Archer had returned to the Familia and Rider's addition, there was never a problem in food that Syr's lunches of…variable and questionable quality had fallen out of Bell's mind.

"B-but that's because we were sleeping inside the Dungeon for the Floor Boss and then we left on vacation and we hadn't been inside the Dungeon …"

"No excuses!" Syr said with a humph. "That's why you're not going to be escaping today! Here!"

Without giving Bell a chance to explain, Syr forced a small box wrapped in cloth into his arms.

"Be sure to give it back when you return, okay?" Syr said with a smile and a wink that made Bell's heart skip a beat before running back down the street, leaving Bell staring after her with the lunch in his arms until he felt a weight on his shoulder. Turning to his side, he found Welf leaning against him with a knowing smirk on his face.

"Always the ladies' man, ain't ya?" He asked Bell to which the boy could offer no retort.

"L-let's just get out of the rain…" Bell said as they hurried into the house with Bell feeling as though he had forgotten something.

"Oh my, Welf!" Rider said as she stood in the foyer with towels in her hand. "You came all the way here in this weather?"

"Eh, it wasn't so bad," Welf said, accepting the towel from the woman. "The Undine Cloth kept me completely dry. Same with Bell's new equipment."

"Even so…"

Rider let out a sigh as she shook her head and looked over her shoulder.

"Well, we're still in the middle of breakfast so you're welcome to join us if you haven't eaten yet."

"Oh, I'll take you up on that."

"…This isn't the real reason you're coming over is it?" Bell asked with a grin.

"Nah…course not!" Welf replied with a grin of his own.

As Welf stepped through the doorway into dining room though, he let out a yelp as his eyes locked onto Berserker who was patting the still shaking Fia on the back.

"Ah."

Right. That was what Bell had forgotten.

Berserker lifted his head up and met Welf's eyes before giving the smith a small wave, prompting Welf to stare at Berserker for a long moment before slowly turning his head toward Bell.

"…It's always minotaurs with you, isn't it?" He asked with a shaky voice as a grin formed on his face.

Bell could only let out a dry laugh in response as Welf seemed to understand what was going on immediately.

X-x-X-x-X

"Sorry Welf!" Emma said, clapping her hands together in front of her face. "We didn't know how to tell you about it."

"Nah it's fine," Welf said quickly. "Sure, it was a shock but as long as he's not going to rip my head off then it's all good."

"You don't have to worry about that," Primo assured him with a smile. "Berserker is really friendly!"

"Well if you're saying it, then it must be true."

Even though he was saying that, Welf still looked a bit nervous around Berserker when compared to Fia. It was probably just the sheer size difference, but Bell was sure Welf would understand in time.

"So, with this both Parties will go into the Dungeon today," Hestia nodded to herself as she confirmed it.

"Do you have work today, Lady Hestia?" Gina asked.

"Who's going to go out shopping for snacks in _this_ weather?" Hestia asked as a massive thunderclap punctuated her words. "There's no way the stand's going to open like this. The food'll get soggy or worse, get blown away."

"Yeah, I bet."

"So, what's the formation like?" Welf asked as he glanced over at Archer. "You are coming with us too, Archer?"

"That's the plan," Archer nodded. "Though depending on the circumstances, either Saber or I will split off to do some solo hunting. We have a goal to hit after all."

"Got it," Welf acknowledged with a nod as he glanced over at Fia and Berserker again.

"Of course, Master Welf will still get his complete share of the profits," Lily said.

"No, I wasn't thinking of anything like that," Welf said quickly. "I'm already well off after all the work and payment your Captain gave to me. So, I don't mind if I get a smaller share."

"No, you're getting the amount we agreed upon when you first joined the Party," Lily insisted. "There is no reason for Lily and the others to change the contract now."

"Give it up, Welf," Bell said with a wry smile. "You know Lily won't back down when it comes to money."

"The contractor trying to raise the amount paid while the contracted is trying to lower it," Lancer muttered with a hand on her cheek. "Truly you will see all sorts of things if you live long enough."

"No kidding," Hestia agreed with a nod.

X-x-X-x-X

Once breakfast was finished, everyone quickly returned to their rooms to prepare their equipment while Welf remained downstairs to chat with Rider and Hestia.

Bell quickly put on his newest set of armor, the Pyonkichi MkIII, and examined himself in the mirror. The design hadn't changed much from the MkII but if he trusted Welf's ability then the armor was no doubt stronger than it was before and it was definitely much lighter meaning that Bell's mobility would remain unhampered without sacrificing anything in terms of protection.

In terms of weaponry, Bell still had the knife Hestia gifted to him, the silver baselard created by Archer, and the red dagger, Ushiwakamaru, created from half of the minotaur horn he had given Welf weeks before. Said dagger now had a twin, the Ushiwakamaru Type 2, made from the other half of the horn to compliment the baselard and replace the longsword that had been destroyed by the Black Goliath. The mythril axe he had brought back from his little…Adventure with Lefiya had been maintained and was ready to be used if Bell so wanted.

It was currently resting inside Bell's closet, but Bell wondered if he should use it to make a makeshift grave for the poor Adventurer who lost their life to that plant monster instead. It was because of that axe that Bell was able to protect Lefiya which allowed them to escape but Bell wasn't sure if it was okay to use something of such high quality at his current Level.

Thus, it would sit inside his closet until he decided one way or the other.

As he walked toward his door to head downstairs, his hand stopped just at the doorknob as his gaze wandered upward toward the ceiling.

He thought back to the dream. At how utterly broken the man within it had been at the loss of his friend. His only pillar of emotional support. Had he steeled his heart in order to rule properly? Did the man who stood alone and above all others care about anyone anymore? What exactly reflected in those eyes that could see as far as the gods above did?

Resolving his heart, he pulled open his door and headed upward to the fourth floor instead.

Bell knew he was probably going to be making a nuisance of himself but…he knew all too well the pain of losing the only person that was close to you, to lose a pillar of emotional support. After his grandfather had fell to his death off a cliff, Bell had been completely lost at what to do, at the aftermath of his death and with his life in general. It had taken him weeks to gather the resolve to sell their farm and move to Orario to become an Adventurer.

He knew nothing he could come up with or say to Caster would change anything but at the very least, he wanted to talk to his Servant before leaving, regardless if it was for his own sake or Caster's.

So, there he was, standing in front of the King's office. Taking a deep breath, Bell raised his hand and-

"Enter."

The response came before Bell's fist could knock on the door, as though the King knew Bell was going to bother him. Nonetheless, Bell opened the door and stepped through.

Caster was at his chair, as usual, but he wasn't combing through papers or clay tablets like he often did. His arms were on the armrests to his side and his eyes were closed as if he was sleeping.

"What is it?" Caster asked without opening his eyes.

Bell thought for a bit at what he was going to say and decided that saying that Caster was missed at the dining table would either annoy him or be met with apathy.

"I just wanted to report that we're heading off into the Dungeon now," Bell replied. "And I was wondering if you had any last-minute tasks for us."

Caster did not answer for a moment.

"None. Continue as you see fit. However, inform Gwen that both Parties are to remain within the Dungeon until you yourself decide it is time to withdraw. When you do, you are to regroup with the Second Party and withdraw together."

Bell nodded his head in understanding.

As Lancer would be part of Party B, Bell would be able to find them wherever they were. Perhaps this was Caster's way of making sure nothing untoward happened to either party on the way out. With four Servants together it would take something catastrophic on a greater level than the Black Goliath to take them on.

However, Bell didn't think it was right to just leave like this.

"My King, are you all right?" Bell asked. "You don't look like you've slept well."

"A Servant does not require sleep as you should well know," Caster replied with none of his usual force. "But I will admit that I am feeling rather tired. I have begun thinking about things of the past. Nothing important."

Bell knew it. Caster did indeed see the same dream Bell did.

Without thinking of the consequences, Bell opened his mouth again.

"Did you dream of your friend?"

The question caused Caster's eyes to open and level a glare at Bell who weathered it with barely a flinch.

"My friend?" Caster asked incredulously. "Where is this nonsense coming from? My dream was of my battle against a beast whose very existence threatened to drown my kingdom in an endless flood. Nothing so banal as something about a friend."

His words were sharp, but Bell knew that they weren't as harsh as they could be.

"In the first place, do I look like someone who would carelessly take on friends?" Caster continued. "Even that useless goddess of yours can see that much."

It was faint but Bell could swear that he heard a loud sneeze from the kitchen, four floors below.

"Besides, even if I had a friend, I would have already forgotten their name," Caster spat out with a frown while leaning back into his chair. "Because I can't speak it anymore."

Bell's eyes widened slightly. That last sentence was all Bell needed to know if Caster still remembered the broken body within the dream.

"Humph, it seems that you are rather impudent this morning," Caster said, closing his eyes again but not before depositing several blue cloaks into Bell's arms. "I grow weary of your presence. Begone."

"My apologies," Bell replied quickly, trying to keep a smile from forming on his face as he gave Caster a bow before quickly leaving the office.

It was just a bit, but Bell felt as though he understood his King just a little bit more.

X-x-X-x-X

"You know…all of us walking together like this makes it feel like we're about to go on a deep dive expedition," Gina noted as Hestia Familia plus Welf ran down the street under the cover of umbrellas and Undine Cloth cloaks. "And the Captain's money seems bottomless as usual. Undine Cloth as raincoats…of all the…"

"Don't think about it too much," Archer said, patting the Amazon on the back.

"With this kind of rain, I can't believe the Dungeon doesn't get flooded," Primo said, glancing up slightly, only to quickly pull her hood over her eyes as another flash of lighting streaked through the air.

"That's probably because the entrance to Babel Tower is a bit above ground level and Orario's sewer system is big enough to draw away the water."

Even in this storm the two Parties were not the only ones moving through the storm. Several other Adventurers were also begrudgingly pushing through the shower to head to Babel Tower. Those who didn't let a little water stop them from Adventuring and those that couldn't afford to take even a single day off for their livelihood were making their way to the Dungeon as per usual. Although several of the usual food stands that lined the streets had closed up for the day with only those that had their stands connected to a larger store remaining open.

"So, we're all going in together until the Third Floor?" Emma asked.

"That's about right," Gina nodded.

"I guess it's too early for Primo and me to join Bell and the others, huh?"

"It probably isn't a good idea," Bell said. "I didn't go past the Fifth Floor until at least two weeks in."

"And that is still way too fast!" Lily pointed out. "It's one thing if Bell was in a Party at that time but you were still Solo, right?"

"Yeah but…I met Archer because of that so it's fine, right?"

"Well, that's practically ancient history by now," Archer muttered with a nostalgic smile.

"Also, since they're in a Party, Emma and Primo's Status are growing much faster than mine did when I started out."

"Of course, that's thanks to my superb leadership!" Gina said, puffing her chest up with pride.

"Even though we got lost a few times…" Primo muttered, causing the Amazoness to deflate a bit.

"A-at least I'm still better than Emma!"

Said older girl just let out a weak chuckle, unable to say anything back, having gotten them lost on the way back to the inn when they were back in Melen even though their hotel was one of the tallest ones and could be seen from almost every part of the port.

"What about you, Welf?" Saber asked. "Did you take things quickly or slowly when you first started out?"

"Ehh, a bit of both," the smith admitted. "I went as far as I could in one go and if I ran into something, I couldn't take easily I ran back up a floor for a bit before trying again. Though as you know, I ended up getting stuck on the Tenth Floor until you guys added me to the Party."

"That seems to be the pattern," Lancer noted glancing at Gina who just shrugged her shoulders in response. "But I suppose it would be different for everyone."

Their small talk lasted all the way until they reached the entrance of Babel Tower where they quickly ran in to take shelter from the rain. The entrance was much busier than usual with the Adventurers who usually took stock out in the plaza in front of the tower taking shelter within as well.

"Praise the gods who decided to build Babel Tower on a higher level!" Gina called out once she jumped in causing several of the surrounding Adventurers to chuckle or nod in agreement.

"It's really crowded in here today," Emma noted as she took down her hood. "That's quite a long line heading down."

The stairs that descended into the Dungeon was packed to the brim with Adventurers making Bell wonder if most of the Adventurers just loitering around entrance on the edges of the wall was just waiting for the line to get shorter before moving themselves.

"Let's move to the wall," Bell said as he looked over his shoulder to see several more people running up the steps. "We're kinda blocking the entrance."

With a round of nods, the party moved toward an empty section of the wall and waited for the line to move themselves.

Lily's backpack hit the floor with a thud as she opened it up to do some last-minute inventory while everyone, aside from the Servants, were doing some equipment checks themselves.

Even though they kept to themselves, Bell felt several eyes looking their way. Raising his head up slightly, he quickly noted several people awkwardly avoid his gaze as if they didn't want him to notice them staring but there were a few Adventurers who didn't turn away.

For a moment Bell wondered if Saber and Lancer were drawing attention with their flirting again but they were mostly behaving themselves. The couple was leaning against the wall together with Lancer's head on Saber's shoulder but otherwise not doing any of their usual love talk. By all accounts they were just a normal Adventuring couple.

Then again, that itself would still draw the eyes of jealous Adventurers who didn't have a partner for themselves, especially a beautiful woman like Lancer or a cool and handsome man like Saber. Mostly the former as the majority of Adventurers were men after all.

Bell hoped that no one would try to pick a fight with them because of it.

"No need to worry about people staring, Vice-Captain," Gina said, popping up next to Bell's arm. "You do remember that the Familia took out a Goliath before I joined, right? People are only just now getting a good look at you and the others."

"I think more at Lancer than anyone else though," Emma added with a wry chuckle.

At her words, Saber's gaze hardened as he turned his head slightly at the watchers only for them all to quickly turn away. Apparently, no one wanted to say anything to the guy with the glowing red Magic Sword.

"Gaaaaah, the Upper Floors are going to be packed today!" Gina shouted in annoyance as she scratched the sides of her head. "New plan, we're going to go all the way to the Fifth Floor!"

"Huh!?" Primo let out her own shout in surprise at Gina's declaration. "Is that okay?"

"Of course. It's not like there's anything stronger than a Dungeon Lizard that shows up there and Emma can already beat two on her own at the same time. With me and Lancer around, the two of you will be just fine."

Primo did not look happy at that explanation at all as she turned to Lily.

"Isn't this the part where you jump in and say that that's reckless?" The elf asked.

"Hmm?" Lily raised her head out from her pack. "Lily thinks its fine. Aside from a larger spawn rate there isn't much difference between the first Five Floors. It's one thing if Miss Primo or Miss Emma were alone but so long as Miss Lancer is with you all then Miss Primo and Miss Emma can raise your Status up faster while still be relatively safe. And that to complete Lord Caster's objectives the Second Party needs to advance as well."

"Why am I not included?" Gina demanded with a pout. "I might only be a Level 1, but my Status is plenty high enough for the Fifth Floor!"

"I'm all for it as well!" Emma chimed in, pumping her arms.

"It would seem that you have been outvoted, Miss Libera," Lancer noted with a laugh as Primo's head and ears slumped in defeat.

"Uuu…I'll do my best."

"That's the spirit."

"By the way, you sure you still want to join us, Jackie?" Welf asked, causing the smallest Servant to look his way. "Not that I'm complaining but don't you want to hang out with your friends?"

"We do…but we like being with Mommy more!" Assassin replied as she wrapped her arms around Bell's waist in a hug.

"Aww…"

Emma let out a teasing smile as Bell scratched his cheek in embarrassment. He did feel rather happy about it as he patted Jack's head though.

"It would appear that the line has thinned out considerably," Saber said as he and Lancer separated. "Shall we depart?"

"Of course!" Bell nodded. "Let's begin our next Adventure!"

Everyone aside from Archer and Lancer let out a cheer at Bell's words with the former simply shaking his head with a smile while the latter let out a weaker cheer as she shyly raised a fist in the air with the others.

X-x-X-x-X

"_Blast away these hapless rejects! Lumine Pleiades!_"

The orbs around Primo flashed once before beams of light streaked forward, shooting around Emma and Gina as they crashed into the walls and floors beside the pack of dungeon lizards charging at them. The spell shattered their momentum and formation, sending the monsters flying into the walls allowing Gina and Emma to charge forward for the initiative.

Normally Primo should be doing her best to target them directly but as they were after the Magic Stones within the monsters to meet Caster's objective, she had to improvise.

"Are you all right, Miss Libera?" Lancer asked. "Do you need a Mind Potion?"

"No, I'm still just fine," Primo replied with a smile.

"That's good to hear. But remember to say something if you are feeling tired."

"Of course."

According to that elf waitress, Ryuu Lyon, constantly using magic doesn't increase one's capacity for using magic outside of how one's parameters increase thus there was zero reason to push one's Mind to its limit before taking a potion as it carried the risk of Mind Down, rendering the Mage a useless burden that had to be carried away from the battlefield.

Primo refused to be a burden so she had asked Bell and Ryuu to describe the symptoms of Mind Down as best he could so that she could watch out for it and prepare herself to take a potion to recover her Mind.

As Emma and Gina handled the monsters, Lancer was moving to the corpses, drawing a rune on their bodies. Primo stuck close to the Servant, still keeping an eye on the battle in front of her, and watched as the corpse burned away, leaving nothing but the Magic Stone behind.

"It really is convenient," Primo noted as Lancer smiled. "Can't Mister Saber do that too? When he looked over Emma and me, he just cut them out normally."

"That person does not use fire if he can help it," Lancer replied. "I heard his reasoning for it, but I cannot quite comprehend it."

"Is he afraid of fire? Even though he defeated a dragon?"

"He says it is only natural for people to fear fire…but perhaps it is because he fought a dragon that he came to fear its destructive power. No…perhaps it's because of…"

Lancer's voice trailed off as she turned her face away from Primo before moving to the next corpse.

Primo tilted her head to the side in confusion but thought it was probably best not to ask.

"Done!" Gina shouted, throwing her hands up as Emma stabbed her new blade into the lizard's skull. "That's a good workout. How are you doing, Emma?"

The older girl was leaned over, hands on her knees as she was desperately gasping for air.

"Can we…take…a break…please?" She begged between gasps.

Compared to the Mage Primo and the Veteran Gina, Emma was running ragged. Ever since they had split off from Bell and the others it had been one group battle after another. At least Primo didn't have to fire another volley in this one so they could collect much more Magic Stones than before.

"Sure thing, Emma," Gina replied as she pulled out a map from her pack. "Let's see, the closest Safe Zone is…"

They walked for a few more minutes with Lancer lending Emma a shoulder to lean on before they came across a dead-end room. Once they settled in, Emma leaned against the wall and slid down with a thud.

"Here you go Miss Flores," Primo said offering Emma a canteen.

"Ahh…I'm alive again!" Emma sighed after drinking a good portion of the canteen. She then turned toward Gina. "How do you do this every day?"

"Well, to be fair, it's easier on me because I spent time as a Supporter and that my Status is higher than yours when I first came down here. So basically…experience."

Emma let out a long sigh as she rubbed her eyes.

"I wish I could grow as fast as Bell."

"You and the rest of the city. I wonder if I should try training with a Servant too?"

"I would be happy to assist you in that regard as well," Lancer offered before glancing up as if looking toward the direction where the sun should be on the surface. "It should be almost noon by now. Should we have a quick meal as well?"

A quick round of nods answered her, so the Valkyrie pulled out the portable Magic Stone stove and started heating up the kettle. Primo pulled out a rag to clean her staff as Gina and Emma pulled out some parchment containing their notes of Rune Magic to study in their down time.

She wasn't envious of their studies. Although she was curious about Rune Magic herself, she already had her hands full with her own magic…as well as the new duties given to her personally by Caster.

X-x-X-x-X

The previous night Primo had been suddenly called up to Caster's office.

"Umm…Captain?" Primo asked as she knocked on the office door. "It's Primo. You wanted to see me?"

"Indeed. Enter."

The response was curt and to the point as per the Captain's usual attitude toward things.

Nevertheless, Primo timidly opened the door and stepped inside to see Caster reading over something on a tablet before setting it aside to look up at her.

"What's wrong? Sit."

"Y-yes!"

Even though Primo had entered on her own accord several days ago, she felt rather worried at suddenly being called up without any notice.

Once she sat down in one of the chairs across from Caster, the man began to speak.

"Have no fear, you have done nothing to warrant a reprimand from me," Caster said, no doubt trying to assuage her fears. "This is merely a meeting concerning your future prospects."

"…My future?" Primo repeated.

"Indeed. You are young and as such, can be molded in countless different ways. You desire to be a Mage as great as Riveria Ljos Alf is already known and I have already begun my endeavors to make it so. However, how exactly do you wish to compare yourself to her? As a pure Mage or perhaps as a leader as well?"

"Me? A leader? But I'm…"

"Young? Bell Cranel is only four years your senior and is Vice Captain. Would it be too much to say that you will eventually take over as Captain yourself?"

"Captain!? Me!?"

She didn't expect that. Of all the things Caster could have called her up for she certainly didn't think it'd be about talks into becoming his successor.

"But…why?" She began but Caster dismissed her worries with a simple huff.

"Use your head child," Caster said. "My anchor to this world is a child with dreams of dying gloriously in the defense of others. Even if he does not die in battle then it's an existence measured in a century at best. Although it is none of my concern as a ghost, it would be remiss of me as a Captain to allow the Familia to end with me. Thus, it is necessary to train a successor beforehand."

"But…why me?" Primo asked.

"I told you to use your head. What separates you from Flores and Gwen?"

"…Um, that I'm a Mage and…an Elf? Ah."

"Precisely. On the off chance that Cranel does die from age instead of battle, the divinity he received from his High Level Falna would guarantee that he lives longer than both of them. The only one who would outlive him would be…"

"An elf like me…" Primo finished for him and he nodded.

"I am not one to waste my time on pointless endeavors," Caster continued. "There is no point in training a successor who will perish soon after or before me. Thus, there is only one logical choice, don't you agree?"

Primo could see his logic, yes. She also understood that there was no way she could protest this decision. In that Caster would refuse to listen to her protests and that this was what she wanted.

To be relied on despite her age.

"I understand!" She said, mustering up all of her courage for the work ahead.

"Good," Caster nodded as he pulled something out of his treasury and placed it in front of Primo, causing her to lean back, eyes wide in shock. "Hoh, you are aware of what this is."

A statement, not a question.

"A…grimoire," Primo answered. "Captain…sir? Sire? You're not thinking…"

"I only make worthy investments. As such it is only natural for you to receive one. Of course, there is no need to read it right away if you feel you are still…inadequate."

Primo didn't care that Caster was disappointed in her nervousness. Taking the staff was already pushing her nerves. To take a grimoire that could reach millions of valis was too much for her as she was now.

"C-can I at least wait until I'm Level 2?" Primo asked.

"Humph, I suppose it is too much for a child to handle," Caster muttered before stuffing the Grimoire away. "No matter. Let us continue with the reason why you are here. Every night after mealtime or your return from the Dungeon, you are to spend some time in this office observing and assisting. You are free to take the end of the weeks off as well as whenever Lefiya Virdis arrives to tutor you."

Primo suddenly realized why Caster decided that it was unnecessary for Primo to learn Rune Magic. She had enough on her plate as it is.

"As an aside…what do you see when you look at Berserker?" Caster suddenly asked her.

"Berserker?" Primo repeated, looking over her shoulder. "Umm…how do you mean?"

"There is no hidden meaning in my words. Merely describe what you see."

"Umm…I don't know what to say. I just see a minotaur…um, one named Asterios. Even though he's very scary looking at a glance he's actually very nice. Oh, and none of us in Party B had any problems in fighting regular monsters despite knowing about Asterios and Fia."

Caster didn't say anything as he looked at her for a moment.

"I see…so that is the common sense of Man in this world," he muttered.

"Captain?"

"No, 'tis not important."

Discarding his thought, Caster turned his eyes back on Primo.

"We will start immediately. First off, familiarize yourself with this."

Caster moved some papers written in Koine in front of Primo and she realized that they were portfolios of everyone in the Familia.

Each one had an up-to-date Status, their equipment information from the material used to costs (Primo thought her heart was going to stop when she saw the cost of Bell's black knife), and a definition of their Skills as Caster understood them.

"A Captain should know everything there is to know about their Familia members' abilities. Personal history is unimportant outside any information that may pose a problem in the future. Familiarize yourself with your comrade-in-arms and family."

"Lily came in from another Familia?" Primo asked in surprised. "I thought she was always a part of Hestia Familia."

"That note is a mark of shame for Arde. Do not bring it up if you do not wish to cause undue stress."

Primo nodded her head again as she looked at Emma's profile, noting that the older girl had made a month's journey from her village to Orario, much further than Primo's own trip.

"Captain…did you find out anything about Miss Flores's older sister?" Primo asked.

"Sophia Flores?" Caster asked. "I have come across no new information about them."

Primo's ears drooped slightly before they perked up again.

"No new information" meant that he was at least searching for her. If anyone could find Emma's older sister than it would be Caster. Although he was always harsh and spoke in cold and distant words, the Captain showed his care for all of them through his actions.

"You appear to be thinking about something useless," Caster's voice snapped Primo back to reality. "I will say this now. I pay attention to anything that can be disruptive to my future enjoyment of this world. Should Sophia Flores end up as an enemy, I will not hesitate to remove the problem with prejudice."

A cold chill ran down Primo's spine telling her just how serious Caster words were.

Wanting to calm herself down, Primo dove into the portfolios in earnest.

It was rather late by the time she was done reading and Caster allowed her to go, but even so…rather than shrink, the pile of paperwork on Caster's desk had grown in size making Primo worry about her future.

X-x-X-x-X

"Mommy behind you!"

"I see it!"

Spinning around on his heel, Bell turned to face the monster charging at him from behind.

Naturally, it was a minotaur.

With a war cry, he launched himself forward the massive monster wielding an axe made out of stone. Drawing the baselard out, Bell flung it at the minotaur's arm. The blade sank into the monster's wrist, forcing the monster to drop its weapon. Once Bell was close enough, he drew out Ushiwakamaru Type Two and sliced the monster's wrist off before jabbing the blade into its throat.

"Done!" Bell shouted.

"All wrapped up here too!" Welf called back, pulling his sword out of a hellhound corpse. "But man…I was worried that taking care of that…er…guest of yours might have made you unwillingly to kill monsters anymore."

"Fia told me not to worry about that," Bell replied as Assassin dove onto the minotaur corpse to begin carving out the Magic Stone. "And to worry about protecting myself than to worry about others."

"Huh…so that's how it is."

"And well…it's easy to tell if a monster's one of them or not since regular monsters attack them too so they wouldn't be traveling in a pack."

"What about you, Master Welf?" Lily asked. "Do you have any problems?"

"I dunno. Wait until we get to the Nineteenth Floor where we meet actual harpies and I'll let you know."

"Ahh…" Bell let out a noise of realization.

Hellhounds, al-miraj and minotaurs were one thing but could Bell keep at it if he were to come face-to-face with a monster harpy?

"You know…it's really amazing how much one person can change in a month," Archer said from the back of the room with Saber.

"You are referring to Bell?" Saber asked, turning to the Servant of the Bow.

"Before I left on the Expedition with Loki Familia, Bell was just barely able to defeat a minotaur. Now he can easily dominate them without fear. I suppose that should have been the case back at the Boss Fight…but it still feels like I missed out."

"Now Master Archer sounds like a dad who came home from a war to find his child has grown up," Lily said with a smile as she looked up from pulling out a Magic Stone as Archer shook his head with a sigh.

"Do I look like I'm old enough to have a kid?" Archer asked. "That's more Saber's territory."

Archer's words caused Saber to let out a hasty cough.

"A-anyway, I think this is a good enough haul for the day," Bell said quickly as he turned to Welf. "Unless you're looking for more Drop Items, Welf?"

"Hmm?" Welf looked up from a hellhound fang that had been left behind. "Oh, nah, I think we're good. We even got a minotaur horn outta this run."

"Then let's meet up with the girls and head back up," Bell decided. "We got quite a bit today, right Lily?"

"That's right," Lily nodded. "If everyone can keep this up, we'll reach the set goal easily."

"One million, huh?" Welf muttered with a hand on his chin. "I'm pretty sure you guys spent that much and more just on that vacation…as well as my commissions."

"That guy's probably going to increase the objective the next month," Archer replied with a shrug. "And once we reach the price the Guild set to bring Tamed Monsters up to the surface, we might be asked to bring another one up. Worse comes to worse, I can just sell the Drop Items I got from the Deep Floors if he doesn't want to sponsor them."

"Well, I don't think it'll come to that," Bell said, accepting a bag of Magic Stones and Drop Items from Assassin before patting her on the head. "It's not like bringing them all up at once is a good or feasible idea."

"You're using your head, good," Archer said simply as Bell made an unhappy noise.

In any case, they quickly made their way back through the Dungeon, clearing out any monsters that got in their way. They found Emma and the others on the Fifth Floor just in time to see Emma and Gina cut down the last of the lizards surrounding them.

"What's with all the lizards today!?" Gina was shouting as she threw her arms up in the air. "It's been one pack after the other! Did we trip some sort of monster party that sends them out in small waves at a time!?"

"I'm too tired to understand any of that," Emma muttered as she leaned up against a wall.

"Sounds like they had a tougher time than usual," Welf muttered before calling out to them. "Hey! You girls all right?"

"Ah, Welf!" Emma said as she pushed herself off the wall she was resting against. "You guys are here already?"

"You say 'already,' but it's been almost ten hours," Archer said, causing Primo and Emma twitch in surprise. "Yeah, that's how it was with me too. You lose track of time pretty easily in here."

"I should get a pocket watch or something…" Primo muttered as Archer held up a hand.

"Will this do?" He asked as a small brass pocket watch with an engraving of vines and flowers on the front.

"Ohh! Thank you, Mister Archer!"

As Primo happily accepted the watch, Bell turned toward Gina.

"Are you guys ready to leave?" He asked.

"Whenever you are, Vice-Captain!" Gina reported with a mock salute. "Since we got caught in a rather strange situation, though nothing we couldn't handle, we got a lot of drops today!"

Lancer took that as the cue to walk over and hand over their spoils to Lily who opened the bag and glanced inside.

"Hmm…Lily worries if the Dungeon is about to do something crazy again," Lily said as she looked over from Bell to Saber. "Lily votes to leave as soon as possible."

Bell nodded his head in agreement. The Adventure wasn't over until everyone made it back home safe after all.

"Are you all right, my love?" Saber asked as he stepped up to Lancer. "Was there any trouble?"

"No, none at all," Lancer replied, gazing lovingly into Saber's eyes.

"Oh, here we go."

Bell found himself sighing as he braced himself for another wave of sweet nothings from the couple. Gina had her hands up to her neck, pretending to choke under the weight of their love.

"The Dungeon seems to be a bit colder today due to the storm," Saber continued, neither he nor Lancer noticing Gina's act. Saber then took her hand into his own. "It would not due to let your hands grow cold."

"Oh? But I believe they could be even warmer."

"Warmer? How so?"

To answer her husband's question, Lancer entwined her slender fingers with Saber's. That single action certainly made the tunnels extremely warm all of a sudden.

"Bleh."

Gina did a splendid twirl on one foot before flopping her back onto the ground with her tongue lolling out. The scene had caused the Amazon to drop dead to escape it.

"Welf, did you take out everything you wanted from the Drop Items?" Bell asked, desperate to get some other noise in the corridor that didn't come from the two flirts. "If you did, we'll sell what's left to the Guild."

"Hmm?" Welf turned toward Bell, his eyes glossed over slightly with exhaustion and a look that once again said that he pitied Hestia Familia for being forced to live with the two. "Ah yeah, I got everything I need right here."

Welf answered him with a pat on the bag tied to his waistband.

With that confirmed, the party made their way out of the Dungeon without any trouble and headed straight for the Guild once they reached the surface. The rain had not let up at all, so they quickly ran through the streets to reach the Guild building to make their exchange.

"Let's see," Lily began as they commandeered a corner of the building to count their earnings. "Group B made forty-eight thousand Valis today."

"Ahh…there was a stupid amount of lizards today after all," Gina said, rubbing her forehead in exhaustion. "Oh well, at least we made well above average today."

"As for Party A, Lily and the others made one hundred and seven thousand Valis thanks to all the Drop Items that appeared."

"Lucky as always, huh?" Archer asked, turning to Bell who simply laughed while scratching the back of his head.

"Like this we'll be able to meet Caster's expectations in no time," Emma said happily.

"That just means Lord Caster will increase the goal once it's done," Lily pointed out as she separated some money from the second bag out and handed it over to Welf. "Here you go, Master Welf. Your share for the day's work."

"Oh thanks," Welf said as he accepted the cash before wrapping an arm around Bell. "So now that we're done with work how about some food? I got this place I wanna show you. The mead they got is amazing."

"Just the two of us?" Bell asked.

"Well, I won't say no if anyone else wants to join."

"Lily will pass," Lily replied. "Lily wants to get home and see if Lord Caster is feeling better."

"I don't want to be out in the rain any longer than I have to," Primo said as Gina nodded her head in agreement.

The Servants aside from Assassin also excused themselves, leaving only Assassin and Emma to join the two of them.

"Are we going to get in the way of your guy's night out?" Emma asked with a smile as she walked with Assassin's hand in her own.

"Nah, it's nothing like that. Just wanted to show you guys some other places in this city to eat at."

Welf led them down the soaking streets to the southern end of the city about one block pass the hustle and bustle of the high-end casinos and hotels to a bar off the main road.

There was a big red sign similar to a Familia's emblem on the wall. It was the symbol of the bar: Hibachitei, the Flaming Wasp.

"It seems pretty busy tonight though," Emma noted as they stepped inside and looked around. "All the tables and seats have been taken…"

Bell looked around as well but couldn't find an open spot. The place was filled to the brim with Adventurers and regular citizens alike. It wasn't as big as the Hostess of Fertility, but it was filled to the brim despite the rainy weather and Welf had told them that many people came to this place just to drink the deep red mead that the bar was famous for.

"Damn, picked a bad time…" Welf muttered with a sigh.

Bell was about to say that they could wait a bit or come again another time when a voice called out to them.

"Hmm? Oi, is that you Moonlit Dawn?"

Bell's head turned toward the somewhat familiar sounding voice and saw a scruffy looking Adventurer sitting alone at a round table near the wall.

"That's…"

"It's the old guy from the Boss Fight!" Assassin said, pointing toward the Adventurer.

"Who are you calling old!?" Mord Latro shouted back. "I'm only thirty-five!"

"That's still old…" Assassin muttered quietly as she hid behind Bell, causing the boy to laugh.

"Darn kids…" Mord grumbled before gesturing them on over. "If you need a seat then come on over."

"Umm…what about your friends, Mister Latro?" Bell asked as they walked over.

"Keh, they up and ditched me so it's their loss," Mord said as he waved Bell's concerns off. "And none of that 'Mister Latro' nonsense. Mord is fine. Just sit your butts down and let me treat ya all for the first round."

"Is that okay?" Emma asked.

"Don't worry your pretty little head girlie. Thanks to your friends' getting us involved in that Boss Fight of theirs, I made a ton of money from the drops so consider it me returning the favor."

"Well if you insist," Welf said with a smile.

"I do. But _only_ the first round, got me?" Mord reminded them with a laugh.

Bell had thought that the older man was one of those rough sorts like a bandit…and while that first impression probably wasn't wrong, he did seem to have some good points as well.

They took a seat at Mord's table with Bell and Welf sitting on Mord's sides, Assassin sitting next to Bell and Emma sitting across from Bell next to Welf.

Three mugs of the famous red mead came out for Bell, Welf and Emma and a cup of juice for Assassin. The five of them clanked their cups together before Mord and Welf happily downed their drinks while Emma and Bell carefully sampled theirs.

Bell had only taken a sip, but it was enough to fill his body with warmth, something that was perfect for the weather outside.

After the first drink, Welf ordered another as well as several dishes to go with it. Before long, grilled ham steaks, fried fish, and various other items lined the table.

"Looks like you guys had a good run today," Mord said with a laugh. "Did you go back for a second round with the Goliath or something?"

"I don't think it'll spawn for at least another week, right?" Bell asked.

"Oh yeah, that's right…Bors was looking for people for it…maybe I should join up again…"

It looked as though Mord was raring for another go at the Goliath…or at the very least the bounty of smaller monsters that it would call to defend it.

"Hey Smith," Mord began, turning to Welf. "How much do those Magic Swords of yours go for?"

Bell winced at Mord's question but to his surprise Welf just shook his head.

"Sorry, not for sale," Welf said rather calmly.

"Damn, ah well."

Mord also seemed to have gave it up rather quickly. Probably understanding that that sort of fire power was either hard to make or not something to give away easily.

"Hey Mister," Assassin suddenly spoke up. "Have you fought harpies before?"

Bell, Emma and Welf turned as one to Assassin in surprise but Mord didn't think anything of the question.

"Oh, thinking of going pass the Eighteenth Floor then?" Mord asked looking rather happy at being asked a question. Perhaps it was because it stoked his pride as a Veteran Adventurer? "Yeah, they show up pretty much everywhere in the Nineteenth Floor. They're basically like the bats in those foggy floors. They'll come in, scratch at ya with their claws then bail out while the sirens blast you with magic. They're smart as hell too. If you take down one or two quickly, the rest will piss off and try again later."

Bell and Welf nodded their heads to show that they were listening.

Bad bats were annoying enough to fight even though they wouldn't do much damage to their party of Level 2s but having a flock of harpies attack you sounded awful if you didn't have a mage or archer to pick them off without waiting for them to strike first.

At least they had Lily's crossbow and Bell's magic to pick them off from a distance, but would it be fast enough? He wasn't sure how fast they could fly after all and even though Bell's Firebolt was extremely fast in both cast time and travel speed, it wasn't all that powerful without Argonaut to charge it up. That said, it could vaporize anything weaker than an al-miraj in one shot now.

Bell couldn't exactly test its strength on Fia both in that he can't use it against a friend and that Fia was more or less an enhanced species to begin with so he couldn't use her as a basis for regular harpies either way.

Still, he wondered why Assassin brought up harpies.

"Well if you have any other questions just let me know! Old Mord's got plenty of advice for ya newbies."

"So, you are old," Assassin said, causing Mord to blink in realization to his own words and smack his hand against his face with a grumble.

"By the way…" Mord suddenly leaned in close while lowering his voice, causing Emma, Welf and Bell to lean in as well. "You guys know why the hell _that_ thing ended up showing up?"

_That_ thing he was talking about was probably the Black Goliath.

"I asked Lord Ogma about it and he said that the you-know-what does some crazy shit if it detects a god within it. That's why they can't go there."

Mord's unasked question was pretty clear.

_Was there a god there?_

"I don't know," Bell admitted. "Aside from you and your friends, I didn't see anyone else."

"Well, there was Lord Hermes," Welf reminded him. "But he was on the Eighteenth Floor. If he was spotted, wouldn't it have done something down there instead?"

Bell and Mord nodded in agreement while Emma just looked a bit lost at it all.

"So, you guys got nothing either huh?" Mord sighed as he leaned back.

"Aren't you worried that _it_ might show up again?" Emma asked. "Especially since you're thinking of challenging the Floor Boss again?"

"Ehh, no way it can happen twice," Mord said. "Besides, there's always at least a hundred people down in Rivira that take part in the fight. Bors, the guy that more or less run the place, also always tries to rope Ganesha Familia to assisting too so it'll be fine. That said I'm going to be all the way in the back first."

It would seem that Mord's greed would not trump his survival instinct.

"Well, do be careful either way."

"Haha, Missy, I didn't survive this long without being careful. That said, I can't just sit around on my ass anymore. I need to get back my Adventurer Spirit!"

"Ohhh! Clap clap clap clap."

Mord flexed his scarred arms as Assassin gave him a small applause which he accepted with a laugh.

"Well let's talk about something fun then," Mord said as he sat back down. "So Moonlit Dawn…Bell. What's your type?"

Bell, who was just in the middle of taking another sip, nearly spat it all over the table.

"Huh!?" Bell asked as Welf laughed at him.

"What type of girl you looking for?" Mord asked again with a sly smile. "Can't be too early for you to think what kind of girl catches your eye, right?"

"I…uh I…is this really…"

Bell turned toward Emma for help as Welf's earlier laugh told Bell that he wasn't going to be of any help.

"Actually, I'm kinda interested to know too," Emma replied with a smile.

_Et tu, Emma!?_

"Fine, how about this?" Mord asked, the grin still on his face. "Let's start from the top. What race do you like?"

"Why!?"

"Just play along, Bell," Welf said, laughing a bit into his hand. "All in the name of getting to know each other better."

Seeing that Bell had no allies in this fight, as Assassin was thoroughly engrossed in chewing the sausage on her fork, he had no choice but to come up with an answer.

"…Um, an elf…I guess?"

All the elves Bell knew were admittedly very pretty. From the cool Ryuu, to the fairy-like Lefiya, to the reliable Eina and even cute little Primo was definitely going to grow up to become a head turner in the future.

"Elves, really?" Mord asked looking surprise. "Gonna have to be some pretty open-minded elf to let a human touch her then."

Bell supposed he was just lucky in that regard.

As Bell was about to take another sip of his drink, a loud voice behind him cuts through the rest of the tavern.

"Get this, some 'bunny' just got famous overnight!"

Glancing over his shoulder, Bell saw a group of six Adventurers all wearing matching uniforms with an emblem depicting a bow and arrow over a flaming sun.

The one who was speaking was a pallum like Lily and was obviously trying to make a show of his drunken speech.

"That rookie sure got some guts! Don't care if he really is the record holder, it's amazing that people swallow all of his lies! I couldn't pull that act off in a million years!"

It was rather obvious who the pallum was talking about. Their eyes met and the pallum sneered at him, showing that he knew that Bell was sitting there when he started his tirade.

"Apollo Familia," Mord said quietly. "Ignore em, kid."

Bell knew that that was probably the best thing to do but the pallum sure as was making it hard.

"Anyway, I've heard he's extremely good at running away. That must be how he got the level-up! He ran away from that Minotaur until it collapsed from exhaustion. That's a bunny for ya! Quite the talent!"

If there was a minotaur who could be defeated like that Bell would love to see it. It might be an easy way for Emma and Primo to get some good excellia.

"And to make it worse, I heard some broad believed that crap and joined the Familia right after that. Probably chasing after some bunny tail."

Emma's hand froze halfway toward reaching for one of the fried appetizers with a look of confusion on her face.

_Were they talking about her?_

Bell's vision was slowly turning red. He may not have had the courage to speak up if they had just kept the insults to him but if they were going to go after Emma?

However, some movement in the bottom of his eye caught his attention and his hand quickly shot forward and grabbed Assassin's arm. The girl had been looking between Bell and the pallum, slowly putting it together that he was insulting Bell. That he had switched to Emma had Assassin slowly moving her hand toward one of her daggers. If Bell wasn't careful, that pallum and his Familia might be assassinated by her on their way back home.

Assassin looked at Bell in surprise as he took her hand and placed it on the table. Bell wasn't sure how strong Apollo Familia was and even if they were a hundred members strong, he had no reason to believe that Hestia Familia couldn't win if their Familias came to blows. He just didn't want to be the one to start it which meant he had to keep Assassin from doing anything reckless.

He could feel the staff and other patrons were looking at them, wondering what was going to happen. He had to keep everything from flying out of control.

Caster would kill him if it did.

To Bell's surprise though, Mord was grinding his teeth in quiet rage even though he had just told Bell to ignore them. Was he getting angry on their behalf?

"I also know that his Familia is led by some goddess not worthy of even the slightest shred of respect. You'd have to be pretty weak and stupid to join a disgraceful deity like that!"

"You take that back!"

Before he knew it, Bell was on his feet, glaring down at the pallum, which wasn't that hard as he was only a little taller than Lily who was even shorter than Assassin.

It was one thing to insult Bell, it was already pushing it to insult Emma, but to insult Bell's goddess? The one who person who took Bell in when he had lost everything, the one who gave him a home, a family? The one who he revered more than anyone else on the planet?

Right now, Bell wanted nothing better than to wring his little neck. And judging from the fear in the pallum's eyes, he knew that too.

"S-see? Bull's-eye. Can't bear the shame, eh? You probably stole credit for the Goliath too-"

"NOW LISTEN HERE YOU LITTLE SHIT!"

In a flash, Mord had jumped out of his seat, sending his chair to the ground and had ran over and grabbed the little bastard by the throat before Bell could, snapping Bell out of his blood rage and making him step back in surprise.

"Just cuz you Apollo bastards are so shit that half of ya can't stand up to a minotaur without shitting yourselves doesn't mean that everyone else is as weak as you. Even a Hestia Familia _pallum_ Supporter is strong enough to blow a minotaur's brains out. And you think you can just shit on that!?"

"M-Mister Mord, calm down!" Emma said as stood up and grabbed him by the arm. "You're making a scene and-ah!"

Before she could say anything else, one of the other Adventurers stood up and grabbed her, only for Mord to throw the pallum at the other man and pull her back, tossing her into Welf's arms.

"Come on then, you bastards!" Mord shouted. "I fought with them so show me if you're hot shit or not!"

"You bastard!"

"You've done it now!"

Four of the other Adventurers stood up and lunged at Mord who let out a roar as their table is knocked aside, sending dishes and food to the floor.

Bell pulled Assassin out of her chair and to the wall as Welf did the same for Emma.

The Apollo Familia must have only been Level 1 or low Level 2s as Mord was single handedly taking on all four of them. The pallum had been knocked out early on when Mord stomped on his face to keep him from standing up.

"…Shit!" Welf cursed as he pushed Emma over to Bell and jumped in to help Mord, grabbing someone who had jumped on the older Adventurer's back and smashed him onto the floor.

Bell was about to join in too, but Emma wrapped herself around his arm.

"Don't!" She warned. "Just calm down before this gets worse!"

"How can this possibly get any worse?" Bell asked.

"It's three Familias fighting already," she reminded him. "Don't make it four-"

She was then cut off as a wooden mug flew out from the side and hit her right in the head, knocking her back into the wall as she crumbled to the ground.

"Emma!" Assassin screamed as she knelt down and placed her hands on Emma's head.

Something snapped in Bell's head.

"Jack. Stay here with Emma."

Bell didn't wait for Jack to reply as he ran straight into the fight, toward the brown long-haired man who was smirking at him, telling Bell that he was the one who threw it.

As Bell drew close, the man threw a punch that could probably be said as fast but…

"_Is that it!?_"

But compared to Saber's punches, he might as well have been holding still. Bell grabbed the arm as it drew close and brought his own fist up at the man's elbow.

There was a sickening crunch as the man let out a scream of pain which was promptly silenced when Bell delivered another punch to his face, sending him flying out a window and into the rainy street.

Bell couldn't hear anything but his heavy own breaths that he was trying to get back under control.

Then…

"Holy _shit_, Bell."

Bell turned around to see Welf and Mord gaping at him. The Apollo Familia Adventurers were also gaping at him in fear and they flinched back when his eyes went to them. They quickly grabbed the unconscious pallum and made a hasty retreat, no doubt grabbing their other friend on the way back.

Bell then heard the rest of the bar whispering about something, but he didn't care. He walked back over to Emma and Assassin and lifted Emma up in his arms. That person was probably a High-Class Adventurer if they could knock her out like that, but Bell didn't care about that.

He was just angry.

Angry at the Apollo Familia and angry at himself for not stepping in before it came to this.

"Let's go home, Jack," Bell said, and Assassin just quickly nodded her head as if she was scared of doing something that might set him off again.

"Hey kid…" Mord began but Bell just dropped his share of the day's earnings on his chair so the staff could use it to fix the broken furniture and dishes and walked passed Mord and Welf to leave the bar.

He just wanted to hurry home.


	37. Prelude to War

**Chapter 37: Casus Belli**

Bell thought it must have been quite a sight, him returning home with an unconscious Emma in his arms.

Hestia and Rider certainly didn't find it funny though as the two of them dragged Bell in and had him lay Emma on the couch as Lancer checked her head wound and listened to Bell explain what happened.

"Apollo, huh?" Hestia grumbled with a sigh as the entire Familia, except for Caster who was still holed up in his office, turned toward the goddess. "Of all people, it just had to be that guy."

"Is something wrong with that god?" Primo asked with a sniff, not releasing her grip on Emma's hand.

"Well, to put it lightly, I don't really like him that much," Hestia admitted. "A lot of stuff happened and I don't really wanna talk about it."

Primo and Gina shared a glance but neither of them said anything.

"What shall we do?" Lancer asked. "This is clearly a provocation against us. We cannot let this go unanswered."

Although Lancer's voice was as soft as always, Bell could practically feel the anger radiating beneath the woman's kind exterior.

"I understand how you feel, Lancer," Hestia began. "But it's best to let something like a bar fight stay a simple bar fight. There's no need to escalate this."

"But…"

"That's my decision as a Goddess, _Brynhildr_."

Lancer flinched slightly at her true name being called and lowered her head in apology as Saber placed a hand on her shoulder.

"My apologies, Lady Hestia. I spoke out of turn."

"It's fine. To be honest, I'm super angry too and I do have half a mind to send all of you to burn down Apollo's house but that really won't solve anything and would just make it harder to work with Ouranos in the long run."

"It'd probably feel _really_ good though," Gina mumbled and Rider gave her head a half-hearted push to tell her to be quiet.

"I'm sorry too…" Bell said, lowering his head as Assassin clung onto him. "I tried to stay out of it…I really did…but…but…"

But between the insults to Hestia and them hurting Emma, it was too much for him to bare.

"You did fine, Bell," Hestia said, walking over and pulling Bell's head into a hug. "Even though you were angry, you did well holding back."

"At the very least, you didn't hit them first," Archer said. "I guess we have Ruffian Dog to thank for that."

With Mord striking first, it should prevent anyone from saying that it was Hestia Familia who escalated things into a brawl although Bell was a bit upset that he didn't get a chance to throttle that pallum himself.

Still, Bell could just barely keep his rage in as he scrunched up his eyes to keep himself from crying. He hated that he felt like this. Hated that he wanted to go find those Adventurers again and break all of their arms for what they did. But it was unbecoming of a Vice-Captain to act like that and it sure as hell wasn't very heroic to seek revenge like that.

"Should we go and tell Lord Caster?" Lily asked tentatively.

"I am standing right here."

Caster's words caused Hestia, Bell and the other mortal members of the Familia to jump and turn to see the Captain with his back against a wall.

"Gwen," Caster spoke up, making Gina to jump to her feet in attention. "What is the etiquette for two Familias to resolve confrontations. I cannot imagine the Guild would stand for open war in the middle of Orario."

"Heh?" Gina looked surprised to hear what she was being asked but she quickly recovered. "Ahh um…I guess most Familias would try to settle their differences quietly…but worse comes to worst…it would be a War Game, right Lily?"

"Lily agrees," Lily nodded. "Wait…Lord Caster is not thinking…"

"And what does a War Game entail?" Caster continued, ignoring Lily.

"Umm…the details of the exact War Game is decided by the Gods at a Denatus," Gina said. "But its always a big event that the entire city gets in on."

"So that's it then," Caster muttered, blowing air out of his nose.

"Do you know something, Caster?" Rider asked. "Do you think Apollo Familia's objective is a War Game?"

"The Sun God is nothing more than raw meat thrown in front of a savage beast," Caster said. "While he is without a doubt acting in his own interests, he has been coaxed to do so on another's suggestion."

"…Evilus?" Archer suggested, causing everyone's eyes to turn to him.

"Perhaps. Perhaps not. Hestia Familia is a household name ever since our triumph over the Goliath. Apollo Familia has done the same with a Familia of over a hundred members. With that information, the Sun God should have known that our strength is about equal, even if that conclusion is false, and not act so rashly on his desires. And yet, he chooses to antagonize us."

"You believe that someone wishes to use a War Game to gauge our true abilities," Saber said. "And Apollo Familia is the piece they will use to do so."

Caster simply nodded his head as his eyes fell on the still unconscious Emma, his eyes narrowing.

"So, what's the plan then?" Archer asked. "Do we wait and see what happens or do we take the initiative?"

"We do _nothing!_" Hestia cut in. "I don't want to blow this out of proportion! They knocked Emma out and Bell broke their arm. It sucks but I want to leave it at that!"

"You will not get the chance to refuse," Caster countered. "The one pulling Apollo Familia's strings are committed to this course. Either you agree to a War with rules or you watch this city burn."

"Urk…guh…"

Hestia let out a grunt as she turned her head away, unable to refute Caster's logic.

"If need be, challenge them yourself to a duel between Captains and I shall offer his mongrel's head to you and end this farce quickly. Although, I doubt they will agree to that."

"That's right…" Rider muttered. "If your hypothesis is correct, then they would want a set of rules that have all of us fighting. Or at the very least, ones stacked heavily in their favor."

"Then why not propose an open field battle?" Lancer suggested. "A way for us to clear them out in a single strike."

"No, there's no reason we have to go along with what they want, right?" Archer pointed out. "A champion's duel is the fastest way to get this over with."

"E-everyone's talking like a War Game has already been decided…" Primo muttered.

"Well, I guess it's better to take the initiative in this sort of thing," Gina noted while Hestia buried her face into her hands with a sigh.

"…What about us?"

The entire Familia, aside from Emma, turned as one toward Fia who was sitting in Berserker's lap.

"Are we going to get involve in this too?" Fia asked. "I'm willing to help if so!"

"Oh yeah…would we be able to bring them along?" Primo asked.

"I mean there are monsters on the surface that Tamers could use for whatever reason," Gina replied with a shrug. "If we have some kind of open field battle then calling monsters to our cause is only natural for Tamers."

"But since they're monsters Apollo Familia won't hold back against them, right?" Bell asked.

"Apollo Familia's highest Level is 3," Lily said. "Their Captain is Hyacinthus Clio, also Level 3. Considering Berserker is a Servant, Lily doesn't think that anyone would be able to hurt him. Fia though…harpies are considered Level 2 monsters but Lily doesn't know how that works with Xenos."

"Aghh, that's it!" Hestia shouted, stomping her foot on the floor. "No more talking about War Games! Goddess's order!"

As Hestia tried to get control of the topic again, Emma let out a groan and slowly opened her eyes.

"Emma!"

Lancer and Primo turned around when Bell shouted Emma's name and jumped to her side.

"This is…the living room?" Emma spoke slowly and softly as she tried to sit up, only to wince and bring her hand to her head. "Ow…"

"Careful," Lancer said softly. "You were struck in the head."

"We did our best to help…" Assassin said, popping up beside Emma's face while indicating the bindings around Emma's head. "Nothing broken though."

"Thank you, Jack," Emma said, placing a hand on the Servant's cheek. "What is everyone doing right now?"

"Deciding how to get revenge on Apollo Familia for hurting you," Rider replied bluntly without any trace of humor.

"What!? There's no need to go that far for someone like me!"

"Of course there is a need," Caster countered immediately. "A strike against you is a strike to the entire Familia. To ignore an outsider injuring you is the same as saying your wellbeing means nothing to us."

"Oh, so you _do_ care," Archer mumbled as Hestia winced at the obvious barb before glaring at Caster.

Bell wondered if Caster was particularly angry right now even though he still looked and sounded as exhausted as he did this morning. His words seemed even sharper than usual and was not pulling any punches around Hestia.

"But still…" Emma began but was quickly silenced by Caster's look.

It felt as though the Servants, plus Fia, were raring for battle while the other mortal members wanted the thing to blow over. Bell didn't particularly want to get into a war with Apollo Familia, but he could not just let it slide either. That pallum who insulted Hestia and the man who hurt Emma…he wanted those two to pay.

"Mommy? Your face is scary."

Jack's words snapped Bell out of his thoughts as he quickly covered his mouth with his hand.

"Look, even your star child wishes to do battle," Caster said, taking advantage of Bell's thoughts.

"But…"

_Revenge seems unbecoming for a hero._

"It's only natural to strike back when you have been dealt an injustice," Rider of all people said. "You have to strike back in a way that leaves them unable to hurt you again.."

Did she read his thoughts?

"But it's been a long day," Rider continued as she placed her hands on Hestia's shoulders. "Let's let Bell and Emma rest and come back to the topic tomorrow."

Although Rider was on the side of the War Game, she decided to play mediator and postpone things so emotions could cool and things can be discussed more calmly.

Caster simply huffed as he turned on his heel to return to his office. Primo knelt down and gave Emma a big hug before following after him.

Lancer the helped Emma to her feet and proceeded to help her to her room while the others left the living room to do their own things, leaving only Bell, Hestia and Assassin in the living room.

"…Hey Bell," Hestia began. "What do you want to do about this?"

"I'll go with whatever you want to do, Goddess," Bell replied immediately. "Although I want to get back at them for hurting Emma, I'll follow your lead whatever you decide."

He didn't think it was wrong for Hestia to want to choose a passive response in the interest of keeping the peace. But he felt that if they didn't do something, Apollo Familia might come after them again.

Hestia simply let out a tired sigh as she dragged her feet toward the stairs.

With just Bell and Assassin left, Bell knelt down in front of her with his hands over his shoulders.

"Jack," he began.

"Yes, Mommy?" She replied.

"Please do not go for your knife so quickly," Bell said. "I know you were angry. I was too. But that's no reason to go for a weapon like that."

"But they hurt Emma."

"I know, and I'm angry at that too. But before that they were only making fun of us, which wasn't very nice either. But it's not good to pull weapons out if the other guys don't do it first. It makes you the bad guy."

"And being a bad guy would make Mommy sad?"

"Extremely."

"Then We won't do it again!"

The promise was made with such a bright smile that Bell found himself smiling as well.

Whatever comes later, Bell was sure they would be able to deal with it. As a Familia.

X-x-X-x-X

"So your preparations are complete then?"

"Yes, Lady Riveria! We already told them that I will head on over tomorrow."

Lefiya was currently in Finn's office talking to Finn, Riveria and Loki. The topic was naturally her tutoring of Hestia Familia's Primo as payment for their assistance in Melen. Ais was also going to be sent as Lefiya's guard. Just in case.

"So you decided to go through with this after all?" Finn asked, turning to Loki. "And here I thought you would make up some excuse to delay or go back on this."

"As much as I hate giving the chibi a leg up on things," Loki began while rolling her eyes. "I would rather eat my hands than be in her debt."

And between saving Lefiya and helping Tiona, the debt was disgustingly big.

"Plus, this is a chance to see how she runs things," Loki added. "And how exactly a bunch of Level 1s are fighting on the same field as Level 5s."

"That being said, it's most likely a combination of Rare Skills and Archer's magic," Finn pointed out with a wry smile. "Not something we, or any other Familia, can replicate."

"What kind of Skill lets someone hit on the same level as a Level 5!?"

Lefiya raised her own hand up shyly as Riveria let out a soft chuckle as Loki rubbed her forehead.

Lefiya's Fairy Canon could heavily increase the effect of her magic. Combined with her Magic Fairy Ring, which allowed her to copy any Elf Magic she knew the chant to, she could just barely hit on the same surface level as Riveria by using the Elf Queen's own spells. Naturally, it was only the surface level as Riviera, being a whole three Levels higher than her could hit several magnitudes harder than Lefiya ever could.

Just then, the door opened without anyone a knock or announcement.

"Everyone but the old geezer's here?"

Bete Loga stepped into the room without waiting to be invited.

"What's up, Bete?" Loki asked. "Thought you'd be sleeping after going out for a drink with the guys."

"I was, until some assholes started a brawl," Bete replied. "Some weaklings from Apollo Familia were shit talking Archer's Familia right in front of that kid Vice Captain of theirs."

"Bell Cranel, right?" Finn asked. "Did they start a fight?"

"Nope, but he sure as hell finished it. Broke that pretty boy Phoebus Apollo's arm then knocked him out with one punch."

"…That's Apollo Familia's captain, isn't it?" Riveria asked with a frown before turning toward Finn. "I believe he was Level 3?"

"Huh!? But Bell's only Level 2!" Lefiya spoke up before bringing her hand near her chin, suddenly unsure of herself. "…Right?"

"There hasn't been any announcement for any of Hestia Familia's Adventurers leveling up aside from Liliruca Arde," Finn said as Loki raised an eyebrow with a knowing smirk on her face that Finn ignored. "Loki, do you think Hestia is the type of person to hide Level Ups from the Guild?"

"Itty bitty can't keep a secret to save her life," Loki replied. "That said, that was when she was in Tenkai, so who can say how much she changed since coming down here."

"How did this start anyway?" Riveria asked Bete. "Was it just insults?"

"Started that way then some guy I don't know that was eating with them started strangling the pallum throwing insults at them."

At the mention of a member of his race, Finn's smile turned a bit bitter but Bete didn't stop speaking.

"Some girl tried to get him to stop then got grabbed by Apollo Familia and then things exploded when that pallum was thrown at him. The kid pulled his Familia back and tried to keep out of it before the girl got beaned in the head."

Bete then shrugged his shoulders as if to say "Then you know the rest."

With the report done, Bete went off without another word.

"A Level 2 defeating a Level 3 with a single punch?" Finn began. "Either his Status is as high as it was at the Minotaur fight again…or they're hiding his Level Up."

"You said it was all S right?" Loki asked as Lefiya's eyes boggled at the revelation. "I think Ais might have been onto something when she decided to ask that Saber to train her. Her Status went up a whole twelve points after the first day."

"That is frightening in its own way," Riveria pointed out. "It means Saber is a swordsman on par with a Level 6 at Level 1."

Silence filled the room as Riveria's words hung over them.

"Umm…"

Yet Lefiya still found the courage to speak up.

"I did have an idea about that," she began and the other three listened to the idea she shared with Ais about the other night.

Then once morning came, she and Ais left the Twilight Manor on the norther end of Orario to head to the Hearthstone Manor on the western end with Ais leading the way.

The rain of the previous day had stopped but the clouds were still murky and the streets were still lined with deep puddles.

Lefiya carried with her several books and reference notes that she had used and taken while learning under Riveria herself.

"Are you okay?" Ais suddenly asked.

"Huh?"

Lefiya had been distracted as she was mentally listing off what she should go over first. Normally theory should take priority but it seemed as though Primo was already perfectly channeling her Mind and casting her spells. But she decided it wasn't a good idea to cut corners until she got a good handle on Primo's level first.

"What do you mean?" Lefiya asked Ais back.

"You're about to be a teacher. Are you worried? You're going to be Primo's Riveria."

"Huh? There's no way I can be compared to Lady Riveria like that!"

"But you were taught by her and now are teaching another elf. And Thousand Elf is a famous name."

The elf that could cast a thousand spells, something thought impossible so long as one considered the limits of the Falna. The Falna could only bless the Adventurer with three spells at max with few Adventurers even reaching that maximum.

However, upon reaching Level 3, Lefiya had received a Spell that when cast, allowed her to use the spell of another elf. Her personal repertoire hasn't exactly reached a thousand yet though. It hadn't even reached three digits yet! It was a heavy name that the gods had given her that matched the weight of Finn and Riveria's expectations for Lefiya to succeed the latter in the future.

Maybe cultivating her own rival in a rival Familia would be what Lefiya needed to spur her own growth. However, the fifteen-year-old Lefiya had no intention to lose to a ten-year-old.

She was already close to falling behind the fourteen-year-old Bell after all.

As their destination grew closer, they saw a Guild employee standing at the front gate talking with one of the women of the Hestia Familia.

"Thank you for going out of your way like this," the red haired woman said as she accepted a sheet of papers from the Guild employee.

"It's part of my duties so it's no problem at all," the employee replied. "I was asked to do it because I was tasked as your Familia Advisor after all. That being said, I havn't seen any of my advisees in a while."

"I'm sorry about that, Eina," Rider said with a wry smile. "We've been pretty busy with several things lately."

As Eina nodded her head, the two of them turned to see Lefiya and Ais walking up to them.

"Oh, Lefiya Virdis and Ais Wallenstein," Rider noted. "You're rather punctual. Come on in."

"Yes," Lefiya nodded as Eina bowed her head and made to return to the Guild while Ais and Lefiya crossed the gate into the manor.

It was Lefiya's first time in the building and although it lacked the sheer magnificence of the Twilight Manor, she felt that it was rather homey all the same. She did think it was rather quiet however. Which was strange considering how much noise Primo and her two friends made at the beach the other day. She had been expecting the three girls to be running around like they had been on vacation. Did their Captain run a tighter ship at home then?

"Is everything okay?" Lefiya found herself asking, feeling rather constrained at the atmosphere.

"Hmm? Oh, everyone is just rather tired at the moment."

Rider easily brushed the question aside as she led them into the kitchen where a familiar face was busying himself.

"Yo, Ais. Lefiya."

Although it might be rude to the man in question, Lefiya thought that Archer looked more at home working behind a kitchen counter than on the battlefield. Compared to the expression of apathy he wore when cutting down monsters the man who was tending to a sizzling pot in front of him with a satisfied smile on his face seemed like a different person.

"Good morning, Mister Archer," Lefiya returned the greeting while Ais simply nodded.

"Give me a second. I'm just finishing up a snack for the kids."

"What kind of-" Lefiya began just as Archer lifted the item from the pot.

It was small and round, and had been sitting in the pot of boiling oil for a few minutes, giving the outside layer a crisp golden brown color.

Lefiya's fellow Familia member was completely transfixed as she watched Archer lift one potato puff after the other out of the pot and onto a plate with a napkin on top of it. The stack grew to a respectable size, one that could easily fill the stomachs of three growing girls.

Archer then picked up the stack and set it on the counter with Ais not taking her eyes off of them for a second. Archer then took a napkin and wrapped it around one of the puffs. He then tossed it toward Ais, whose hand snatched it out of the air like a serpent.

"Sorry we don't have any sweet creams," Archer said with a shrug as Ais elegantly devoured the snack. "Most of the Familia prefer them plain so we haven't had a need to stock the ingredients."

"It's fine," Ais replied. "Thank you."

"Getting started already?" Rider asked, and Lefiya turned around to see her leading Primo and her friends into the kitchen.

"Good morning, Miss Virdis!" Primo said with a bow. "I'm ready to receive your instruction!"

It was an overly polite introduction from an obviously nervous child. This was probably what Riveria saw in Lefiya when she started her own instruction.

The amazon and human ignored their guests and immediately went for the snacks.

"Feel free to use the table," Rider said, pointing to the dining table. "It's probably more convenient to use than the living room anyway. We really don't have a place to study in a group here, do we?"

Rider mumbled that last bit to herself as she grabbed a few of the potato puffs and headed out into the garden toward a massive tent that had been pitched up for some reason.

As Lefiya sat down at the dining table with Primo, Ais turned toward Archer.

"Is Saber here?" She asked.

"Yeah," Archer confirmed. "He's spending some quality time with Lancer right now."

"And Bell Cranel?"

"He's resting in his room."

Lefiya felt that this had to do with the bar brawl the previous night. According to Bete, Bell was furious that one of his Familia members had been hurt. Since it was unlikely that Lancer or Rider had been hurt, and Primo and her friends are here, it must have been the older human girl that got hurt.

However, it wasn't time to worry about that right now. Lefiya quickly cleared her head of such thoughts and focused on her new ward in front of her.

X-x-X-x-X

Time passed as Lefiya lectured Primo on the theory of Magic.

To Lefiya's relief, Primo was both a clever and diligent student. She understood the material rather easily and she made clear what she didn't understand to allow Lefiya to clarify for her.

As the study progressed, Ais was enjoying herself by sampling Rider and Archer's cooking with the other two girls until Saber arrived in the kitchen with his wife beside him.

"Oh, Miss Wallenstein is here as well?" Saber noted.

"Yes, Teacher," Ais replied with a nod, causing Saber to chuckle.

"Sadly our yard is neither large enough nor private enough to continue our lessons," Saber said. "So I hope you were not expecting too much."

"Not at all. I came to…hang out?"

Ais tilted her head to the side as if she was unsure if that was the correct term.

Although Saber seemed to be in a good mood, there was a shadow cast upon Lancer's face. Lancer's mood seemed to give form to the general atmosphere of the manor. It was as though everyone was doing their best to ignore something and go about their day as if nothing was wrong.

If Lefiya hadn't heard about what had happened, she wondered if she would have been able to tell something was wrong. She didn't have much faith in her ability in noticing such things if she didn't have some idea of it before hand.

Lefiya wanted to ask about Bell. She wanted to know if he had actually Leveled Up. She wanted to know if he was okay.

The first question she decided was pointless. The Guild announced _all_ reported Level Ups without question so as to keep to their role as Orario's neutral mediator. The second, she felt, was honestly none of her business as an outsider to the Familia. She wasn't sure if they were close enough for her to be considered a friend even if their two Familias had a slight mutually beneficial partnership in spite of the mutual dislike between their goddesses.

They wouldn't be true allies however, as the Hestia Familia goddess and her Captain refused to get involved with Loki Familia's investigation into Evilus. Lefiya believed that it was because even if a good portion of Hestia Familia had been touched by Spirits, the Level 1 girls have not. If that was the case then getting involved would put them in untold danger.

Lefiya was torn in wanting the assistance of powerful Adventurers like Archer and Saber, and wanting to keep those like Primo out of the line of fire.

Frustrated with her contrasting views, Lefiya let out a sigh as she ran her fingers through her hair. Unfortunately, Primo seemed to have taken in the wrong way as she jerked and looked up at Lefiya.

"S-sorry, am I taking too long?" Primo asked, her ears drooping rather expressively.

"N-no, not at all!" Lefiya replied quickly. "I was thinking about a problem that was bothering me. Don't worry about it!"

Primo nodded her head in understanding as she went back to taking notes from the theory book. Lefiya had to be more careful. A student observed their teacher almost as much as the teacher observed their student. Any sign of discomfort could be taken as a failing on their part in the student's eyes.

She was learning even as she was doing the teaching.

The doorbell suddenly rang, causing the Hestia Familia Adventurers to share a confused glance before Lancer raised a hand to volunteer herself to answer it.

Not even a minute after she disappeared out the front door did Lefiya realize something was about to go wrong. Both Saber and Archer's eyes widened and the two of them immediately shot after her without a word with Ais following them shortly after.

No longer able to concentrate, Lefiya ran after her friend with Primo and the other girls right behind her.

Outside the front door, they found Archer and Saber struggling to hold back an enraged Lancer who seemed to be seriously attempting to throw them off of her while clamoring to get her hands on two women at the gate like a woman possessed.

"You dare…?" Lancer was saying as she, in a surprising and frightening show of strength, threw Archer off of her and sent him flying into the wall without even turning her head his way. "You people _dare_ show yourself here!?"

"Brynhildr, calm yourself!" Saber said, wrapping his arms under hers to hold her back. "Restrain your anger before the situation becomes worse!"

"Archer, are you hurt?" Ais asked, helping the man to his feet.

"Just my pride…" Archer mumbled as he shook his head.

Lefiya turned toward the two women at the gate and recognized the emblem on their uniform. That plus Lancer's enraged outburst allowed her to figure out that these two were from Apollo Familia. Lefiya agreed with Lancer; they had a lot of nerve to show their faces in front of Hestia Familia.

The woman with long black hair was hiding behind the one with short-cut brown hair. Both women were staring at the gate…or rather what used to be the gate. There was nothing there outside of molten iron that was slowly seeping across the grass.

Lefiya found a pair of gentle, yet firm, hands grab her shoulders and carefully move her from the doorway to get through.

"As you can see, Apollo Familia isn't exactly welcome here right now," Rider said to the two women. Although her face and tone were rather amiable, Lefiya felt as though she was staring at a lit powder keg that could go off as violently as the woman that was still trying to throw off her husband. "May I ask for the reason of this unexpected visit?"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" The long-haired woman apologized over and over. "We'll just be leaving!"

However, she was grabbed by her friend by the scruff of her neck.

"I understand your reluctance to talk to us," the short-haired woman replied. "I really do."

She then released her friend and introduced herself as Daphne Laulos and her friend as Cassandra Illion.

"We were asked to deliver this to you and your goddess."

Daphne reached into Cassandra's pocket and pulled out a letter with a wax seal depicting her Familia's emblem.

"What is this, an invitation?" Rider asked, accepting it with a frown.

"Yes. Please hand it to your goddess. I'm sorry for all of this."

Rider's frown only deepened as she nodded her head and watched the two women leave without another word.

She then turned toward Ais and Lefiya with a sad face, and Lefiya knew what she was going to say without her saying it.

It was time for her and Ais to leave.

X-x-X-x-X

"An invitation to the Banquet of the Gods to be held tomorrow night, is it?"

Hestia came back from work only to be received by that invitation instead.

Bell, Emma, and the rest of the Familia were seated at or near the dining table as part of a meeting.

"Well, it's about time one came along," Hestia muttered as she tossed the invitation down on the table in front of her. "It's been a bit over a month since Ganesha's after all. But for Apollo to do it…what is that guy thinking?"

"Let us decline," Lancer suggested. "We have no reason to let you go into the enemy's stronghold on your own."

"I would't be on my own," Hestia said, tapping her finger on the letter. "It says that I can bring up to two guests with me."

"Guests?" Lily repeated as she and Gina exchanged looks.

"This is the first time I've heard of that," Gina added. "It's always been exclusive to the gods."

"I guess this is Apollo's way of livening things up," Hestia said with a sigh. "After what happened last night, I guess we can't just ignore this, huh?"

"Of course not," Caster answered her with his elbow on the table to prop his chin up. "You would essentially be declaring that you are not willing to face Apollo to the rest of the world. That you are willing to turn a blind eye to Flores's disgrace. That you are willing accept any demand they force upon the Familia without a word of protest."

"All right, all right, I get it!" Hestia shouted, slamming her hands on the table. "Then I guess that means you're coming along?"

"By all means, allow me to rid the world of Orario's divine population. That way Hestia Familia shall rise from the ashes as its sole Familia."

"Never mind, forget I said anything."

"Then who will you take along?" Saber asked, eyes turning toward Bell. "I assume taking Master along is only natural."

"Of course!" Hestia admitted with a smile as Bell let out a dry laugh. "With this kind of invitation, it's basically asking for us gods and goddesses to bring one of our Captains as well as our favorite Child to show off."

"Then since bringing Caster is a recipe for disaster," Archer began as Caster simply gave a rather evil smirk in agreement. "And Bell is both your Vice Captain and favorite. Who else are you bringing along?"

"Hmm…" Hestia folded her arms in thought as she glanced around the table. "I want to bring one of you girls along since I'm already bringing Bell…"

"To avoid the harem rumor?" Lily asked with a smile before turning away as Hestia glared at her.

"Then, can I volunteer?"

All heads turned to the pink haired girl that spoke up.

"Hoh?" Caster was the first to say anything as everyone else aside from Saber and Archer were surprised at her initiative. "You wish to willingly throwing yourself into a den of wolves?"

"I…" Emma began. "…Am an Adventurer. I'm not just some girl that has to be protected all the time."

"Is that so? But in my eyes, you are. You are but a mere babe that has only just recently bloodied her hands in battle under the careful eyes and guard of your betters."

Caster's eyes swerved from Emma to Lancer and Gina before returning to the girl.

"Even so, I am an Adventurer," Emma repeated. "I cannot grow if I do not enter new battlefields. I cannot grow if I do not fight new enemies. I…cannot grow if everyone treats me like some fragile flower!"

"Emma…" Bell began before shutting his mouth.

"Fufu…ha ha ha ha ha ha ha hahahaha!"

All eyes turned to Caster as the king let out a hearty laugh to the wide-eyed stares of Hestia, Assassin, Fia, and the mortal members of the Familia.

"'Tis like watching a cub beg its mother to be taken along on a hunt," Caster said after he had his fill of mirth. He then leveled his eyes on Emma fully. "But it was a splendid performance. Indeed, you are not a fragile flower but one that blooms in the middle of a battlefield. Your growth cannot be cultivated in a garden. Only through war can you achieve your true beauty."

Bell was surprised. It looked as though Caster was extremely happy with Emma's answer. Happy to see her break out of her shell and strive toward even greater heights.

"Heh…you actually like people a lot, don't you Captain?" Gina asked with a smile.

A frown appeared on Caster's face as his gaze swerved over to Gina. No, it wasn't that he was frowning. He was struggling to maintain his kingly mask in response to Gina's unexpected question.

"…And what are you expecting me to say?" Caster asked. "I actually like people? Have you not been paying attention at all? Even if you are a new addition to the Familia, surely you could tell from how I treat all of you mongrels? Do not ask answers to the obvious!"

Rather than being angry, it looked as tough Caster was desperately trying to avoid giving a straight answer while also trying to avoid outright lying in front of Hestia. Just like a pouting child who got caught.

If someone were to form their own answers based on how he treated the Familia as he says, then it was easy to understand his feelings towards humanity.

Bell wasn't the only one who realized this as both Rider and Lancer had their hand over their mouths and Hestia was sporting a massive grin on her face.

Refusing to lose face, Caster quickly changed the topic back to the smiling Emma as he glanced at Hestia.

"Getting back on topic, it is not I who would decide your participation. Well? What will you say to your Child who offers you her heart in the form of prayers and wishes."

"As if I can say anything else…" Hestia answered as she turned to Emma with a smile on her face and with warmth in her heart. "Of course I'll take you along, Emma."

"Yes! Thank you very much, Goddess!"

"Then let's go try on your party dress!"

"…Yes?"

X-x-X-x-X

It had been at the tail end of winter when Bell had mysteriously found the Holy Grail within the Dungeon. A little over two and a half months have passed since then and Orario was completely enjoying its spring weather before summer came. Which was why the sudden thunderstorm two days earlier had taken the entire city by surprise.

But despite the aftermath harsh weather it did nothing to damper the mood of the gods eager for fun.

In front of a large building owned by the Guild, several carriages were making their way to the various entrances. There several gods and goddesses entered the venue with their favored children in tow.

Hestia Familia was no exception.

A white carriage baring the emblem of a goblet holding a roaring flame with a bell tied to it stopped at the designated zone and the red haired driver descended to open the door for its occupants.

"Please watch your step, Bell," Rider said as Bell descended from the carriage.

"Yes, Rider."

Bell had been forced into a black tuxedo with a flowing blue cape attached to the lapel via a pair of silver clips. Both the vest and the cape had a flame design that stretched across the boy's frame.

Bell turned around and helped Hestia descend. The goddess was wearing a brilliant red dress with the same flame design as Bell, one that opened up to reveal her bountiful cleavage as well as a good portion of her back, leaving a shawl to her shoulders and upper arms.

Once Hestia had stepped down Bell extended his hand again to help the final occupant down.

Emma took his hand with a white gloved hand, one that stretched all the way to just below her shoulders, and was adorned with pink flowers at the end. Her white dress was also adorned with white flowers over the fabric with the hem covered to the brim with pink roses.

In Bell's eyes, his goddess looked like the queen of a distant land (or at the very least looked the part of a goddess) and Emma was her princess.

"Then please enjoy yourself everyone," Rider said, lowering her head to the three. "I will be waiting to pick you up when you leave."

_And reinforce you should something happen_.

Bell nodded his head in understanding as he turned toward Hestia and Emma.

"Umm…" he began as he looked at their arms.

As a man, Bell should be the one to lead them in but Hestia was their Familia Goddess. Would it be better for them to flank her instead?

"Come on, I have enough love for both of you," Hestia said, making the decision for Bell as she wrapped her arm around Bell before taking Emma by the hand.

"Hee hee, of course, Goddess," Emma nodded with a giggle as Bell let out a chuckle of his own.

"I wonder if Miach is here yet?" Hestia wondered out loud as they entered into the ornate entrance hall.

Hestia had visited her friend earlier in the day and learned that he had also received an invitation to which she immediately grabbed him and his sole Familia member, Naza Ersuisu, and brought them along on a shopping trip that she paid for. She even got them their own carriage to attend the party with. It was done to allow the hard working Miach to relax a bit, and for Naza to spread her wings.

"I'm sure he's around somewhere," Bell replied. "We should worry about ourselves first."

"I don't think they would do anything obvious in a gathering of so many gods," Emma pointed out. "We'll probably be fine…physically anyway."

"Right. If Caster is correct then they'll probably declare a War Game using what happened the other night as an excuse."

"Mumumumu…that's enough you two!"

Bell and Emma let out a yelp as Hestia stepped on Bell's foot while pinching the back of Emma's hand.

"We aren't here to pick a fight," Hestia reminded them. "If they come swinging then I'll let all of you swing back. But not until then! We have to be seen as the ones defending ourselves."

Bell knew that deep down, Hestia already resolved herself that a War Game would be in their future, but she was both holding onto the slim hope that they could escape that bothersome event. Failing that, she would give it her all to show everyone that this was her reacting to an injustice rather than her picking on a weaker Familia.

As they walked passed the golden pillars decorated with hundreds of candles, they reached the massive ballroom filled with chatting deities and mortals alike. The guests mingled with one another under the light of countless chandeliers equipped with Magic Stone lamps that illuminated the buffet tables lined with various appetizers and courses for them to enjoy.

"There are a lot of people here," Emma noted as Bell nodded in agreement.

"Not all of them seem to want to be here though," Bell pointed out.

There was an elf that was wearing a miserable expression on her face as another patted her back, a dwarf in clothes far too tight for him with an Amazon was laughing at him, and a pair of chienthrope and cat person adventurers glaring at each other as their poor goddess was trying to get between them.

"It looks like every Familia has their own problems," Emma muttered.

Bell nodded his head as a voice rang out throughout the ballroom.

"Welcome, dear guests! I am glad to see you have all arrived!"

Bell's eyes turned toward the direction of the voice and spotted a god standing at the opposite end of the room.

He had short hair that was the color of the sun. The bright and wavy locks glide over one another like early afternoon sunbeams. With a smile that is equally as brilliant, his handsome looks were powerful enough to make both men and women stare in awe.

He was flanked by two Adventurers; one man and one woman. Bell hadn't seen the woman before but the man…

"It's him…" Bell found himself snarling, only to stop when he felt someone grab his hand.

"Bell…" Emma called out his name in warning.

"I know," he said, squeezing her hand slightly. "I won't start anything."

"Let's keep as far away from them as possible," Hestia decided. "We'll start over there by the appetizers!"

Bell and Emma shared a wry smile as they allowed Hestia to drag them to one of the long tables where a massive spread of food awaited them. Before they could start snacking, someone called out to Hestia.

"There you are, Hestia."

"Oh, Hephaistos!"

The goddess Hephaistos had brought along her Captain, a half-dwarf by the name of Tsubaki Collbrande, and Welf, much to Bell's surprise.

As Hestia greeted and chatted with her friend, Welf stepped up to Bell and Emma.

"Y-yo," Welf said, looking rather unsure of himself. "You two doing okay? After…uh…"

"We're fine, Welf," Emma assured him with a smile. "Don't act like it was your fault."

"But…"

"Really, we're fine," Bell said as well. Honestly, he still wanted to at the very least get his hands on that pallum who started it all, but it was better to never see him again instead. "We already have an idea on how to deal with this mess."

Welf opened his mouth to speak again but was interrupted by a loud voice pushing itself into the group.

"Oh, everyone's here!" The god Hermes said as he came up to them followed by Asfi Al Andromeda and Falgar Batros. "Evening Hestia! How's little Gina doing?"

"She's doing just fine," Hestia replied rather neutrally. "Thanks for asking."

"I see, I see," Hermes nodded with a smile while his Adventurers looked a bit regretful at the mention of their former member. "That's good to hear. But Hestia, I'm really surprised to see you here. Considering it's 'Phallus the Passionate' that's hosting this party."

"P-phallus?" Bell repeated in confusion as Emma's cheeks turned bright red.

"Oh are you interested?" Hermes asked, ignoring the absolute death glare that Hestia was leveling his way. "Back in Tenkai Apollo never failed to entertain everyone. He was also quite the persistent lover boy. Wouldn't you agree, Hestia?"

"How should I know!?" Hestia shouted as she turned her back to Hermes and started stuffing her face with gusto.

"Does that mean…our Lady Goddess is the target of…?" Emma asked before trailing off, looking from Hestia's head to Hephaistos. The smith goddess nodded her head with a wry smile.

"Indeed, Miss Emma," Hermes confirmed. "Apollo would spend most of his time trying to get Hestia out of her temple with all sorts of poems and gifts and she would rebuke him each and every time."

As Hermes went on about Apollo's escapades to try and win Hestia's heart, Bell and Emma leaned in close.

"Do you think Apollo did all of this as another attempt to get our goddess's attention?" Emma asked Bell.

"Who knows," Bell replied. "I don't think we can ever understand the minds of the gods."

Perhaps this sort of nonsense was also part of the reason for Caster's animosity to them.

Their huddle was interrupted by a loud cheer from the crowd near the entrance. The two of them turned their heads to see the crowd parting to allow a silver-haired goddess, flanked by a giant animal person and human woman, to pass.

"Looks like Freya's here too," Hermes noted.

Bell knew the name, of course. There wasn't anyone in the entire world who didn't know that name. They were considered equal to Loki Familia in power and hosted one of the two Level 7 Adventurers in the entire world. The Boaz, Ottarl.

Then that goddess, dressed in a form fitting black dressed that looked as though it was holding back paradise, would be Freya, the Goddess of Love that both Lancer and Saber were wary of.

Bell felt that she was indeed beautiful enough to hold that title.

Amidst all the gazes transfixed by Freya beauty, Bell didn't fail to notice that all the goddess in the room were either exasperated or angry at her appearance. One goddess in particular was looking as though she wanted nothing more than to murder her.

With long, dark-colored hair, and dressed in thin silks that was almost translucent, the goddess was biting her nail in anger as the group of gods and men that had been trying to talk to her had their attention stolen away by Freya's appearance.

"That's Ishtar."

Bell turned his head away to see that Hestia was looking at him.

"Bell, Emma," Hestia began, catching Emma's attention as well. "Don't stare at Freya for too long, or Ishtar for that matter. Goddesses of Love and Beauty can charm any child just from them looking at her."

With her warning given, Hestia returned to her food as Bell and Emma shared another look.

Ishtar. The goddess that was the target of their king's hatred, and the one whose Familia Archer and Saber attacked in defense of Loki Familia.

"_Burn her visage into your mind. We shall come to blows soon enough._"

Bell could hear his king's words clear as day even though Caster was nowhere near him. Perhaps it was a good idea that Hestia hadn't taken him along after all.

However, contrary to Hestia's hopes, it was difficult for Bell to avoid looking at Freya. Because the goddess was walking right up to their group.

"Good evening, Hestia…Hephaistos," Freya said in a lovely voice even though she was completely ignoring Hermes. "I hope you both are doing well."

"Evening, Freya," Hephaistos replied. "It's been a while. Since Ganesha's banquet, right?"

"Indeed."

Hestia, seeing that she probably wasn't going to be able to avoid the conversation by eating, turned around to face Freya as well.

"Hey, Freya," Hestia greeted the other goddess simply before turning to Ottarl. "Your goddess is working you hard isn't he, Mister Boaz. The shopping trip the other day and now this?"

"It is my honor and pleasure to serve her, Goddess Hestia," Ottarl replied curtly.

"Shopping trip?" Hephaistos repeated, looking between Freya and Hestia. "You mean the two of you went out? Together?"

"Well, she basically shanghaied me, yeah," Hestia nodded.

"What a surprise. You hardly leave your room for anything, Freya. Why the sudden change?"

"I couldn't help it," Freya said with a shrug and a little pout. "It was suffocating being inside all the time. And Hestia's the only one that would give me an honest opinion when trying out dresses. Even Ottarl can only say synonyms for 'beautiful' no matter what I picked."

"She threatened to go out in a see-through negligee if he didn't say something different," Hestia added with a long sigh. "He tried really really hard though."

Bell watched in amazement as the world's strongest Adventurer…looked down in shame while the other woman with them patted his arm in consolation.

Even the World's Strongest was nothing more than a child before his goddess.

Bell didn't think that was necessarily a bad thing though. It made Ottarl seem a bit more human in that regard.

"But it's good to see that something good came out of it," Freya said, suddenly turning her attention to Bell and Emma. "Your children look absolutely wonderful, Hestia."

"Oh did you pick these out for us, Lady Freya?" Bell asked. "Thank you very much."

Although Bell thought his words of gratitude weren't anything special, the three goddesses were staring at him in surprised. Bell blinked back at them before he turned toward Emma to see if she had any idea what was wrong, only to find her eyes slightly glazed over as if she was in a trance. The same thing was happening to Welf and the other mortals too. Was this the goddess's charm.

"My…how unexpectedly…_wonderful_," Freya said as she extended her hand to touch Bell's cheek. Bell's back went rigid as if someone had shot lightning at him. "Would you perhaps show up in my dreams tonight?"

"Huh!?"

"LIKE HELL!"

Hestia immediately forced herself between the two of them, smacking Freya's hand away.

"Eyes off Freya, Bell!" Hestia demanded. "Look at me and only me! Freya is a dragon that devours every man she gets her hands on. A rabbit like you wouldn't last two seconds against her!"

"Y-Yes!?"

For a moment, Bell thought Freya would get upset but she simply laughed it off, enjoying Hestia's over the top reaction.

"Well, I suppose I should go before I upset Hestia even more," Freya said with a smile, her eyes lingering on Bell for a bit. "Until next time. Ottarl. Helun."

Calling the name of her two children, Freya led them away. Bell couldn't help but watch them go with his eyes following the swaying of Freya's hips.

"Bell, you pervert."

Emma's words caused Bell to jump and turn toward her as she refused to look him I the eye. However, he had no words to refute her accusation.

"…Well, that explains why no one noticed us."

A new voice inserted itself into the group and Bell turned around to see the Goddess Loki, flanked by her Familia Captain, Finn Deimne, and Ais Wallenstein.

"A pair of boobies showed me up," Loki growled as Finn let out a dry laugh.

"Well that's what happens when you come in late, Loki," Takemikazuchi said with a shrug.

Both Finn and Loki were in black suits while Ais was in a pale green dress. The effect made it look like a princess being escorted by a pair of bodyguards, making Ais stand out all the more. Perhaps it was the Goddess Loki's intention to show off Ais as much as possible?

"Hmm…so you brought these two?" Loki asked, eyes scanning Bell and Emma up and down. "And here I thought you'd bring Goldie along with your little Bell."

"He rejected the offer," Hestia replied with a shrug. "Didn't want to hang out in a place full of gods."

"Hmm, that so? Well, in any case, I got some things I wanna talk to you about."

"Pass. I want nothing to do with whatever it is you want. I've got enough on my plate as it is."

"Yeah no. Hermes."

"Sorry, Hestia~"

Hermes and Loki both slipped their arms under Hestia's shoulders.

"Huh?" Hestia lets out a dumb noise as she's suddenly dragged away by the two gods. "Wait, what!? No! Stop! I refuse to participate in your games! Bell! Emma! Save me!"

However, Bell and Emma could only watch as Hestia disappeared into the crowd.

"Sorry about that," Finn said with an apologetic look on his face. "Loki really wanted to talk to your goddess about some things."

"Is it necessary to drag her away like that though?" Emma asked with a frown to which Finn could only apologize again.

Bell waited for Hephaistos to leave with Welf and her Captain before speaking up.

"Is it about your investigation?" Bell asked, placing his hands into his pockets.

"Yeah…she's trying to get you guys to help out like you did in Melen. Thank you again for that by the way."

"No, I didn't do anything."

"Is it all right to talk about it?" Emma asked with a worried face.

"Hmm? We're just talking about your Familia sharing your vacation spot with mine, right?" Finn asked with a smile.

"Oh…right."

"In any case, it's a pleasure to see you again, Bell Cranel. And a pleasure to meet you, Emma Flores."

"You know me?"

"I made it a point to know the names of everyone in Hestia Familia," Finn replied with a smile. "We may be allies in the future after all."

"I hope so," Bell nodded with a smile. "A pleasure to see you again, Mister Finn."

Bell then pulled a hand out of his pocket and shook Finn's. The only sign that Finn noticed what Bell had done was a quick blink but his expression did not change at all. With that done, Finn took Ais and the two of them walked off as well.

"I hope that was okay," Bell muttered.

He didn't know what it was, but Caster had said to pass it along to Finn during the party. How he knew that Braver was going to show up and not Nine Hells, Bell had no idea. The King's foresight was amazing. Bell's hand went into his pocket once more as he fiddled with the second object he had been entrusted by Caster.

Emma set her glass down on the table and looked like she wanted to grab something to eat for a moment until the music suddenly changed. The change in music suddenly brought several people, to the center of the ballroom.

"Ohh, a dance!" Emma said, clapping her hands together in delight.

"A dance, huh…" Bell muttered.

"Want to give it a go?" Emma asked with a smile as she took his hand in her own.

"Huh? Are you fine with me?"

"The goddess had Rider teach you a bit right?"

She did indeed, but Hestia had probably been expecting him to dance with her instead.

"Well since the goddess isn't here, it's fine if I take you for a bit, right?"

"Please don't tease me like that…"

"Too late~"

With that said, Emma dragged Bell to the dance floor with a smile that Bell wasn't able to refuse.

X-x-X-x-X

"And?" Hestia demanded as she sat at a table with Hermes and Loki. "What's so freaking important that you're getting between me and dancing with Bell?"

"Weren't you just stuffing yer face before?" Loki reminded her.

"That was before, this is now!"

"Now now, calm yourself, Hestia," a second god said with a smile. "It's just a meeting between friends is all."

"And I said I have enough on my plate without getting involved with your messes, Dionysus!" Hestia shouted at the blond god. "Specifically this mess that Apollos is trying to drag me into."

"Ahh yes…" Dionysus muttered. "I did hear that your Familia's got involved in a little bar brawl."

"Oho? Little Bell getting drunk and lashing out?" Hermes asked with interest. "Now I've seen everything."

"He didn't start anything!" Hestia said, coming to her child's defense. "It's Apollo that hurt my Emma first! Ogma and Hephaistos's child can attest to that."

"Cept Ogma's not here tonight," Loki pointed out.

"I don't think he even got an invitation," Dionysus said. "Strange, don't you think?"

"That's why I don't have time to deal with you three!" Hestia said, slamming her hands on the table. "Until I figure out what that idiot is planning, I can't focus on anything else."

"Well, just answer this, Hestia," Hermes said quickly before she could stand up and leave. "Are you planning on sending the full might of your children against Apollo?"

"That all depends on _him,_" Hestia replied, spitting out the last word as venomously as she could. "Half of my Children are out for blood and I'm doing everything I can to keep them calm."

"By that you probably mean that Captain of yours, right?" Loki asked.

"Oh, perhaps we may see a War Game in the next few days?" Dionysus asked, eyes sparkling like a child wanting to open his present. "Things have been rather dull around here lately."

"I _like_ dull!" Hestia protested. "I want this to blow over without anything happening!"

However, it was obvious to all deities present that she knew that that wish had no chance to pass.

As Hestia left, the other three deities turned on each other.

"You really think that idiot Apollo is going to go for a War Game?" Loki asked Dionysus.

"Apollo is, if nothing else, a showman," Dionysus replied. "He wants something from Hestia, that much is obvious. I wonder what it could be."

"Isn't it obvious?" Hermes asked. "It has to be about Bell Cranel."

Loki couldn't help but nod in agreement.

A few months ago Hestia had been a literal nobody in Orario. She had spent the first several months on Gekai living with and mooching off of Hephaistos's kindness. Then she met Bell Cranel who became her first child then one after the other, she gathered a group of Adventurers who could hit well above their wight class. Loki knew that she was not alone in wondering what exactly was the other Child Hestia had brought along to this party was hiding. Would she be the next Bell Cranel and shatter her Vice Captain's record in reaching Level 2?

Lefiya had offered the idea that Hestia's Familia was in fact full of Spirits possessing the bodies of the Adventurers within. Loki had heard about the strange tale of Argonaut from Finn, who had in turn heard about it from Tione, a few days ago and the fact that four of her Children saw and experienced it firsthand was enough for her to believe that it happened. Spirits loved playing tricks on people, even more that Loki herself did. Gods and mortals were subject to their pranks, but it was always all in good fun without any lasting damage.

Could Hestia, or perhaps Bell Cranel, be drawing in Spirits who wanted to play the role of the Heroes of the old era by borrowing the bodies of willing mortals, or at the very least lending them their aid through powerful Magic Swords? Or perhaps they sensed what Enyo and Evilus was up to and were preparing to make a stand against them with Hestia being the one who just happened to find them?

Was that the secret behind the nicknames? If Bell Cranel had gone by the name of Argonaut when he first appeared on the big scene people might have laughed at first, but considering his growth and rapid increase in strength, people would have wondered if there was more to the name than just a childish title. And then some unscrupulous people might have tried to destroy the boat of heroes and spirits before it could reach ashore. People like Enyo perhaps?

As such Bell Cranel used his real name in public but in private the others would call him "Master," perhaps to show that he was the one who called them together while "Caster" was the one running the show in public.

"Bell Cranel?" Dionysus asked, looking rather surprised. "Really? I would have thought that this was yet another attempt at wooing Hestia. Perhaps Apollo is seeking to use this as a way to merge their Familias together?"

"In either case, he would still get Bell Cranel and the secret he carries with him," Hermes pointed out. "I think Apollo will force this to end up as a War Game no matter what so let's take advantage of this."

"What are you up to now?" Loki demanded.

"We should try to make it as big of a show as possible," Hermes replied. "A big enough stage that allows Bell Cranel and the rest of Hestia's Children to showcase their abilities."

"So you don't want something simple like a duel or a tournament?" Dionysus asked with a wry smile. "It certainly would make it easier on Hestia."

"I do feel sorry for Hestia and her trouble in all of this, but I am far more interested in seeing how something like this blows up in Apollo's face in the biggest spectacle ever."

Loki and Dionysus exchanged wry smiles.

So Apollo's defeat had already been decided in Hermes's mind then.

"Well, I'll agree in your plan to make the War Game as big of a spectacle as possible," Dionysus said with a nod to Hermes. "I admit I want to see firsthand how Moonlit Dawn handles himself when pushed into a corner."

The two gods then turned toward the sole goddess in their little alliance.

Loki was conflicted.

Much as she was loathe to admit it, she owed Hestia's kids a lot.

Archer had protected Finn and the others on the Fifty-Ninth Floor and then worked to save Tiona from Kali. Caster's foresight had saved the majority of the expedition from suffering from poison and allowed them to rescue Lefiya and Tione from Kali as well.

If they were connected to Spirits then Loki wanted to be on their good side so that they would help protect Orario in the future from Enyo.

But on the _other_ hand…

"I'm in," Loki agreed as she slammed her hands on the table and leaned forward with a rather evil grin. "Not that I really care what happens to Apollo but a chance to make thing harder for Itty Bitty just a bit is always welcome."

Hermes and Dionysus simply shook their heads with expressions that said, "Here we go again."

X-x-X-x-X

If Emma Flores was honest with herself, she was not exactly sure where exactly her Vice Captain, a boy one year younger than her, stood with her.

She idolized him, that much was for certain. Perhaps not as much as Bell idolized Archer and the other Servants but she understood that she was holding him up on a pedestal. It may seem strange to put someone younger than her on a pedestal but it was the truth. The fact that he had made his name ring throughout Orario at only the age of fourteen by defeating a minotaur and reaching Level 2 in a little over a month made her realize that her dream of doing a similar feat was possible.

Not for the glory of accomplishing such, that was a mere means to the true end. The glory of any accomplishment Emma would achieve was nothing more than a signal flare, one that she hoped that the only family she had for fifteen years would see it.

_I am here._

It was the only message she hoped to send, and one that she hoped would be received.

That was why Emma did not want to stay behind while watching the others march out to fight. She wanted to be by their side. She wanted to be by _his_ side.

Emma had truly meant it when she considered Bell to be "Argonaut," subsequent event notwithstanding. Bell was sure to be the vessel in which Hestia Familia would ride on to their future. Between his summoning of the Servants, to his desire to help Fia and the other Xenos, Emma knew that it would not be Caster or Hestia who decided the future of the Familia, but Bell.

And that was why Emma, even as she danced with the young boy doing his best not to step on her toes, wanted to find a spot to stand by his side.

Once the song came to an end, the blue and white flower spinning in the middle of the dance floor stopped and slowly moved to the side with the rest of the dancers to the applause of the spectators.

"Well?" Emma began as she turned to Bell with a smile. "Did you have fun?"

"It was new, I'll admit," Bell replied with a smile of his own.

The two of them headed to the edge of the ballroom and grabbed a drink off a table. As they relaxed, a girl in a pale green dress slid up beside them.

"Miss Ais?" Bell asked I surprise. "Is there something wrong?"

"I'm sorry but…can I stand here with you two?" Ais asked, looking rather distraught.

"Of course you can," Emma replied as Bell nodded in agreement. "But can I ask why?"

"Finn got caught."

Emma and Bell shared a confused look before Ais pointed off to the side where Finn was currently surrounded by a crowd of over two dozen women. Emma could only make out the stiff smile on the man's face that spoke volumes about how he felt about his "lucky" situation.

"And…you two are the only other people I know here," Ais admitted.

"I understand," Bell nodded. "I would't want to be alone here either."

"Are you not having fun, Miss Ais?" Emma asked.

"Not really," Ais admitted. "And you don't need to use 'Miss.' Both of you. Just Ais is fine."

"Okay, Ais!" Emma switched gears immediately which prompted a smile on the Sword Princess's face. "Then why don't you try dancing as well?"

"Dance?" Ais repeated.

"With who?" Bell asked only to lean back when Emma turned her gaze toward him with a smile. "Me!?"

"Are there any other guys around here?"

Certainly there were about a hundred, but that wasn't the point.

Ais and Bell looked at each other and almost simultaneously turned away with a blush on their cheeks. The sight only made Emma's smile grow even wider. It might be rude to tease someone older than her, but Bell was free game for her, Vice Captain or not. It was her right as an older member of their family as was taught and abused against her by Sophia.

And Emma exercised that right by pushing the two together and sending them off onto the dance floor with a smile.

She had no idea how quickly she would come to regret that decision.

As she was enjoying the sight of Bell awkwardly try to lead Ais around while trying to touch her as little as possible out of embarrassment, someone came up to her from behind.

"You there, girl. Show me your face."

Emma blinked a few times when she heard that and slowly turned her head to look over her shoulder. There she saw a god being flanked by two men.

The god had long unruly red hair and yellow eyes. He wore a suit like most of the men at the party and seemed to be eyeing Emma with a strange look. One that she definitely did not like. However, she didn't want to be the cause of yet another feud for her goddess so she had to be polite.

"Yes? How can I help you?"

Whatever his answer was going to be, Emma certainly didn't expect him to grab her chin with his hand and jerk her head around as if he was examining her face.

"What do you think you are doing!?" She demanded as she stepped back away from him.

"Examining you," the god replied as if that was the most obvious thing in the world.

The sheer gall of it all stunned Emma, and she wanted nothing more than to leave as soon as possible.

"Yes, you will do fine," The god nodded, ignoring Emma's indignation. "Which Familia are you from? I demand to speak to your god immediately."

"I have no obligation to answer that," Emma replied with a frown. She turned around to leave only to be grabbed by one of the god's adventurers.

"Lord Aeshma asked you a question," the tall blond man said, his dull purple eyes. "Show some respect."

"I have nothing to say to any of you. Let go!"

"Answer Lord Aeshma's question."

However, Emma was unable to wrench her arm out of his grip due to her lower Status.

"The lady asked you to let go."

A cold voice sent a shiver down Emma's spine as the man quickly released her. Turning around, she saw Finn standing behind her, hands on his hips with a frown on his face, marring his boyish looks.

The god, Aeshma, frowned as he glared at Finn.

"Enoch, Gregory, let us go."

With one last look at Emma, the god took his followers and left.

"Sorry for stepping in like that," Finn apologized to Emma after he watched them go.

"Oh no, I'm very grateful for your help, Mr. Deimne," Emma replied as she rubbed her wrist.

"Is that so? Your expression seems to say otherwise."

Emma quickly brought a hand to her face to hide her expression.

"No, that's not-"

"It's fine, I understand. It's frustrating when you don't have the power to protect yourself and are forced to rely on others, isn't it?"

Emma didn't feel like he was patronizing her but instead speaking from experience. She supposed that was only natural. He had been an Adventurer for much longer than she had been alive despite being shorter and looking younger than Assassin.

"Besides, consider it my thanks for helping out Ais too."

Finn turned to the dance floor and Emma followed his gaze to see both Bell and Ais smiling at each other as they weaved across the floor.

"Fufu, there's no need to thank me for that. That sight is its own reward."

She'll probably have to report the incident to Caster and then get chewed out at all the problems she's causing. But so long as Bell is happy, Emma could deal with a few inconveniences.

Naturally, such happiness was short lived as the music suddenly stopped and the source of their major problems stepped up to Bell.

"Excuse me."

Emma quickly bade the Loki Familia Captain farewell and hurried to her Vice Captain's side while their goddess approached from the opposite side.

By the time Emma reached them, Apollo was demanding compensation for his injured Adventurer. To Emma's surprise, he was talking about the pallum, not the human that whose arm she heard Bell had broke.

"What are you talking about!?" Hestia demanded. "Bell never even touched him!"

"My dear Luan came home so beaten and bloodied that day I had to hide my eyes…My soul wept in his presence!"

Apollo placed a hand on his chest like an overdramatic actor before pointing to his other followers, all of them crying as if on cue. A pallum then stepped forward, completely wrapped in bandages like a mummy.

"Oh wow, is the autumn festival here already?" Hestia asked, looking completely unimpressed. "It was your child who nearly bashed my Emma's head in! Bell didn't touch any of your pallums. Ogma's Child was the one who did it."

"Perhaps but is it not your Child who told him to do so?" Apollo asked as he raised a finger. "All these witnesses said so."

Several people then came forward, surrounding Emma, Bell and Hestia. All of them were saying Bell was the one who started the fight by telling Mord to attack the pallum, Luan, when Mord had done so all on his own accord. The strange thing is…Emma had no recollection of seeing any of these witnesses at the bar.

"One of my beloved followers was badly wounded. I cannot accept this lying down. The reputation of my Familia is on the line…Hestia, will you not take responsibility for his actions?"

Apollo let out a demand, smiling confidently at his apparent success in trapping them when Bell opened his mouth for the first time since he arrived.

"By showing the truth," Bell said as he fished out an amulet with a blood red gem in the middle.

"Bell?" Emma began as he knelt down to place the amulet on the ground before placing a hand over the jewel.

Immediately, a light shot out of it and something formed in between Apollo and Hestia.

"What is this?" Apollo demanded.

"It looks like…a Divine Mirror but…there's no way Bell could…" Hestia began as something started showing inside of it.

It was showing Emma, Welf and Mord sitting at a table at the bar from someone's, Bell's, point of view. Emma was about to ask what Bell was doing when a shrill voice sounded from the image.

"_I also know that his Familia is led by some goddess not worthy of even the slightest shred of respect. You'd have to be pretty weak and stupid to join a disgraceful deity like that!_"

It was the voice of the Luan…and Apollo Familia seemed to recognize it. The hall was quiet as everyone seemed to watch in surprise.

The image quickly spun around with Bell's voice demanding Luan to take back his words.

When Luan refused and started insulting them further, Mord pushed himself into view without anyone prompting him to and started throttling the pallum. Emma herself then appeared to try and get Mord to calm down when a member of Apollo Familia tried to grab her and for Mord to pull her back and start the fight.

The view moved back as Bell and Welf had dragged Assassin and Emma out of the brawl before the image turned to see Welf jump into to help Mord. The image stepped forward before spinning to show Emma pleading for Bell to not get involved.

Emma then winced as she watched something collide with her head, sending her bouncing off the wall. It certainly looked awful when she saw it from an outside view. She couldn't remember if she felt it or not. The image then turned back toward the fight and into the eyes of the man who obviously threw it before the image cut off.

Emma's eyes then moved to her goddess who was gaping at the empty space in horror before she turned away to glare murderously at Apollo, who was looking less confident then before. Bell however, was looking at the man beside Apollo, with a triumphant look even though the image cut away before it showed Bell's own retaliation.

"You. Were. Say. Ing?" Hestia demanded through clenched teeth.

"I was saying that I cannot believe you would go so far to slander me and hide your crimes!" Apollo said. "If you are going to go that far then I have no choice! Hestia, I declare a War Game!"

"Bring it on! We'll wipe the floor with you punks!"

The God of the Sun's declaration was met with the righteous indignation of the Goddess of the Hearth to the cheer and applause of the attending deities seeking amusement on Gekai.


	38. Setting the Stage

**Chapter 38: Opening Gambit**

With the declaration done, the goddess Hestia decided to take her two Children and leave the party early, not wanting to spend another second around Apollo's presence.

"Hey Emma," Hestia began as the three of them crossed through the entrance to where Rider was waiting for them with the carriage. "Is there anything you want?"

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Emma asked.

"Like do you want to stop by and get some snacks on the way home? Maybe a cake?"

"You're being extremely nice all of a sudden, Goddess. Is everything okay?"

"That's what I want to ask you…"

As Bell followed behind them he heard someone running up behind him.

"Bell! Wait up, Bell!"

Turning around, Bell saw that it was Welf.

"Are you serious about this?" The smith asked. "Apollo Familia has over a hundred members you know?"

"Even so, it's not like they can field all one hundred at the same time," Bell replied, repeating the words he heard from Saber. "We have our own advantages so don't worry about it."

"But…"

"Don't worry, Welf. We'll beat them back, and then everything will be back to normal, and we can head back in the Dungeon together as always."

Welf looked as though he wanted to say something else but held his tongue.

"Hey…you'll let me know if you need anything, right?" Welf asked.

To be honest, Bell would love to fight along side Welf in this battle but a War Game was a confrontation between two Familias. There was no way Hephaistos would be able to lend one of her own to help Hestia.

"I think we'll be fine…" Bell began but something told him that that wasn't the right thing to say. "Well, we have all of our equipment that you made for us after all so its quality has always been perfect. To be honest, I'd love it if you were there with us but this is our Familia's problem."

"…Right."

With a nod, Bell bid Welf goodnight and hurried over to the carriage where the others were waiting.

X-x-X-x-X

"I'm being left out of it again…" Welf muttered as he saw Bell off.

It couldn't be helped, he knew that. The two of them were from two different Familia. In normal circumstances, they shouldn't have been in a Party together in the first place. They should have kept it a strict Smith/Adventurer business relationship.

But even so.

They were friends, weren't they?

Torn between two different and exclusive desires, Welf felt loss.

He had been wanting to discuss what he should do with Bell and Emma the other night, but thanks to Apollo Familia, those plans were a wash.

"Welf."

The smith looked over his shoulder to see his goddess standing behind him.

"Lady Hephaistos…" Welf began as he turned around to face her. "I…I want to…"

He was silenced by Hephaistos placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Go home and rest for the night," she said. "If you still feel that way in the morning then come to my office in the Northwest Main shop and we'll talk when you're ready."

After saying her piece, Hephaistos returned to the party while Welf lowered his head in thanks.

X-x-X-x-X

"I hope _you're_ happy!"

Bell and the others returned home and convened with the Familia around the dining table for their usual meeting.

Once there, Hestia immediately started by calling out Caster, who simply weathered her glare with a condescending smirk.

"I am quite satisfied with your performance, yes," Caster acknowledged with a nod.

"I take it that the party wasn't just a simple affair with dancing and good food?" Archer asked as he set tea down for the party goers plus Rider.

"That Apollo actually tried to pit the blame all on Bell!" Hestia shouted. "And he didn't say a thing about what happened to Emma! I don't care anymore. Let's win that War Game and take everything he owns!"

"Fuhahahaha, indeed this was the spark necessary to light your fire," Caster laughed in satisfaction. "All that is left is to decide the rules of this little game."

"How does it get decided again?" Primo asked, looking from Gina to Lily, the two most experienced Adventurers in the Familia.

"Well a Denatus is called and the Gods decide the rules there," Gina explained.

"Lily supposes the details depends on how the gods as a whole are feeling," Lily added. "They might leave it to Lord Apollo and Lady Hestia to decide between them or they might put in their own ideas."

"Auuugghhh…" Hestia let out a pained sigh as she thumped her head on the table, causing her tea to splash around in its cup. "It's going to be like the Naming Ceremony all over again!"

"What will you argue for, Lady Hestia?" Lancer asked. "Caster believes that the enemy will hope for a battle that 'forces' us to showcase our abilities on the field. However…"

"We don't have to make things that easy on them," Hestia continued in understanding as she lifted her head back up. "Then I'll try to go for a one-on-one Champion's Duel. You're up for it, right Caster?"

"I would not have made the offer I first place if I were not. It would not due for the ignorant to question why I am in the position I have."

"Ahh…I guess it would seem weird to most people if the Captain isn't the strongest Adventurer in the Familia," Gina muttered with a nod. "If the Captain fights then everyone will understand."

"But…if the Captain fights…then that means people will die, right?" Primo asked quietly.

"That is only natural," Caster ruthlessly confirmed. "Do you think that there is a single mongrel alive that would survive my wrath?"

"B-But it isn't as though the people who disapprove of their god's action can go against him, right?"

"And they are soldiers going to war against us either way. You would have me show mercy to those who will try and kill you?"

"We don't know that!" Primo pointed out. "We don't even know what the rules are yet!"

They were the words and feelings of an immature child who only just reached two digits in age. In terms of her race, she was someone who only just barely grew out of being an infant. And it was because of her immaturity that she could only use such childish arguments.

Killing people was bad. When you die that is where your story ends along with your hopes and dreams. People who would advocate for killing others so easily were wrong.

Arguments based around emotion as expected of a child.

"She has a point, Caster," Rider spoke up, coming to Primo's aid. She then turned toward Hestia. "Goddess Hestia, how about we put the rest of the War Games talk until after we have a clearer picture of what's about to happen? We don't even know what the God Apollo is after, correct?"

"Oh right," Hestia admitted with a nod. "I was so done with the party and his face that I didn't even pay attention to that."

"The god's desires are irrelevant," Caster said. "For he will not achieve it. As such, it will be up to you to decide what you wish to receive from our eventual victory instead."

"You're certain that we're going to win without even knowing the rules of the War Game?" Hestia asked. "What if it's decided that we do something stupid like a Quiz Game instead?"

"The true purpose of this War Game is an excuse for the hidden enemy to view the combat prowess of the Familia's Adventurers. More Specifically, the Servants along with Cranel. The God Apollo will push for a War Game based around combat."

"Will we be fighting only Apollo Familia?" Saber asked. "Would these mysterious backers not attempt to intervene?"

"As far as War Games go, it's a Familia one-on-one," Gina explained. "The only way we'd be fighting more than one is if Lady Hestia agrees to it. That being said, we can't get help or expect help from anyone else either."

"Yeah. Not happening."

Hestia denied that possibility immediately.

"Do you know who's pushing Lord Apollo to do this?" Gina asked. "Is it this Enyo person? Or Evilus?"

"Perhaps," Caster replied but did not go into detail probably because he had nothing more to say in regards to that.

Assassin then let out a huge yawn before rubbing her eyes.

"Guess that's time to head to bed," Hestia decided, thumping her hands on the table. "I got to head to Babel for that emergency Denatus in the morning too. Any complaints if I try to get a Champion's Duel?"

"Do you think it'll actually work?" Rider asked. "Speaking objectively, if the masses had to pick between a massive all-out battle between the two Familias and a duel between two people, wouldn't they want the all-out battle instead?"

"Doesn't mean she shouldn't try," Archer countered. "We don't lose anything from it."

Rider accepted his words with a nod as everyone stood up.

As Bell was about to head upstairs, someone called out to him.

"Beru."

Berserker was looking at him through the window as usual with Fia's head just under his own.

"Are you two okay?" Bell asked, peering out toward the sky to see if it was still raining. "Staying dry?"

"We're fine," Fia replied. "What about you? You've had a scary face for the last two days."

"I'll be fine once this is mess is done with," Bell sighed as he covered the lower half of his face with his hand.

The thought of simply raiding Apollo Familia did cross his mind but there were too many cons to such an action. First of which would be that it would make it more difficult to work with the Guild. Such a blatant disregard for their laws wouldn't go unpunished and he didn't want to do anything that could make it harder to help Fia's friends. The second was that he wasn't sure they wouldn't be able to keep it from spilling out into the city proper. He didn't want to get innocent people involved in this grudge.

"No worry…Beru," Berserker said as he nodded to Bell. "I will protect you. So Beru should do what Beru wants."

"Haha…thanks, Berserker. Goodnight. You too, Fia."

"Let us know what happens and we'll help kick those jerks off their high horse!" Fia said before Berserker carried her off in his arm to head back to their tent.

Bell saw them off before heading to bed himself. He had to keep his eyes on the big picture. This spat with Apollo Familia was just a pebble in the road that needed to be kicked aside as soon as possible.

X-x-X-x-X

The Guild officially approved the War Game between Hestia and Apollo almost immediately with preparations beginning all around the city as people waited for the announcement date.

However, no one was busier than the Guild employees. They had to find a way to allow both sides to unleash their full potential within the rules of the game while posing no danger to the citizens of Orario. The combatants would need supplies, directions, and most of all a stage on which to conduct the War Game. It could start any day; there was no time to waste. They also had to accommodate the wishes of the gods who were wanting to make the event an even bigger spectacle.

Every soul in the city, Adventurer or otherwise, was waiting with bated breath for the conditions of the War Game to be announced. In the meantime, all they could do was prepare for the result of the day's Denatus.

All eyes and ears awaited with bated breath for the news that a sudden change to a certain law that had been announced on the same day went unnoticed by all but the most perceptive of individuals.

Hestia's seat at the large table of gods was directly across from Apollo, allowing her the "pleasure" of glaring at him as the talks began, led once again by Loki.

"You're certainly enjoying this," Hestia accused her currently second hated enemy.

"Hey, it's not like I had any control over whether or not a War Game would happen," Loki pointed out. "That's between you and Apollo. Only an idiot would think otherwise. I'm just here to enjoy the fireworks."

And with that, the meeting began once the residing gods and goddesses took their seats.

The first order of business was to complete the paperwork that dealt with the prize for the victor.

"Once I'm victorious, I shall claim Bell Cranel."

"…!"

Apollo's declaration made Hestia's eyebrows shoot up into her bangs. Putting aside the fact that he was after her precious Bell, he was also unintentionally ripping away the support beam of her entire Familia. If Bell was no longer in the Familia, what would the Servants do? Follow him to Apollo Familia or just disappear?

Either way, it would leave Hestia with only Lily, Emma, Primo and Gina. And while that sort of Familia would be perfectly fine for a Virginal Goddess, Hestia was not about to let Bell go that easily!

"I want to make that perfectly clear. There will be no petty excuses or far-fetched assertions after everything is over. Should Hestia win, she's free to demand whatever her little heart desires."

Apollo punctuated his declaration by taking a sip of the wine he had brought along with him.

"That's no good, Apollo," Demeter said. "It's best to make everything clear from the start."

"I don't mind, Demeter. Hestia is free to claim whatever she wishes from me, should she win that is."

Demeter shrugged her shoulders as if to say "Well, I tried" while the record keeper nodded with an "All right, then."

With the prize decided and mostly clarified, the next step was to decide the rules of the War Game.

"How about a Champion's Duel," Hestia forced her idea straight off the bat. "We can hold it right here in Orario's Coliseum for everyone to see. Doesn't that sound fun?"

"Agreed. There's no fun watching two lopsided armies clash."

"A fierce duel where two people fight with all of their might is better as you don't have to worry about missing something on the other side of a battlefield."

Miach and Takemikazuchi immediately came to her aid. With their words, a few other deities nodded their heads, much to Apollo's ire.

"Oh, but where's the fun if it ends quickly?" A golden haired goddess asked. "Both of your Children took down the Goliath, didn't they you two? Then the two Familia strengths should be rather close even if the individual strength isn't. Wouldn't it be more fun to see everyone partake in the game?"

"Ninsun brings up a good point," Dionysus jumped in. "But one person deciding everything doesn't seem fair."

"Yeah but if we put it to a vote, we're just going to vote for our own idea, right?" Loki pointed out, fingers crawling over toward the bottle in front of Apollo.

"Then how about we draw for it?" Apollo suggested, pulling his wine bottle out of Loki's reach. "Everyone puts an idea in a box then we have one person pull it."

Eager to get on with the meeting, Apollo's suggestion was accepted by the majority.

Hestia wrote "DUEL" in big letters before dropping it into a box the record keeper had pulled out from somewhere. Once that was done, Hermes was selected to draw a slip from the box.

And the name of the game was…

X-x-X-x-X

"Mutual Siege?"

The sun was already setting by the time Hestia returned to the Hearthstone Manor. Thus the report of the day's event was delivered over dinner.

"Basically it's a War Game where both Familias hold up in a castle and siege each other from them," Hestia explained. "Each Familia is also given five flags or banners to place around the castle at predetermined points. We win if A: You defeat the other Familia's Captain, B: You bring all five of the other Familia's Flags back to our castle, or C: The other Familia surrenders. The time limit is five days. If it expires, the Familia with more flags capture points wins. Destroying an enemy flag doesn't count as a capture and it just means less capture points for you and you can't claim the B victory. But if you destroy your own flag, on purpose or on accident, then that counts as an automatic point for the other Familia."

"Define 'destroying,'" Archer requested.

"The Emblem on the cloth is unrecognizable. You can break the stand and tear the cloth a bit but if you can't see the Familia Emblem, then that counts as destruction. Us Gods will be watching so you can't get cute."

"We're not going to have to build our own castles…are we?" Emma asked worriedly.

"No. There are some old outposts around Orario that were made back before Orario was formed as a first line of defense against the Dungeon's monsters. The Guild and Ganesha Familia will clear them out and then we get first pick on which one we want."

Hestia then glanced over at Archer.

"I'm thinking of picking whichever has a higher tower," she said with a grin to which Archer just shook is head with a smile.

"But…to think this all happened because Lord Apollo wanted Bell," Lily muttered, glancing over to Bell who looked less than pleased at that prospect. "Does he know that Bell is connected to the Servants?"

"I don't think that's it," Gina replied. "Apollo sometimes goes after Adventurers that match his tastes. It's not usually this much of a spectacle though."

"I guess that lends credence to Caster's theory," Rider muttered. "Someone's looking forward to a show…"

"No, this overt action might simply be because of Master's fame," Saber pointed out. "Bell Cranel, Record Holder and Killer of the Goliath. The entire city, if not the world, knows that he is a part of Hestia Familia. If he were suddenly to become a part of Apollo Familia then questions would be raised."

"Nevertheless, it would seem that there are gods that are jealous of your toys, Goddess Hestia," Caster said as his eyes swept across the table and landed on a certain girl. "Do you not agree, Emma Flores?"

"What!?" Hestia shouted as everyone wheeled over to Emma who flinched at the sudden attention. "When did this happen? Why didn't you say anything?"

"I uh…didn't think it was that important?" Emma offered with a wince. "A god came onto me at the party but backed off when Mister Deimne stepped in."

"_Who_?" Hestia growled with a voice of a legion.

"Umm…I don't really remember his name. I don't think he even introduced himself properly. It got pushed to the back of my mind after the whole War Game thing."

Hestia angrily grumbled to herself as Primo tugged on Emma's sleeve.

"You're having a lot of bad luck lately, haven't you?" The elf asked as Emma could only offer a weak laugh in response.

"When will the War Game begin?" Lancer asked, bringing things back on topic.

"Oh right," Hestia said, shaking her head. "Officially, the War Game begins in ten days. However, since we…or rather all of you…are participants, you'll have to leave beforehand to set up your defenses and stuff like that."

"Right," Archer muttered. "We also have to bring along supplies like potions and food that the Guild might miss…since I'm going to assume this isn't going to end in the first fifteen minutes?"

Archer glanced over at Caster as he spoke as the King returned his gaze.

"I will admit I am conflicted as to how to proceed," Caster admitted rather freely. "This situation, as banal as it is annoying, provides a good opportunity. As some here find the expedient solution detestable, let us take advantage of this and use this as a training opportunity."

Ignoring Primo's shrinking form, Caster turned his eyes to Bell.

"Once the War Game begins, I shall give you until the end of the third day," Caster said as Bell sat up. "You, with the assistance of your fellow mortals, shall take the leading role in this performance. The captures of the flags and/or the defeat of their Captain must fall to one of you. As Vice Captain of this Familia, your duty will be to draw up as well as enact a battle plan."

"Me?" Bell asked, looking surprised.

"You are in command of several Servants, several of which can decimate armies on their lonesome. Show to me that you are both capable and worthy of properly utilizing their strength in battle.

Caster then drummed his hands on the table allowing a large sheet of parchment to fall in front of him depicting a hypothetical battlefield. Soon after that, seven small golden statues dropped down on one side of the map.

A knight holding a sword, a bowman, a soldier with a spear, a charioteer, a hooded robed figure, a being wearing a skull-shaped mask, and a looming wolf-like beast.

There was no mistaking what these pieces represented.

"However, there are conditions," Caster continued. "The specifics will depend on the state of the battlefield, but know that you are not to have a Servant deliver the final blow to the enemy Captain."

"That has to be either me or one of the girls, right?" Bell asked, understanding what Caster was trying to say.

"Precisely. Focus on assaulting the enemy castle. Use the strength of the Servants to shore up your own individual weaknesses and the defense of the Castle. I should not have to explain it to you, but this is a test to see how much you understand the power you wield and lead. The conditions may change depending on the battlefield so be prepared to modify it."

Bell nodded his head.

It wasn't just the Servants he had to understand, but the girls' strength as well.

"Umm…so what happens if we go past the third day?" Gina asked, raising her hand.

Caster waved a hand, causing the map and statuettes to disappear. As he leaned back against his seat, Bell felt the hair on the back of his head and arms stand on end as the king exuded his entire majesty before them.

"Then Apollo Familia shall die."

X-x-X-x-X

"This is a first…" Hestia muttered as she sat on top of Caster's desk, looking toward her Familia Captain who was setting some papers to the other side of the desk. "Threatening someone by holding the enemy hostage."

"This is a motivational strategy that only works on the soft-hearted," Caster said. "As such, it is particularly effective on the boy and Libera."

"It's working pretty well on me too! Not to mention the other girls!"

"I will not say that Arde and Gwen are unaffected but as veterans, their hearts are more hardened to it. Arde even more so. Naturally, its effect on the other Servants is miniscule."

Hestia couldn't help but nod in agreement. None of the Servants had shown any sign that they would protest the decision. Rider and Lancer, the two people that Hestia would have thought to show some concern, actually nodded in approval.

"So…what do we do about the other god that's trying to steal my Emma away?" Hestia asked.

"Nothing," Caster began before adding, "For the moment."

"You can't tell me that that isn't a high priority for you."

"It is not because there is nothing _to_ do. He cannot act so long as the War Game takes place lest he draw the eyes of the rest of Orario for trying to sabotage our Familia. And should he continue his efforts after the War Game, then he is a fool that shall be dealt with accordingly. Enter."

Hestia blinked as she turned toward the door even though no one had knocked. Caster leaned back into his chair as the door opened up to reveal Primo, fresh out of the bath, with her hair down.

"Umm…I wasn't sure if I still have to come study?" Primo said as she stepped in and closed the door behind her.

"Of course. A distraction as simple as this is no reason to cease your duties. Unless you feel there is something more worthy of your time?"

"N-no, I don't really have anything I need to do…" Primo replied with a quick shake of her head.

"Then continue where you have left off from last night."

Primo nodded as she picked up the stack of papers on Caster's desk and carried them over to the couch.

"Then I'll get out of your way," Hestia said, hopping off Caster's desk. "Don't stay up late, Primo."

"Yes, Lady Hestia!"

With that, Hestia left the two to their own devices.

Time passed silently with the only noise in the office coming from Caster's pen or the shuffling of papers and stone tablets. Although she didn't say anything, Caster could see the girl throwing glances over at his direction once every few minutes.

"If you have something to say then say it," Caster said, causing her to jump. "But do know that I will hear nothing about my conditions for the War Game."

"No, I wasn't thinking about that…" Primo replied. "I was…wondering if you would get mad if I asked if I should take the Grimoire now."

"Hoh? And what brought about this change of heart?"

"I…don't think I have completely changed my mind just yet. I was worried that if I took the Grimoire now, the spell I get won't be as powerful as if I were to wait for Level 2."

"The reverse can be said to be true as well. The effects of the Grimoire are completely random. But that is mere conjecture to begin with. Even a weak spell may be powerful if used correctly. See your Vice Captain's Firebolt for example. It is relatively weak but it has no chant and its travel speed is rather quick. What truly matters for the spell is how it is deployed."

Primo nodded her head in agreement. Her spell, Lumine Pledias, was extremely powerful for a spell she received at Level 1 but its accuracy was rather horrible. That being said, even a glancing blow was quite effective against the monsters in the dungeon and the spell fired seven beams at once, allowing her to target several enemies at once. It's power only increased when paired with the staff Caster had given her.

"But you are quite greedy, aren't you?" Caster asked with a chuckle. "To want another spell on par with that one."

"Uuu…is that bad?" Primo asked, ears reddening.

"Not at all. It is only expected of an Adventurer. But I will still only give you one Grimoire."

"I-I only need one!" Primo insisted as Cster let out another chuckle. "But…how many of them do you have?"

"We received three of them as a reward from Fels," Caster explained. "I plan to give one to the other two as well. Let us make Hestia Familia a Familia of Magic."

Although Caster punctuated his words with a chuckle, he was not entirely joking. Magic was a game changer after all. Even if the power that the Grimoires provided were random, having a hidden trump card up one's sleeve would be a boon.

The only tragedy he could see would be if Emma or Gina received a long chant spell, something useless for a frontline fighter until they mastered Concurrent Casting.

Still it would not do to keep them to himself right now.

With a drum of Caster's fingers, the three heavy Grimoires fell onto the couch beside Primo. Each of them had a different cover.

"Take them with you when you leave. Pick which ever you want and distribute the rest."

"Yes!"

With that said, Primo tucked the books under her arm and left the king's office.

X-x-X-x-X

Primo wasn't the only one studying in preparation for the War Game.

By his request, Bell's training with Saber increased in both duration and intensity. Archer also did the same for Emma's training.

The two of them trained from morning to sunset, stopping only for meals and bathroom breaks.

As for Gina…

"Um, should I be training too?" The Amazon asked as she and Rider stood at the side and watched the other four train.

"Hmm? Isn't your training partner right behind you?" Rider asked.

"Who?" Gina began only to freeze as her pupils slowly moved to the corner of her eye and she turned her head to see a smiling Assassin behind her. "Uhh…hi Jack."

"Hi Gina!" Assassin replied with her mouth wide open in a smile. "Let's play tag!"

"Can we play tag without your knives?" Gina asked, placing her hands on the handles of her own knives.

"Nope!"

"Go play in the Dungeon you two!" Rider shouted as Assassin chased a screaming Gina out of the yard and into town.

Gina's new training regime involved a lot of running. Particularly running through the Floors of the Dungeon while being chased by Assassin while cutting down any Monsters that got in their path. Oh and while defending herself against Assassin herself.

"Remind me again _why_ we are having her doing this?" Hestia asked, propping her head up on the windowsill next to Rider's head.

"Well, Gina is the second fastest combatant we have that can take a flag," Rider explained. "Bell or Lily could do it but they might prove better holding off Apollo Familia while she gets away."

"We could just have Bell slip in and out. The flags are in predetermined spots after all."

"I'm not sure it would work. Apollo Familia is targeting Bell directly after all. They would most likely swarm him if he got too close. Well, it's not a bad idea to have extras either way."

"Well, I can't deny that," Hestia admitted. "But isn't there a better way to train her? Her Agility would definitely increase if Jack is chasing her and probably her Endurance but…I wonder if she knows how to go easy on Gina."

"I'm sure it will be fine."

X-x-X-x-X

"Hah…hah…hah…all the way to the Eleventh Floor huh?"

Gina placed her hand on a tree as she looked around the fog covered Floor. Even as a middling Level 1, a full on sprint down the Dungeon wasn't that tiring to her but she did need a moment to catch her breath. If she were at least Level 2, she bet she could run all the way down to the Monster Rex Floor if she didn't run into any minotaurs along the way.

"Ugh…still didn't the others say this is basically her home field advantage?" Gina asked as she placed her back against the tree and looked around, trying to find some sign of Assassin.

There was some movement in the fog before an imp leaped out toward her, only to be stabbed in the face before it could reach her. Drawing her second dagger, she flung it to her left, allowing it to sink into another imp's chest as she kicked the first one off her other dagger.

"Don't underestimate an Amazon just because she's little!"

With that declaration, three more imps charged her. She ducked passed them to retrieve her thrown dagger, giving the downed imp one last stab in the chest for good measure before grabbing the body by the arm and flinging it toward the others as though they were bowling pins.

With the new trio temporarily disabled, Gina went back for the first body as she sheathed one of her daggers to free up a hand. Grabbing the corpse, she proceeded to use it as an improvised club as she bashed the downed imps into a bloody pulp.

She normally didn't fight in such a brutal way since she needed the Magic Stones, and thus had to fight with precision with her daggers. But there wasn't any need to do so here. Letting loose like this was one of the near universal joys of an Amazon after all.

There was a rustle behind her and Gina turned around to see Assassin poking her head up above a pair of orc corpses, each one having had their stomachs and throats carved open with a cleaver.

For a moment, the two girls simply gaped at each other until Assassin broke eye contact.

"Gina is scary," Assassin finally said as she sank behind the bodies in fear.

"_You_ of all people don't get to say that to me!" Gina protested with all of her might as tears welled up in her eyes.

X-x-X-x-X

Two days after the start of the advanced training, a message came to the Hestia Familia Home from the Guild.

The castles they and Apollo Familia were going to be residing in had been prepared and they are free to head over and prepare their defenses whenever they were ready.

"And naturally, the goddess can't come with us…" Lily muttered as they convened one last time before the Adventurers would leave to go to the War Game site.

The fact that the goddess would be left behind in Orario, alone, only just hit Bell and the others.

"No need to worry about me," Hestia waved aside their worries. "Loki, of all people, offered to let me stay with her until the War Game's over."

"She's clearly fishing for information, isn't she?" Archer suspected. "She'll probably try to get you to tell her about us or the Grail. Speaking of which…"

"We can't just leave that lying around, can we?" Bell muttered with a nod.

"That's the thing that lets you summon the Servants right?" Gina asked. "Can't the Captain just keep it in his vault while we're gone?"

Caster, who had just been propping his head up with his elbow on the table simply opened an eye as he glanced to the side.

"Well, I suppose I have room for another wine goblet," Caster muttered with disinterest.

"Umm…are you being literal or…?"

Gina's mouth snapped shut as a pure golden goblet slowly pushed itself out of the king's treasury as he ran a finger across it while everyone stared.

"A second…grail?" Hestia gasped.

"Oh, have I not said so from the beginning?" Caster asked. "All the treasures of the world belong to me. Why would I _not_ have such a thing? Do not ask me to lend it to you."

That order cut off any further questions.

"So…are you going to take up Lady Loki's offer?" Emma asked, turning to Hestia.

"Hmm…I rather not but I might not have a choice," Hestia admitted. "We don't know what the people who were hunting Fia and her friends are up to and there's no telling if Ishtar's lot pieced together that it was Saber and Archer who got in the middle of their fight with Loki."

She glanced at the two who met her eyes without hesitation or shame.

"I would rather ask Hephaistos to put up with me a bit but if those guys from Melen come knocking, I rather Loki take the brunt of it than her."

"Well they do have the firepower to weather it," Archer admitted.

"Besides, she wanted a show so badly she can pay me for the trouble!"

"Don't trouble her Adventurers too much though," Rider warned the goddess. "Will the Home be okay if we're vacating it though?"

"There should be no problem," Lancer replied as she met Caster's eyes for a moment. "Between Caster and my preparations, the Manor shall be perfectly protected in our absence."

"Good to hear," Hestia nodded. "Just thinking that someone might attack this place while we're gone makes me hesitant to hire a house-sitter again."

With the Goddess's safety as well as the Manor's taken care of, all that was left was to prepare to leave.

"Rations?" Hestia asked.

"The meat has arrived this morning," Caster replied.

"Shopping for vegetables and spices are done as well," Archer added with Rider nodding her head as well. "We've also received the shipment from the Guild."

"Potions?"

"Lily and Miss Lancer visited Blue Pharmacy and bought most of their stock of Dual Body/Mind Potions, regular Mind Potions, and High Potions," Lily reported. "Just in case!"

"Miss Ersuisu was rather pleased even though Lord Miach tried to just give them to us," Lancer said with a wry smile. "She put a stop to it impressively quickly though."

"Probably to thank us for the dress and carriage rental," Hestia said with a chuckle. She understood her friend all too well. "Well then, are we forgetting anything?"

Bell looked around to see if anyone would bring anything up.

Fia would wear a cloak and blend in with the rest of the Familia as they left the city while Berserker would dematerialize and follow behind them so that he wouldn't get in the way of their preparations. Bell felt bad but the Servant himself pointed out that he couldn't fit in the carriage anyway.

"Of course we are missing something," Caster said to everyone's surprised. "That fool is running late."

"Who?" Primo asked as a smirk appeared on Caster's face.

No sooner did she ask that did the doorbell ring.

Lancer made a move to stand up and answer it but Gina and Emma grabbed her by the shoulders and kept her seated.

"But it could be Apollo Familia again," Lancer pointed out.

""Exactly,"" came the girls' identical reply.

Lancer's expression became one of bewilderment as Saber let out a chuckle from the seat across from her. Rider decided to get up and answer the door herself.

A few minutes later, she brought in a tired looking Welf with several items wrapped in cloth tucked under his arms.

"Welf?" Bell began, unable to hide his surprise. "What are you doing here? And what are those?"

"I'm so glad I finished before you guys left," Welf said as he carefully knelt on the ground in front of Caster, setting most of his packages to his side save for one which he unwrapped.

In Welf's hand was a dark crimson longsword that reminded Bell of the blade he had used against the Black Goliath. Except the blade in front of him made the other Magic Sword, one that had burned the Black Goliath to the point that it could no longer regenerate the damage it took, look like it was something thrown together at the last minute.

Its sleek blood red body shined like the setting sun. The lighter ruby red metal wrapped around the dark crimson like an aura, encasing the burning flame held within.

It was the first time Bell had seen the blade…and yet it also felt familiar. Deep within him, he thought he could hear the jovial laughter of a young man who fancied himself a hero.

"So you have found your answer, Welf Crozzo?" Caster asked with a smile.

"Yeah," Welf nodded, eyes narrowed with resolution as he turned toward Hestia. "Goddess Hestia, please let me join the Familia!"

"Eh?" The sudden request caught Hestia completely flat-footed. "Eeeeeeh!? But what about Hephaistos?"

"I said my goodbyes to her before coming here," Welf replied as he turned from Hestia to Bell. "I owed a lot to her, I really do. But I think my place…my future is here, with all of you. My friendship with everyone here can't be replaced by anything. This sword is the crystallization of my beliefs. I won't compromise my friends for my pride anymore."

Welf then stood up and presented the blade to Caster, offering it to the king who took the blade in with his eyes while another in room burned the blade's power within his own soul.

"Surely you did not craft such a specimen to offer it as a mere ornament," Caster said with a frown. "The achievement and resolve it represents is your own. Wield your own pride with conviction, Welf Crozzo."

"Yes."

Welf responded with a single word of affirmation as Caster let out an amused huff.

"Well, Goddess Hestia?" Caster asked. "The decision on who to add to the Familia has always been yours."

"You don't have to remind me," Hestia said with a complicated smile. "But Welf…don't take this the wrong way…I'm really happy that you want to join us and all, but are you really sure about this? I feel like I'm stealing you away from Hephaistos."

"No worries, Lady Hestia," Welf assured her with a big grin. "The two of us reached an understanding."

"Yes yes, I'm sure the Smith Goddess was quite pleased to hear that you will attempt to make her your woman," Caster said with a bored voice that caused Welf to blink blankly for a moment before wheeling around toward the king with a beet red face. "Oho? So it was true."

"I-! You-! How!?" Welf sputtered as Emma, Rider and Gina rushed up to Welf, eager press him for the details.

"You look happy, Bell," Lily said, popping by Bell's arm.

"Is it that obvious?" Bell asked, fully aware of just how brightly he was smiling. "You're looking pretty happy yourself."

"Lily is just happy that Bell is happy~"

"Oh right, I guess we should tell you what's going on in this Familia, huh?" Emma said once she and the others were done interrogating Welf.

"What do you mean?" Welf asked, looking completely drained from the questioning even though he managed to fend them off without breaking.

"How half of the people in this Familia are Spirits!"

Welf stared at the smiling Emma for almost a minute. He then swept his eyes across the rest of the Familia, including the two monsters, before landing on Bell who simply nodded his head.

"Well…" Welf began with a simple shrug of his shoulders. "That explains a lot."

And with that, the newest member of Hestia Familia was accepted into its ranks and accepted them in turn.

X-x-X-x-X

_**Welf Crozzo**_

**Level 2  
****Strength**: I12  
**Defense**: I13  
**Dexterity**: I29  
**Agility**: I11  
**Magic**: I20

**Magic**:  
**Will-O'-The-Wisp**: Anti-Magic Fire

_Blasphemous Burn!  
__Will-O'-The-Wisp!_

**Skill**:  
**Blood of Crozzo**: Ability to Forge Magic Swords. Strength of Magic increased during production process.

X-x-X-x-X

With their packing done, all of Hestia Familia gather at Orario's West Gate with their goddess seeing them off.

Starting with Bell, Hestia went around giving her mortal children, plus Assassin, a big hug, only hesitating when she got to Welf. The newest member of the Familia simply laughed as he opened his arms out to accept her affections.

"Now then," Hestia began. "Go out there and show the world that we mean business. I'll be here when you all come home as winners!"

"Yes, Goddess!" Bell and the others said before climbing onto the wagon where the Servants were waiting for them.

"Time is of the essence," Caster said as he sat at the front of the wagon, just behind the driver's seat where Rider was sitting, with a small portable arm rest by his side. "Make your final checks now. We will stop for nothing until we reach the castle."

A round of "Yes" came from the younger members of the Familia as they all checked their bags and equipment one last time.

Welf also passed out the other Magic Swords he had brought along the other day. Lily received a small one, white in color, that could fit in her palm like the one she had used to blow out the minotaur's eye during the Boss Fight. A purple one was given to Gina, one that was big enough that the girl had to hold it with two hands. The final one, another red Magic Sword, was given to Bell.

Bell asked if it was all right for him to receive something like that but Welf said that it was a perfect fit for Bell.

"I saw it in a dream," he said. "Figured one would look perfect in your hands."

"If you say so…"

Emma also received a new blade, although it wasn't a Magic Sword. It was a new blade made out of blue metal to act as a sister to her Gekka that Welf had made for her earlier.

"…Not that I'm not happy to receive this but…when was the last time you slept?" Emma asked as she admired the blue crystal-like sword while eyeing the smith suspiciously.

"Ehhh…I'll sleep on the way there," Welf said, not meeting her eyes only to quickly duck as Emma tried to smack him with the sheath of her new sword. "Hey! Easy!"

"How many times do I have to tell you!" She shouted as she started chasing after him. "You need to rest properly! It's important to your health!"

"I get it! I get it so stop chasing me with your sword out!"

"Umm…these are normal Magic Swords, right?" Gina asked as she looked at the curved blades in her hands. "Well, I say 'normal' but they're still Crozzo Magic Swords…"

"Y-yeah," Welf said, doing his best to ignore Emma angrily thwacking the back of his head with the wooden sheath. "They'll break like normal if you over do it. So be careful."

"Lily understands," Lily nodded as she secured the blade in a pocket within her sleeve. "Emergencies only."

"Primo? Are you scared?" Assassin asked, leaning to the side on one foot to look at her elf friend's face.

"U-uuu…a bit…" Primo admitted as she clutched her staff like it was a security blanket.

"Don't be scared! We'll protect you! Berserker will too!"

"T-thanks…uu…"

Although the girl tried to put on a brave face, she still looked a bit ill.

Once everyone had finished checking their belongings, they started to squeeze into the wagon.

"Maybe we should have gotten a second one," Rider muttered as she peered over her shoulder. "Even without Berserker, Saber or Lancer here, everyone's all crammed inside."

"Can't be helped," Archer said with a shrug. "Even if we got a second wagon, the beasts pulling them won't be able to keep up with your horses."

"I suppose that's true. Still, I hope Saber and Lancer don't get into any trouble along the way."

Saber and Lancer had left before the rest of them. The former was going to follow and keep an eye on Apollo Familia while the latter was going to reach the castle first and get a head start on the preparations.

"Ah! They haven't left yet! Hurry!"

"W-wait a minute! Slow down!"

A voice rang out just as Bell was about to climb into the wagon.

Looking over his shoulder, Bell spotted Tiona and Lefiya running over toward them.

"Archer!" Tiona called out, waving a free hand toward them while holding her massive twin-headed sword behind her. "Little Argonaut!"

The two Loki girls probably came to escort Hestia to their Familia Home once Bell and the others left. Although they probably wanted to see them off as well since they were in such a hurry.

"Coming here to see us off?" Archer asked stepping out of the wagon as Caster rolled his eyes behind him in annoyance. Primo also poked her head out from under the canopy to see her magic teacher.

"Yep!" Tiona replied without hesitation.

"Well, it's more like we're here to escort Lady Hestia," Lefiya said as she returned a wave from Primo. "Getting to say goodbye to all of you is just a nice bonus."

"Well, we appreciate it nonetheless."

As Tiona ran over to Archer, Lefiya walked over to Bell and Primo.

"Are you two doing okay?" Lefiya asked. "I heard this all started because Lord Apollo wanted to bring you in his Familia?"

"So it seems," Bell replied with a frown. "I never even met him before seeing him at the Banquet of the Gods. I don't know why he's after me."

Frankly, Bell thought it was a bit creepy.

"Isn't it because you're famous?" Lefiya offered. "Miss Ais said that she had a lot of gods trying to get her to leave our Familia when she first hit Level 2. The same happened to me when I got my third Spell."

A lot of offers had come Bell's way as well, but he had turned them down as he had no intention of leaving his goddess.

"I don't know…it seems different than that."

"Perhaps he is attracted to you, Bell?" Gina offered, appearing beside Primo's head.

"P-please don't joke like that, Gina."

"I'm not. He likes cute boys after all. Just look at his Captain. What do you think, Thousand Elf?"

"Umm…no comment?"

"To Lord Apollo's tastes or to Bell being cute?"

"No comment!" Lefiya repeated as both she and Bell flushed red.

Off to the side, with Tiona and Archer were having their own conversation.

"So how are you going to beat Apollo Familia?" Tiona asked Archer.

"We'll just have to try and get lucky, I suppose," Archer replied with a shrug. "They have over a hundred people with a mix of Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 Adventurers against our tiny group of three Level 2s and ten Level 1s after all."

"You're still going on with things like that?" Tiona asked with a frown.

"It's the truth though."

"Well I don't like it when you say things like that. So stop it."

Archer just blinked as he stared at the pouting Amazon.

"Now now, don't bother Archer too much, Miss Amazon," Hestia said, squeezing herself between them. "He's got a long way to go after all."

"Muu."

Tiona let out a "humph" before turning her back to Archer.

Archer's gaze remained on the back of her head for a moment before he looked down toward Hestia who was giving him a sly grin.

"What?" He asked her.

"Nothing~" Hestia said as she elbowed him in the leg because she was too short to reach his ribs without standing on her tiptoes. "Get moving, killer."

Archer just shook his head as he climbed back into the wagon.

"I'm sorry that I have to take a break right when you just started teaching me…" Primo apologized to Lefiya.

"No, it's not your fault," Lefiya denied quickly before putting on a smile. "Just finish things up quickly then come back safely. I'll be waiting for you if you want to continue."

"Of course I do!" Primo replied. "A chance to learn with Thousand Elf is something I never would have dreamed of being able to do!"

"Ah…ahahaha…is this how Lady Riveria always feels?"

Lefiya could only offer a wry smile in the face of Primo's exaltation.

As Bell was about to climb in, he felt a presence behind him. Turning around with a yelp, Bell found Syr and Ryuu standing there, the former holding a basket in her hands.

"Don't think you're going to get away without a parting gift," Syr said with a smile as she pushed the basket into Bell's hands. Inside were several sandwiches, both cold and slightly warm; several thermos filled with the fragrant tea and alcohol; and one last bag full of…something…he wasn't sure what.

"This is?" Bell asked as he picked up the bag in one hand.

"It's a special treat just for you," Syr explained with a big smile.

"It's chock full of protein," Ryuu added.

"I see."

"It'll be the first time since Monsterphillia that I'll get to see you in action," Syr continued, clapping her hands together. "But you have to promise me that you'll win okay?"

"I don't plan on losing," Bell said with a nod before hopping into the wagon which finally got moving. "Thanks for the food."

"Good luck! Stay safe!"

"It's chock full of protein."

Although Syr was happily waving at them, the elf could only repeat the line as though she was a broken record.

"Kick their butts, Archer! Little Argonaut!"

"Stay safe!"

"Go forth my heroes!" Hestia shouted after the wagon as it sped off into the distance. "Go forth and bring home victory!"

X-x-X-x-X

"Welcome everyone."

It was night by the time the Hestia Familia Adventurers reached their castle.

Thanks to basket of food that Syr and the others from the Hostess of Fertility gave them, the mortal members of the Familia were more or less at full capacity when they reached the castle where Lancer greeted them.

Or at least, they should have been.

"Oh precious solid ground!" Gina said as she fell out of the wagon and onto the ground. "I missed you so much."

_Thud! Thud!_

Primo and Assassin fell out of the wagon as well, landing on Gina's opposite sides, pure exhaustion on their faces.

"Are you all right?" Lancer asked, looking worried.

"Ehh, they'll be fine," Welf said as he hopped out of the wagon and stretched his arms out above his head. "It's just super cramped in there."

Behind him, Archer and Bell were helping a haggard looking Emma out before Caster and Lily stepped out. Only the High Class Adventurers and Servants seemed to be unaffected by the long and abnormally speedy trip that should have taken at least two days.

If one were to look closely at Assassin's face, one could see that she was smiling and had only flopped over to mimic her two friends.

"Where is Fia?" Lancer asked as Berserker materialized by the girls side and poked them in the stomach with a single giant finger, causing the elf and Amazon to reflexively giggle and curl up.

Lancer answer came when the harpy flew down and landed on Berserker's massive shoulder.

"There you are," Lancer said with a slight frown causing the harpy to look down in apology.

"I'm sorry…but it's the first time I got to fly around under the sky in forever," the harpy muttered but Lancer's frown quickly disappeared into a smile as she cupped the harpy's face in her hands.

"I am not angry," Lancer said. "I'm just being overprotective."

As Fia nodded her head, Bell let Archer take Emma as he looked around the castle.

Bell hadn't seen too many castles before but considering that this one was supposed to be part of a defensive line around the Dungeon before the gods came down to plug it up with Babel Tower, he thought this must be a "standard" look to one.

Stone walls formed the main defensive layer of the castle, each one standing over ten meters tall. Being situated on a flat and open plain, there was little chance that anyone would be able to approach without a lookout being able to spot them. Several of the watch towers had crumbled due to age and disuse but the central keep was still standing tall. There was even a large bell at the top, probably used as an alarm. On the four corners of the walls, four blue banners depicting the burning grail blew softly with the breeze. The last of the banners was to be placed in the main hall of the castle, the same one where Caster would be residing in for the duration of the War Game.

"Have you begun the preparations?" Caster asked Lancer.

"Yes," Lancer replied. "The majority of the walls have been repaired and sealed. I have not started working on the watch towers yet however and there appears to be a tunnel that goes along underneath the castle. The castle that Apollo Familia will be using is located about two kilometers to the west."

"Humph, then the enemy starts with a massive disadvantage already," Caster muttered as his eyes fell onto Archer's back. "Mongrel. Follow me."

"Huh? Y-yes!"

Bell turned and followed Caster up to the walls where the two of them could see plains which would be the location of their battle.

"Do you see the enemy castle?" Caster asked.

"Yes," Bell nodded, eyeing the empty near-identical stone castle in the distance.

"The God Apollo may have considered this War Game to be to his advantage but there are several weaknesses that his army has. Can you name a one?"

"Their supply line," Bell said immediately. "I don't know much about wars, but all stories say that an army can't fight on an empty stomach. They have over a hundred people so they would need a lot of food to feed them for the duration of the War Game as well as the set up time."

"Humph, you will get no points for such an easy answer," Caster said but Bell could see his smile. "Have you taken that into consideration in your battle plan?"

"Yes. Have you decided on the restrictions?"

Caster nodded.

"First off, other than Berserker and Assassin, none of the Servants are to enter the walls of the enemy castle. Archer cannot leave our castle walls, not that he should need to. Berserker cannot go further than the inner yard of the enemy castle. Naturally, Assassin cannot deliver the final blow to the enemy Captain."

"Yes," Bell said, nodding in understanding.

"There is no specific objective I will have you accomplish either," Caster continued. "Just be aware of the final condition."

"Yes."

Bell had to defeat the Apollo Familia Captain or steal all five enemy banners within the first three days or Caster will act independently.

"Also, be aware that if a single mongrel reaches my throne room, the battle will end."

"…I understand."

"Good. Then let us return to the preparations."

"Yes."

With a nod, Bell fell back into step behind Caster.

X-x-X-x-X

The days passed as Bell and the others prepared the castle for battle with the only interesting thing happening was the large convoy bearing the emblem of Apollo Familia heading to the other castle in the distance.

"Guess it would be against the rules to go burn those supplies before the War Game starts for real, huh?" Welf asked as he and Bell watched the wagons disappear into the gates.

"Probably," Bell muttered with a nod. "Either way, we shouldn't do anything that'll let them complain about the result."

"Well, we're going to go after that Captain of theirs rather than capturing their banners right?" Welf said. "Nothing they can do when we kick his butt."

Welf then turned around to look back into the yard and Bell followed his gaze.

Emma was currently training with Archer as pink light was floating off of her body, telling them that her Skill was currently active. Lily was sitting on a barrel, watching the fight and the one whose Status was being borrowed. Lancer was also standing by just in case.

Even Bell could tell that Emma was moving much faster than Lily ever could with her zipping around trying to get through Archer's defense. But Bell's first Servant wasn't giving her any chance to break through.

"That Skill of hers is crazy," Welf muttered as Bell nodded his head in agreement. "You think she'll end up being able to take the Status of multiple people soon?"

"That's scary," Bell said with a laugh. "She already adds on our Status when she borrows it. If she takes on another person's Status wouldn't she basically be a Level 5 then?"

"If she doesn't die from doing that," Welf said, all traces of humor disappearing from his voice. "She'd have to get pass Level 1 first I think. If she gets super tired from just one person, she might seriously have problems if she goes for a second one."

Bell could only nod his head again at that.

"Still, she could hold a charge from Lily or you for twenty minutes while fighting now."

"Still only five minutes for you though, Mister 'I'm actually Level 3,'" Welf said, wrapping his arm around Bell's neck.

"Aha…ahahaha…"

"Must be because you have seven superheroes connected to you."

It was about the only reason Bell could think of as well. Perhaps he was growing this quickly because his connection to the Servants were transferring most of their excelia to him? It wasn't as though he had any other Skill besides Argonaut after all.

"Oops," Welf said as the two of them watch Emma's aura die out before the girl flopped over. "Seriously, the drawback is way too big for that Skill to be useful."

"Yeah."

The two of them watched Lancer rush over to Emma's side just as Saber appeared beside them.

"I have returned, Master," Saber said, kneeling down next to Bell.

"Thank you for your hard work," Bell replied. "Are you tired?"

"Thank you for your concern but it is unnecessary. I will deliver my report. Apollo Familia made no suspicious stops aside from camping to rest for the night. Some merchants took advantage of this to sell them materials such as food and potions but nothing untoward. From what I can see their leaders did not make contact with anyone suspicious."

"Guess it wouldn't be that easy, huh?" Bell muttered.

"Guess we'll have to watch our backs during the War Game itself?" Welf asked. "But would they really try something when half the world is watching?"

"If their intention is to expose us Servants, then that would be the best time to do so," Saber pointed out before standing back up. "I will report to Caster now."

"All right. Be sure to rest up once you're done."

With another nod, Saber dematerialized without another word.

"Guess we better be heading to work too," Welf said as he stretched his arms up above his head. "Gotta go collapse those tunnels so we don't get attacked from below our feet."

"Don't get caved in while you're in there."

"Dude, don't say something so scary."

The two of them parted with a laugh before separating to head to their own jobs.

X-x-X-x-X

Days continued to go by without incident as Hestia enjoyed the hospitality of Loki Familia. That being said, she didn't do much aside from hole herself up in the guest room they provided to her to stay out of the way of their normal operations.

That being said, she did spend some time talking to Loki's favorite human girl, the Amazon that seemed to have a thing for Archer, and Primo's magic teacher. The topics usually centered around her Adventurers, and that was fine. She didn't get a lot of chances to brag about them after all.

Then the day of the War Game's start came.

"Oi, Chibi!" Loki shouted as she threw open the door to Hestia's guest room. "Time to get going!"

"Yeah yeah," Hestia said, having already prepared herself in her best day clothes to head to Babel Tower where the majority of the gods in Orario would be watching the War Game from. "I'm guessing that we'll be allowed to use the Divine Mirror to watch the War Game?"

"Yep. We'll also be opening them up all around the city so all the kiddies can watch too."

"Bending the rules to make it fun as usual, huh?"

"You betcha! Besides, how else are we going to make sure yours and Apollo's kids keep to the rules."

Hestia wanted to protest that her Children were all law-abiding citizens but they were hiding Bell's Level after all.

With that said, the two goddesses left the Twilight Manor to head to the thirtieth floor of Babel Tower once more.

Excitement continued to rise all across Orario. Bars opened early; food stands and restaurants gathered their employees early to prepare for the rush.

Posters had been plastered all across the city as advertisement by various gods wanting to build up the excitement and tension. The posters were split across the center with the Apollo Familia's red sun and bow emblem hanging above Hestia Familia's belled grail emblem.

The posters even made their way down to Melen, although most of them had been torn off the walls by members of a certain Familia and the Guild employees in the city were too afraid to tell them to stop and could only put more up only for those to be taken down as well.

Nearly every Adventurer was taking the day off from the Dungeon and packed themselves into various bars and restaurants alongside the regular citizens and workers of the city who also managed to get the day off. Not only that, the plaza in front of the Guild building had a stage constructed in front of it to allow commentators to provide their own commentary for the incoming action.

Loki and Hestia reached the thirtieth floor of Babel tower a few minutes before noon. Nearly every deity in the city planned to watch the War Game here. Those that were not present were planning to watch it in their own homes or mingle amongst the mortals in bars and restaurants.

For some reason, Hermes had decided to bring his Captain, Asfi Al Andromeda, with him. The woman looked rather uncomfortable being the only mortal amongst the gods but no one said anything about her being present.

Loki and Hestia shared a glance but simply shrugged and decided to ignore it as well.

"Should be about time," Hermes muttered as he pulled out a damaged pocket watch. He then raised his head and spoke in a deep voice toward the ceiling. "Ouranos. We hereby ask for permission to use our 'power.'"

Hermes's words rang throughout the chamber as Hestia quickly took a seat in the corner of the room, away from everyone else.

A moment later, Ouranos's voice responded in kind.

"**Granted.**"

The old god's words resounded throughout the entire city as Loki, Hermes, and several other gods and goddesses all across the city and its surrounding territories cracked their knuckles and got to work.

Hundreds of windows appeared all across the land from Orario to Melen. Through these windows, one of the two castles of the two warring Familias could be seen.

It was the Divine Mirror, one of the various abilities that the Divine could use, which was why Hestia was so surprised that Caster had given Bell something so similar to it. These Divine Mirrors were the source of a god's clairvoyance that allowed them to scry into a faraway location at any point in time. This way, every deity in Orario could watch the War Game alongside their children, even though the battle would take place far from the city.

"_Test, test, one…two…Ahem. Good morning and good day! I'll be providing blow-by-blow analysis of today's events, the chattering fireball himself, Ganesha Familia's Ibly Archer! Some of you may already know me as the Fire Inferno Flame. Remember that name!_"

As one, all the Divine Mirrors portrayed a dark-skinned man claiming to be a commentator for the War Game stood at the front of it with a magic-stone voice microphone clutched in his hand. A large crowd had already gathered in front of him in the plaza in front of the Guild.

"_Joining me today to add his own insights into the festivities is none other than Lord Ganesha himself. Lord Ganesha, a word, please!_"

"_I am Ganesha!_"

"_Yes, thank you very much for that!_"

"Ah, so that's where he was," Hestia muttered to herself as she watched her partner-in-crime, strike a pose to the cheers of the crowd in front of him. She had thought that the chamber was a bit too quiet.

"_Now that the mirrors are in place, I'll set the stage once again! Today's War Game is a Castle Siege battle between Hestia Familia and Apollo Familia! Both factions' combatants are already in place and waiting for the signal to begin!_"

Hestia swiped her hand across her mirror so she could see what her children were doing.

In no time, she could see most of her children standing in a line on top of the castle's western gate, facing Apollo Familia's castle. Bell was standing in the center, his hands resting on top of new red Magic Sword as he stood in the center of the line. The sight of her precious Bell looking so gallant caused her heart to skip a beat and it took all her willpower to keep herself from giggling like a school girl.

Emma and Welf were flanking him, the latter having his arms crossed in front of his chest and the former was clutching the jewel pendant around her neck as if purposely drawing attention to it. Would the one she was searching for see it?

Lancer and Saber stood on Emma and Welf's other side respectively, both of them still as statues with their weapons planted in front of them in a similar fashion to Bell. No, perhaps Bell was mimicking them to look a bit more cooler?

Gina and Primo stood in the far end of the line to Bell's right, the latter holding a conch shell horn, while Lily and Assassin were standing on the other end to Bell's left.

In Hestia's completely unbiased, honest and fair opinion, they all looked _so_ cool.

The only ones she couldn't see in that formation were Archer, Rider, Berserker, Fia, and Caster.

The latter she found in the main hall of the castle where Caster was resting with his elbow propping his head up in his usual lazy fashion, showing no intent to get involved in the War Game if he didn't have to.

Rider was waiting directly behind the gate in her chariot, pulled by her two white horses that waited patiently for the order to move. Connected to the chariot was a large metal box covered by a drape aside for the large hole at the very top, big enough for a child to slip through.

At the very top of the tallest tower of the castle, there was a figure wearing a cloak nestled in the corner which Hestia suspected to be Fia.

Nested just above her was Archer, crouched low to the ground wearing a rather tattered looking white cloak that blew in the wind and surrounded by six swords stabbed onto the roof of the tower.

Hestia didn't even bother to see what Apollo's kids were doing.

All of her own Children were prepared for War…and she was not going to miss a single second of it.

X-x-X-x-X

In one of the bars littering Orario, there was a last call going for bets on the outcome of the War Game.

Apollo Familia outnumbered Hestia Familia almost ten-to-one in numbers and the Level difference spread was quite high as well.

That being said, the odds for bets was situated at fifteen-to-one, still in Apollo's Favor.

Most of the city had bet on Apollo Familia to win but a staggering amount of people were betting on Hestia Familia to win big instead.

For gods this was only natural as it was quite common for them to bet on the underdog in hopes of hitting the jackpot.

For others…

X-x-X-x-X

"THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND ON HESTIA FAMILIA!"

"Mord!? Are you crazy!?"

"Shaddap! I'm betting everything I got on you, Moonlit Dawn! It's my fault you're in this mess in the first place so I'll treat ya good when you win!"

X-x-X-x-X

"Naza…are you sure this is okay?"

"Lord Miach, it is only natural to bet on our friends to win, isn't it?"

"But, and I know it is hypocritical for me to say, but that is all of our savings…"

"It will be fine. Do not worry and believe in Bell."

X-x-X-x-X

"Come on Bell! Show Apollo's Children who's boss!"

"T-Takemikazuchi-sama! Please don't be so reckless!"

"Don't worry Mikoto! As a God of War, I shall give Hestia's Children my blessing!"

"You can't give your blessing to another Familia's Adventurers!"

"It's just an expression, Ouka. Besides, with this win, we'll be able to send a lot more money to Tsukuyomi and the others back home."

X-x-X-x-X

Back within the Twilight Manor, Lefiya was sitting with Ais and the Amazon twins in one of the lounge rooms watching one of the Divine Mirrors that had popped up in their Home.

"Bete's not coming?" Tiona asked her twin.

"He said he didn't want to watch a one-sided beat down," Tione said with a shrug. "He'll probably pop in later though."

"Well yeah. We'll get to see Archer look super cool after all."

Tiona's eyes were completely focused on the figure sitting at the very top of the tower, shining in anticipation to what he might do. Tione raised an eyebrow in surprise before turning her attention back to the screen.

"_We are just seconds from noon!_" The announcer's voice carried through to the Manor all the way from the Guild. And then, as countless bells rang across the city, the announcer roared out, "_LET THE WAR GAME…BEGIN!_"

Lefiya's hands found themselves over her heart as she found it roaring in anticipation.

On screen, Bell Cranel had raised his hand up, pointing straight into the sky…or rather…the sun itself. The action was mimicked by the other members of his Familia that was standing around him on the wall when he suddenly clenched his fist at the sun. Whether that was a signal or not, Lefiya wasn't sure but Archer suddenly stood up and tossed the cloak he was wearing off to the side as the person below him started ringing the bell.

"Ooohhh…" Tiona let out a gasp of appreciation and delight.

Archer wasn't wearing his usual red mantle and instead was only wearing the black armored body suit he always wore underneath it, exposing his bare muscular arms for the entire world to see.

Lefiya then felt a deep chill coming from the south west of Orario but she put the feeling aside to watch Archer pull one of the blades stuck on the roof beside him out.

As he nocked the blade onto his bow, Lefiya felt the words of her chant ring in her ears.

"_You are the master archer…_" she mumbled as Archer pulled the string of his bow back, causing the blade to twist and elongate into a more aerodynamic and needle-like form in front of everyone's eyes with red sparks flying off the man's body before they were quickly replaced by wisps of blue flame.

And then, the "arrow" was released.

It streaked across the afternoon sky like a blue shooting star. Within seconds, the "arrow" had crossed the two kilometer distance between the two castles straight into its target.

A flag bearing the Apollo Familia Emblem that had been planted on their own tower.

The arrow struck the base of the flag sending it flying from the roof and down to the grounds below where an Apollo Familia strike force had been preparing to set out.

Tiona's wild cheer was only just narrowly beaten by the roar of the city outside.

X-x-X-x-X

The first strike was often the most crucial one as it was an opportunity to set the pace for the battle to come. It was something even someone like Bell understood.

"Damn, that's a nice shot," Welf said with a whistle of appreciation as he had his hand over his eyes while leaning over the wall to try and get a better look.

"It's begun then," Saber said with a nod. "Master. Your orders."

"Right," Bell nodded as he turned to Primo, his heart hammering in his chest in anticipation and nervousness. "Primo, sound the horn."

"R-right!" Primo nodded as she brought the shell to her lips and blew with all her might.

However, all that came out was a weak sputtering noise. In an attempt to rectify her mistake, Primo quickly tried blowing again, only to get the same result as everyone turned toward her in worry.

After three more failed attempts, Primo's face was nearly as red as Welf's hair.

"Umm…you want me to do it?" Gina offered with a weak smile.

"Please…" Primo weakly cried. "I'm going to bury myself in a hole and die."

"N-now, now," Lancer said quickly as she ran over and placed her hands on the elf's shoulders. "You're part of the opening strike. Do not worry about a little mistake."

"A little mistake that the entire world saw me do…" Primo pointed out. "A little mistake that will follow me all the way through my career as the next future Great Mage…"

On the contrary, if Primo had had the clairvoyance of the gods, she would have seen that her embarrassing performance had won her quite a few fans amongst the more motherly citizens of Orario. Gods and mortals alike.

"D-don't mind it," Emma said as she ran over to help as well. "Come on, Rider and Berserker are waiting for you."

"The enemy has recovered from the initial shock and are leaving the castle," Saber reported. "They are attacking."

Primo quickly shook her head as Emma led her to the center of the gate where Rider and the meal box were waiting below.

At Gina's successful horn, she jumped down and landed on top of the box, beside the hole.

"Good luck out there," Rider encouraged her with a smile before Primo jumped into the hole and was caught by a pair of powerful hands.

"Ready?" Came Berserker's voice in the dark.

"Ready!" Primo said, finding her courage at last.

Berserker then pounded his fist against the wall of the box. A lashing sound sounded outside as a pair of horses cried out and the box began to move.

Primo nestled herself on Berserker's back where a special seat had been prepared, allowing her to stand securely upon the minotaur to support him from behind.

This was it…this was the true first page of her own Heroic Myth. It would be her and Berserker against the enemy's first wave. Her hands clenched the golden staff in her hands as she heard magic blasts being fired in front of her, courtesy of Rider's blade as well as the sound of arrows battering against the metal box they were in.

"Hang on, you two!" Rider's voice said as the box suddenly swerved rather violently before coming to a stop. Berserker then turned around to face the opposite direction as the sound of wheels and hooves traveled away from them.

"I'll make up for that awful first showing," Primo said to herself as several small explosions erupted around the box's joints, destroying the seal keeping them inside. "I will succeed Lady Riveria as the next Great Mage!"

The walls of the box fell open, revealing the three meter tall minotaur, clutching a massive club in one hand and an equally massive steel shield in the other with the tiny elf child on his back.

"And that's why…let's get em Berserker!" She shouted as she pointed her staff at the dumbstruck Apollo Familia members.

"▃▃▃▃▄▄▄▄▅▅▅!"

Hestia Familia's War Game has begun.


	39. Those Who Fight

**Chapter 39: Their War Game**

In the days leading up to the War Game, Kali, Goddess of Telskyura, had wanted nothing more than for someone to end her misery.

After losing the fight against Loki Familia and Hestia Familia, she had been stuck in Melen for no real reason aside from her Familia refusing to leave.

The reason why?

It wasn't because she was slapped with a fine by the Guild for the trouble they caused in Melen. They had no way of collecting if she were to simply pack up and return home.

Ohhhhhhoho noooo.

It was because her Amazons had been bitten by the dreaded _**lovebug**_. Many of them had been defeated in battle by the various men of Loki Familia and their Amazon blood now longed for them. Even one of her Captains, Argana, had fallen for the Loki Familia Captain when he backhanded her across the lake. However, larger blocks of her Amazons had fallen for the mysterious bespectacled man of Hestia Familia as well as the so-called "Archer" that came to Tiona's rescue.

Since then, she'd been stuck listening to her Children all act like love-sick school girls. The ones that had been defeated by Hestia's brats had gone around collecting all the upcoming War Game posters as if they were posters for an upcoming concert or something with many lamenting that the posters didn't have the profiles of the two men on them.

Several even got the idea to send their beloved weapons, the ones they fought and bled their fellow sisters with, to Archer after seeing that Tiona had entrusted her weapon to him, but their deliveries were turned away at Orario's gates by the guards like any sensible person. She loved each and every one of her Children, but it was probably time to teach them the common sense of mortals outside of their country.

As such, each and every day brought her closer to contemplating suicide and return to Tenkai just to escape this hell of her own making.

On the day of the War Game, her Children had begged her to allow them to watch it and thus she had no choice but to do so. With Ouranos's permission extending all the way to Melen, she and Njord worked together to fill the city with Divine Mirrors.

And it was through one of those mirrors that she saw "Archer's" opening move which caused a large portion of her Familia to shriek in delight, even those that hadn't been defeated by the man.

"It's hard to believe that power comes from a Level 1," Kali muttered while shoving her fingers into her ears to drown out the cheers.

And he actually was too. He said it loud and clear with no falsehoods that her divinity could find.

Kali's eyes bounced from right to left where her two Captains, Argana and Bache, were flanking her to ask for their opinions.

"Perhaps some sort of magic that allows him to bend metal and a Skill involving the bow?" Argana suggested. "One that improves his power depending on the elevation he fired from? It would certainly give a reason as to why his goddess gave him the vague title of 'Archer.'"

"Well…I guess Hestia is the type to be uncreative like that," Kali admitted, yanking her fingers out. "Then that means…"

Kali waved a hand in front of her personal Divine Mirror to the bespectacled "Saber" and the woman standing by his side, called "Lancer" according to the information offered by the Guild.

"These two will also be ones to watch," Kali muttered as she watched the sole Amazon of Hestia Familia blow a horn to signal the gate opening and for a chariot to ride out at blazing speed. "And that woman is 'Rider' then? Seriously, where did you come up with these names, Hestia?"

"But what exactly is in that box?" Bache wondered as the chariot blazed through the battlefield.

Immediately the incoming Apollo Familia Adventurers intercepted the chariot by firing arrows at it. However, light shot out of the woman's silver Magic Sword with each swing, and intercepted the arrows heading toward her and her war beasts. The ones that would hit her chariot or her package were ignored as they simply bounced off harmlessly. Even the ones that targeted the chariot's wheels were ignored as the arrows were pulverized into dust upon contact.

Kali wondered if she would get to see what would happen if those wheels were to crush one of Apollo's brats. However, she was disappointed to see the chariot turn and sever its connection to the box and return to the castle while leaving the package behind.

"Tch."

Judging from the sound to her side, Argana wasn't too happy about that choice either.

However, sparks began to fly off from the edges of the box, revealing its contents which caused Kali to roar with laughter.

X-x-X-x-X

"_And there it is! The mysterious secret weapon of Hestia Familia!_" Came the announcer's voice. "_For those unaware, we of Ganesha Familia have partnered up with Hestia Familia to study new Taming Methods which resulted in the change in Taming Laws may have gone unnoticed by the majority of Orario due to the excitement of the War Game. The result of our research, as you can see, allows for even the ten-year-old Primo Libera to direct a Level 2 monster into battle! As Apollo Familia will soon see for themselves. For more information, please see the Guild._"

X-x-X-x-X

Hestia ignored the advertisement-like commentary and focused on how Berserker and Primo would start the first fight of the War Game.

As expected, most of the attacking Apollo Familia Adventurers scattered at the mere sight of Berserker. They were probably only Level 1 after all and thus didn't stand a chance against the a regular minotaur, let alone Berserker.

"Hestia!" Apollo's enraged voice echoed from the other end of the chamber. "You would bring a minotaur, a _monster,_ to our War Game!?"

"Lancer is registered with the Guild and Ganesha Familia as a Tamer," Hestia replied calmly, not bothering to glance at Apollo's direction, as she brushed her hair over her shoulder with her hand. "You can check for yourself if you want. As such, Berserker is also an important member of my Familia."

She then tuned out any other ranting Apollo might say in favor of watching Berserker and Primo's fight.

It had been Hestia's suggestion to switch Berserker's weapons into a club and shield rather than his twin axes. It was only her own naivety speaking, but she felt that a club and shield was both less scary to see and less likely to kill someone on accident. Caster had snidely asked her if that meant she was more okay with broken bones and severe blunt trauma over severed limbs and death and Hestia couldn't do anything but glare at him.

As much as she hated Apollo for dragging her into this, she didn't want to put the blame on his Children, even those that joined in without question. Like Primo had said, there were most likely those that were doing this because it was their god's order. For all Hestia knew, there may even be those that had been poached by Apollo from their previous Familia like Apollo was trying to do to Bell right now.

Quickly shaking her head, Hestia returned her full attention to her Divine Mirror.

Berserker slammed his massive mace down on the ground, sending a fissure toward the opposing Adventurers, keeping them at a distance as well as splitting their party in two.

Taking advantage of this, he charged forward, shield in front of his face to deflect the incoming arrows. It wasn't an action taken to protect himself though. Berserker's body proved its power as the arrows fired by the Level 1 and Level 2 Adventurers simply bounced off his already rock hard body that was only enhanced by the Falna that Hestia gave him. Probably.

She didn't exactly know how it was affecting his monster body with the bug in the Status.

Anyway, the reason he was protecting his head was because of the tiny girl riding on the standing saddle on his back.

It was a last minute idea, something Bell had suggested as a joke. Everyone knew that the biggest weakness of a Mage was that until they were more experienced, they had to remain still while chanting.

"_If we had Primo ride in Rider's chariot or Berserker's back wouldn't that make her like the Legendary Royal Knights of the elves?_" Bell had asked with a laugh.

It was not quite as funny when everyone stared at him with widened eyes and Welf took him quite seriously.

The saddle was more like a backpack for Berserker, one with straps wide enough to wrap around his body and underneath his arms. The carriage for Primo to stand in was made of metal to protect her from arrows as much as possible while still leaving her enough room to see and aim her spells. And in the worst case scenario, allow Berserker to reach back, pull her out, and toss her to safety.

It was something Hestia prayed wouldn't need to happen even though it would be good advertisement for their "Taming Services." A monster prioritizing the safety of its Tamer even before its own life? That was basically worth Berserker's weight in gold.

Back on screen, Berserker leaped forward, slamming down just in front of one of the Adventurers, causing her to fall back on her butt while her companions scattered and abandoned her in the face of the giant monster. The minotaur then leaned in close to her face and let out a burst of steam through the holes in his helmet. The woman let out a scream and scrambled away as quickly as she could.

"Berserker, huh?" Hestia heard Loki mumble. "More of your strange naming sense…well, I can't deny it isn't a good one."

However, simply running away from Berserker wasn't enough to save them. After all, he was carrying an extra package on his back.

Lights sparkled around Berserker's head before beams shot out from them, crashing near the scattered Adventurers and sending them flying.

X-x-X-x-X

"Ohh, that's one way for a Level 1 Mage to get around being stuck in one place while chanting," Tiona muttered as Apollo Familia tried shooting arrows at Primo again, only for Berserker to shield her with the metal slab and his own massive bulk.

"But still…more minotaurs?" Tione asked with a chuckle. "That Familia can't seem to get away from them."

"…Is that really a minotaur?" Ais asked, staring at the screen with a frown.

"What else could it be?" Tione pointed out and Ais didn't answer. "It's way too big to be a Cows."

"I think plenty of people say the same thing about Androctonus and Amazoness," Tiona pointed out.

"Okay, mentioning Phryne Jamil is unfair!"

"Hey Lefiya, what do you think about Primo riding a minotaur into battle?" Tiona asked, finally looking away from the Divine Mirror.

"Umm…I guess I'm a little worried that she is riding on top of a monster," Lefiya admitted as she watched her student trust her defense and evasion to the massive beast while she focused solely on casting her magic.

And cast it she did.

The spell continuously went off without any trouble as the arrows fired from Apollo Familia were being deflected by the minotaur's massive shield as it did its duty in protecting Primo.

"If I were to say something about it, I guess it would be that I wonder what she would do if she gets too big to ride him anymore," Lefiya said with a smile as Tiona laughed.

"That thing is like twice her size. By the time she's too big she'll probably have learned Concurrent Casting from you."

"I…think you're expecting too much from me. I barely just learned it myself after all."

"Don't worry," Ais said to Lefiya with a smile. "Riveria believes in you. And so do I."

"Miss Ais…"

A warmth spread throughout Lefiya's chest as she nodded her head resolutely. She had the trust of her two most important people in the Familia as well as the little girl fighting for her Familia's sake in front of the entire world. She will do them proud, no ifs, ands or buts!

X-x-X-x-X

Primo watched the retreating enemies with a relieved sigh. It looked like all of them were still alive and she didn't do something awful like blow off someone's leg.

"What now?" Berserker asked. "Chase? Go back?"

"Umm…we were only supposed to stop them," Primo remembered. "We can go after them but let's go back instead."

"Mm."

Berserker nodded his head before quickly raising his shield again as one last arrow came toward Primo, causing her to squeak in shock and nearly fall out of her seat. With a growl, Berserker stomped over toward a nearby boulder and with barely a grunt of effort, pulled it out of the ground, holding it over their heads in a massive show of strength.

"Uh…Berserker…?" Primo began as the Servant took a few steps closer to the Apollo Castle. "Asterios? Please don't. Asteri-"

But Berserker didn't listen as he let out a roar and threw the boulder as if it was nothing more than a ball. The boulder soared through the air, far above the heads of the enemy strike force, and smashed into the gate, blowing it, and parts of the stone it was attached to, clean off.

Berserker then let out a grunt as he nodded in satisfaction. Primo responded by slamming her staff down on his head.

X-x-X-x-X

"Well now, that's something you don't see every day."

Finn made that comment as he watched the elf girl bang on the minotaur's head, cheeks puffed up like a balloon, while the monster was crouched down, weakly covering its head from her assault. Even though realistically there was absolutely no way she should be able to hurt him.

"Looks like they weren't exaggerating when they said there was a new method of taming," Finn said as he shifted the stack of papers on his desk so that Primo Libera's profile was on top. The Guild was rather open in releasing the information of the two Familias doing battle, but only what was reported to them.

Primo only registered as an Adventurer a few weeks ago, a day before Hestia Familia's attack on the Black Goliath on the Seventeenth Floor, and the same day as Emma Flores, the girl that the Goddess Hestia had brought along with Bell Cranel. At only ten years old, Primo was already capable of casting her magic under combat situations and was a fast study according to Lefiya. The fact that she could ride a minotaur into combat and control it well enough to not allow it to murder Apollo Familia's Level 1s on sight spoke wonders of her potential. That being said, Finn heard a rumor that it was now possible for a God to play fetch with hellhounds under this new method.

"What do you think, Riveria? Remind you of your elven Magic Knights at all?"

"I believe that if they were to see a child that young perform beyond their ability on top of a monster, they would all have a collective heart attack."

Finn's fellow executives were discussing the child's ability between themselves across the room.

"But still, I am surprised that they would send a child so young out to repel the first wave," Riveria continued as the minotaur stood up and started walking back toward the Hestia Castle.

"Seems like she could handle herself and their crazy pet just fine to me," Gareth noted with a shrug.

"I am not denying her ability…far from it. Her deeds are quite praiseworthy, but she is still just a child. I would have at least had Miss Rider remain nearby just in case."

To a long-lived race like an elf, ten years old was probably frighteningly young to start Adventuring. Or at least, without a chaperone nearby.

"They probably have complete faith in their new Taming method then," Finn chimed in with his own opinion. "They might be using this as a way to advertise their services to correspond with the new law."

"Starting at ten million valis a monster, it ain't something regular Familias are going to be able to afford," Gareth pointed out. "That being said, I am curious as to how it works. Do we have the cash to spare?"

"If you go into the Dungeon on your own for a few days, I'm sure you can come up with it," Finn replied with a smile.

"Hmm…I'll think about it again after the show."

"Still…I have to wonder where they got their hands on a minotaur in the first place," Riveria muttered, hand over her mouth. "They are not exactly subtle and that one looks like an Enhanced Species."

"Has to be from Ganesha Familia, right? Probably as a gift for a long future relationship."

"Except Lefiya and Tiona didn't mention them leaving with a giant metal crate," Riveria reminded him. "It means that they found their minotaur from outside of the Dungeon."

"Well it's not unheard of for Enhanced Species to show up on the surface," Finn said. "You yourself said you met some bandits trying to burn down an elven forest with a red dragon, right?"

Riveria slowly nodded her head in affirmation, frowning at the memory.

"That expression doesn't suit you, Riveria," Finn continued. "Leave playing Devil's Advocate to me. As it is, I don't think Hestia Familia is in any contact with our mysterious Tamer. They're working closely with Ganesha Familia in this endeavor after all."

"You're right," Riveria admitted. "Ganesha Familia would have already asked about the origins of the minotaur, if they weren't the one to present it to them in the first place. Speaking of which…should we assume that figure nesting below Archer next to the bell is also a monster?"

"Come to think of it, they do have one more person than the number of registered Adventurers in the Guild," Gareth realized with a nod. "Wonder what kind they got."

"If it is a monster, it looks humanoid so perhaps a kobold?"

"Well, we'll find out as the War Game continues," Finn said as he turned back toward the Divine Mirror.

Hestia Familia was full of surprises and one by one those secrets would come to light.

Finn opened his drawer and peeked into it where the message Bell Cranel had given him on the night of the Banquet of the Gods.

X-x-X-x-X

"Vice Captain! Berserker and Primo are back!"

"I see them, thanks Gina!" Bell called back as he ran to the gate and hopped down to meet them. "Welcome back. You both did great. Were you hurt?"

"I'm fine and Berserker…" Primo began as she turned to the Servant who simply shook his head. "Is in perfect health too."

"That's good to hear," Bell said as he ruffled Primo's hair while placing a hand on Berserker's arm. "Head inside and rest. Lily's prepared a snack."

"Yay! Do we still have any of those pies Miss Rider made left?"

"You mean the galettes? I think there might be a few left…if Welf hadn't eaten them all yet anyway. I know he already ate like five of them."

"Ahh! That's not fair! I only got to eat one!"

"Hahaha, then you better hurry."

With a nod, Berserker picked Primo back up in his arm and the two entered the castle. As Bell watched them go, Emma walked up to him.

"What's the next plan, Bell?" She asked.

"Hmm…I'm not sure yet," Bell admitted as he looked out the gate toward the castle. "It's probably not good to be so reactionary, but I want to see what their next move is first."

"Whether or not they'll launch another attack or shore up their defenses?"

"Yeah. Since Berserker threw that rock at their gate, they may prioritize repairing before anything else."

"If that's the case then why don't we go poke at their open wound?" Welf asked, dropping down beside them, great sword at the ready with his red Magic Sword on his back. "Just waiting around while they try and make things harder on us doesn't suit me. Let's make a grab at one of their flags even if it's not part of the plan."

"…Yeah, you have a point," Bell agreed with a smile. He then looked up toward the tower where Archer and Fia were looking back down at him. "But first…we need to do something about their defenses."

X-x-X-x-X

"There he goes! Moonlit Dawn's making his move!"

At an Adventurer's shout, Syr stopped in the middle of filling a customer's glass to turn toward the Divine Mirror that appeared in the Hostess.

With his burning red blade strapped to his back and two shorter blades in his hands, Bell was making his way across the field toward the Apollo Castle. Following right behind him was Rider, ferrying three other members of Hestia Familia on her chariot. The new member, the pallum, and the pink haired girl.

Even though they had seen the speed and power of the war beasts carrying the chariot, it was a surprise to see Bell keep up with its speed even if it wasn't moving at its top speed.

"But Apollo's got a bunch of archers on the walls, doesn't he?"

"Yeah, how are they going to get past them?"

As if to answer them, another shooting star streaked across the sky.

The star smashed into the side of the wall, sending the archers flying off the wall from the explosive impact. Those that weren't sent flying quickly dove to the side as the wall collapsed around them. Before the rocks could settle, a second star smashed into the wall on the opposite side of the gate, repeating the process.

With the commotion in the pub, Syr took a quick glance at Mama Mia to make sure she wouldn't get in trouble for watching the War Game instead of doing her work, but even the Matron had her eyes glued to the screen. Taking that as implicit permission to keep watching, Syr turned her own eyes back to the screen.

Even though the archers on the walls had been taken out, Apollo Familia still had plenty of troops stationed at the front. However, as they had to funnel through a single exit, it only left them open to a wide attack. Something Hestia Familia took advantage of immediately.

Bell fell back a bit as the chariot sped forward and overtook him. The pallum and the human girl gave each other a high five before the latter jumped off the still moving chariot alongside the red headed young man. The two hit the ground at a run with the girl now letting off an aura of pink light. With Bell right behind them, they charged toward the mass of Apollo Familia members with the red head in front.

With a swing of the young man's sword, an ocean of flame exploded outward toward Apollo Familia. The flame not only burned the Adventurers in front, but also pushed them back into the castle gates, clearing the way for the three of them to enter without any trouble.

The scene caused a massive commotion in the pub.

"That's…what is that Magic Sword?"

"That guy…the Guild info says he's Welf Crozzo!"

"Then that's a legendary Crozzo Magic Sword!?"

With the way clear, the three of them ran pass the bodies as Bell pointed out the stairs leading up the wall to his friends, telling them to go up. The other two nodded and ran up the wall while Bell headed toward the recovering Apollo Familia members.

While most of the army had been downed by the flames, it looked as though they were all still alive. Several had already gotten to their feet and charged at Bell.

However, Bell did not hesitate. Moving like the wind, he met the incoming force head on with two short swords at the ready, one red and the other silver.

His blades caught their weapons and shattered them almost on impact. Those Adventurers with weapons that couldn't be shattered in a single hit had their faces quickly introduced to his fist or boot.

With each enemy that Bell took down or incapacitated, Syr's heart fluttered all the more. He was so much more confident now than he was when he fought the silverback back at Monsterphilia. It was a shame he was fighting other humans, but that couldn't be helped.

The pair on the walls were holding their own as well. The one called "Welf" was taking the lead with his Magic Sword burning away a wave of arrows that had been launched at them while the girl was fighting her way pass the defenders on the wall next to the flag. With a crystal red blade in her right hand and a blue one in the other she fended off two other Adventurers on her own in a flurry of red and blue lights.

Although Syr was by no means an expert in the matter she felt that Bell's fellow Adventurer did not fight like someone who only just became an Adventurer just the other day. In fact, she fought in a similar way to the Bell, although with more emphasis on her legs and kicks. Perhaps they had the same teacher or inspiration? Syr decided to ask Ryu for her thoughts when she got the chance.

The girl managed to overpower both of her opponents by shattering their weapons like Bell did before sending them flying off the wall with a kick. It really did feel like the girl was copying someone else. Was it because she had the same teacher as Bell? Or was it an imitation of an imitation?

Nevertheless, she managed to reach the flag. Taking the pole holding the flag in one hand, she swung it with her blue blade, cutting deep into the pole with the blade. She seemed to have hurt her hand a bit as she winced and shook it slightly before a second swing completely cut the pole in two.

With the flag in hand, the girl jumped from the wall and started running toward the chariot which was making a loop back to pick her up.

Another wave of flame engulfed the upper wall as Welf jumped off the wall himself but not before hollering to Bell first.

With his companions leaving, there was no reason for Bell to continue his rather efficient distraction. He broke off from the enemy with ease and sped right up toward the second flag. With a slash from his red short sword, the pole was cleanly cut in two, allowing him to abscond with the second flag.

The cheers within the pub and out across the city was loud enough to cause the very foundations of the building to shake.

Naturally, Syr's cheers were amongst the loudest within the pub until a soft look and smile from Mama Mia made her quiet down and get back to work.

X-x-X-x-X

"…We really need to figure out a better way in doing this," Rider muttered as she helped an exhausted Emma down from her chariot.

"I…can't…help it…" the girl whined as Rider unceremoniously dropped her onto the grass in response. "Oof."

"Well, that went better than expected," Welf said as he picked up the flag that Emma dropped. "We should probably hide these somewhere right? Are we allowed to take back stolen flags?"

"Probably, right?" Bell replied, tossing Welf the flag that he had taken. "The rules say that we have one point for each flag we capture. If we don't have it captured anymore then we wouldn't have a point, right?"

"I guess I'll go with the more complicated interpretation just to be safe."

"What do we do now?" Lily asked Bell as she helped Emma sit up. "Does Bell want to hit them again?"

"They're currently patching up the Adventurers you burned," Archer said as he landed beside them from the bell tower. "If you strike now, they'll have to split between defending their injured and intercepting you and their defense will be weaker."

"…But they took on Welf's Magic Sword head on constantly, right?" Bell asked. "If we interrupt their treatment…"

"Some might die, yeah," Archer finished bluntly as Welf winced.

"Well…since Kazuki ties itself to my Magic Status it's not as bad as it would be if you used yours but…" Welf defended himself but his voice started trailing off at the end.

"Then let's not," Bell decided immediately. "I know that attacking them now may force them to surrender faster but I want to at least let them heal most of their wounded first."

Archer simply sighed as he shook his head.

"You're just making things harder for yourself," he pointed out with crossed arms.

"I never once thought that this path I've chosen would be easy," Bell replied, looking Archer directly in the eye. "But I'm going to see it through nonetheless."

"And Lily will be with Bell every step up the way!" Lily said as she jumped with her hand raised up.

"I think it's far too late for us to jump ship," Emma added with a smile while scratching her cheek. "Not that I ever intended to."

"And if you end up messing up, I'll pick you back up and set you straight," Welf said, wrapping an arm around Bell's neck with a grin before turning his head to the side with his tongue sticking out. "Ugh, that was lame!"

"Really?" Rider asked as she placed a hand on Archer's shoulder, the man sporting a rather complicated looking expression, while Lily and Emma giggled into their hands. "I thought it was rather manly of you, Welf. Every hero needs a friend that sticks by them through thick and thin after all."

"Just like Argonaut and Crozzo…" Welf muttered under his breath.

"Hmm? What was that?" Bell asked.

"Nah, nothing important," Welf quickly said with a laugh. "So, what's next on the agenda, war leader?"

"Please don't call me that even as a joke," Bell said rather quickly, showing just how uncomfortable he was at the thought. "For now, let's rest. Then when night comes, it'll be Lily, Gina and Jack's turn."

"Roger!" Came Gina's voice before the Amazon landed on Welf's back with a salute.

"Gah!"

Welf let out a grunt as he and by extension the person he was hanging onto, Bell, fell over.

"That's for having a fun conversation without me!" Gina said as she pointed a finger at the two boys.

"Is there something on my back that attracts tiny girls to jump on it?" Welf asked Bell in a rather serious tone, causing the younger boy to laugh.

"Master Welf does have a really big back after all," Lily said, poking Welf's back with a stick.

"Where the hell did you find a stick!? There's nothing but plains all around us."

"It's an arrow shaft."

"Uwaaah!?"

Naturally the arrowhead had already been broken off but Welf still scrambled away nonetheless.

"I wonder if things will go as planned…" Archer muttered as Rider placed a hand on her cheek with a wry smile.

X-x-X-x-X

"What is going on!?" Hyacinthus demanded as he slammed a fist against the table. "How did we let a strike force of only _three_ people escape with two of our banners!?"

"I've no excuse…" Lissos said. "We couldn't plan around Crozzo's Magic Swords or that Archer person."

Hyacinthus nodded his head.

They had indeed lost the initiative in several ways. The preemptive strike on their flag, the minotaur routing their strike force, and now this nonsense.

"We've also got to reform the wall guards," Daphne said. "We got too many people with burns that still need to be treated and Cassandra is running on fumes. That being said, we need to work on fixing the gate and patching up the walls."

"And what's the problem?"

"No one wants to go outside where they can be shot by someone who can fire accurately from two kilometers away."

The information only served to infuriate Hyacinthus even more, but it wasn't as though he could blame them. That shooting ability was not natural for a Level 1 but there was no proof that he _wasn't_ a Level 1 that didn't just have a powerful Skill or Magic and it was too late for them to demand an investigation by the Guild.

Hyacinthus felt that it was hard to understand what his Lord Apollo had been thinking. Loathe he was to admit it, Apollo should have called off the whole affair after what had happened in the bar or the "evidence" that Bell Cranel had offered of his own innocence.

He could have sworn that his god had given up on the idea of taking Bell Cranel from Hestia Familia after it was said that she and Loki Familia had seemingly gotten over their goddesses' mutual animosity and were in some sort of alliance with each other.

Did something happen during that drinking party with Lady Demeter?

"Hyacinthus?" Daphne spoke up and Hyacinthus realized he hadn't said anything for several minutes.

"Wait a moment, I'm thinking," Hyacinthus replied quickly.

The goddess had gifted Hyacinthus's god several bottles of wine and although Lord Apollo did love his spirits, he had been drinking a lot these past few days. It was rare for him not to have one bottle by his side and he wouldn't share it with anyone, not even Hyacinthus.

That last point was like a dagger being driven into the man's heart. It was his god's right to keep everything to himself of course, but he had always shared all of his gifts with Hyacinthus even though the man would try to refuse them on principle only to eventually give in due to the god's insistence.

The sudden difference in behavior was both jarring and frightening.

Were they dancing in the palm of someone else's hand? Did someone want them to strike at Hestia Familia? To reveal these "impossible" Level 1 Adventurers while they watched from the safety of Orario? But the only one who had any interaction with Lord Apollo was…

Hyacinthus slammed a fist on the table so hard that it collapsed and shattered underneath hime, startling the Apollo Familia executives.

"We've been played for fools…" he growled.

Whoever it was that organized this most likely predicted that Apollo Familia would lose terribly. From what Hyacinthus saw just within this first hour alone, their chances to win was probably nonexistent. Hyacinthus couldn't leave the castle walls at all lest he be sniped, and they'd lose instantly.

And with Lord Apollo not properly setting their lost conditions, it was likely that they'd lose their entire Familia if Lady Hestia was feeling spiteful, which Hyacinthus had no reason to believe that she wouldn't be.

But Hyacinthus couldn't just surrender. He would lose Lord Apollo's favor if he did. They had to play this out and lose as painlessly as possible. He had to make it seem like they were still trying to win though or else his god might suffer from the mysterious puppet master.

If they could at least defeat Bell Cranel, they could at least save some of their pride.

Thankfully, Hyacinthus had gathered some Magic Items in secret to help him do such that. Should Bell Cranel attack again, he'll be ready for him.

"For now, focus on getting the wounded treated," Hyacinthus ordered. "Take them inside the keep and out of sight of that Archer. We'll give up on the gate for now but post guards in the shadow of the walls either way. Who knows what they're up to now?"

X-x-X-x-X

"_Good evening and welcome to the first ever _Archer and Rider's Cooking Hour!" A cheerful redheaded woman said with a smile as she waved at the empty space in front of her with both of her hands before bringing her hands together in applause. "_Yay! Clap clap clap._"

"_The first and probably only show we'll ever have the chance to put on,_" came the dry addition of the white-haired man to her left. "_Still, it was an order from our goddess, so we have no choice but to obey._"

"_True. We don't even know if anyone's really going to be watching this, but I guess we'll just do it even if it turns out we're just talking to ourselves the entire time._"

"_Well there's a lull in the fighting and its around dinnertime so I don't think they'll be anything else to watch. Unless there are people that would rather watch Apollo Familia treating their wounded._"

During the preparation period before the War Game, Hestia said that since the War Game was going to be shown live to all of Orario that Rider and Archer take advantage of it to show off their cooking. However, she seriously didn't think they'd actually do it. She was sure she had played it off as a joke, which meant that they were doing it using her joke as an excuse! Hestia also couldn't believe that a few goddesses had taken up a pen and parchment from somewhere and seemed to be getting ready to take notes. If Hestia had used her Divine Mirror to spy on her Familia's favorite pub, she would be able to see the dwarf proprietress taking notes as well.

"_Well then, let's start the show with a special meal for our darling Primo straight from our Hestia Familia Head Chef's cookbook!_"

"_Since when did I have that title?_" Archer shot back even though he was currently wearing a white apron that had the words "#1 Chef" on it. "_In any case, our little Primo's favorite food just so happens to be peaches. Leave her alone and she'd be eating nothing but peaches for each meal._"

Hestia quickly scanned the vicinity of the castle in search of Primo. She found her Child in the courtyard practicing her spell against a few dummy targets Lancer had set up for her. As such, the elf had no idea her secrets were being blabbed to the whole world by the two parent-like Servants of her Familia.

"_And so, to commend her for her excellent job at the start of the War Game, we'll be having a peach party,_" Archer declared as he gestured to the basket of peaches in front of him. "_The_ _main course will be Peach Soup_."

"_Soup?_" Rider asked the question many of the surrounding gods and goddesses were thinking. "_When it comes to turning fruits like peaches into a liquid, shouldn't it be more of a juice? Hang on…tomatoes are considered to be a fruit and we have both tomato soup and tomato juice. What is the difference between calling it soup or juice, I wonder?_"

"_Well, don't sweat the little details,_" Archer said, waving the million valis question aside. "_First off, we have to remove the skin from the peaches. Since we're feeding quite a lot of people, we'll be using quite a few of them today._"

"_Our Captain went out of his way to have them brought here himself,_" Rider explained with a mischievous smile. "_But you didn't hear it from me, okay?_"

"_If the fuzz on the peaches bothers you, you can easily remove it by rubbing a towel over them,_" Archer continued, ignoring Rider's side comment. He cut the peach in two and handed it off to the woman who easily peeled the skin off with her fingers. The two of them worked quickly and efficiently, peeling every single peach without pause. "_Once you've finished peeling the skin, dice them up and toss them into a Magic Stone blender._"

"_Ooh,_" Rider said as she held the lid down on the blender while the machine did its work.

"_Once the fruit has turned into liquid, add milk and blend it again. Then do the same with cream and lemon juice. Once that is done, place it into a larger bowl and salt it._"

"_Is it all right to add some salt to something that's going to be sweet?_"

"_Adding just a bit of salt highlights the sweetness a bit more. It's why some people add salt to watermelons or why salted caramel is a thing._"

"_Hmm…_"

Rider kept working with the blender even as she asked questions to Archer, probably more for the audience's sake than her own.

"_Ahh…my hands are going to end up numb,_" Rider said with a laugh.

"_Don't give up yet. We still have a lot more where that came from._"

"_Ah…ahahaha…_"

After a few more minutes of blending, Rider was released from the hand rumbling hell she put herself into and collapsed onto the ground. Hestia didn't think it would be this easy for a Servant's hand to get numb. She was probably just fooling around

"_Leave behind some chopped peaches to use for later._ _While we wait for the soup to chill in the fridge, let's make a salad to go with it. Naturally, it will also use peaches._"

"_And this too!_"

Rider quickly recovered from her numbness as she bent below the table and hoisted up a massive rock hard, brown, and cured boar leg attached to some kind of wooden cutting board to hold it in place.

Archer stared at the leg for a good minute before peering down below the table as if wondering where exactly Rider had been hiding it and how he had missed it. Or maybe he was just acting to put on a show for the invisible audience.

Hestia swapped over to the throne room where she could see Caster chuckling to himself for no apparent reason.

"_Ham, huh?_" Archer muttered, recovering rather quickly. "_Yeah, that'd work._"

Archer lowered his hand down below the table and when he pulled it back up, a cutting knife with a blade about as long as his forearm was in his hands.

From there he carefully started slicing thin strips of ham from the leg, revealing the rich red color of the meat underneath, as Rider was ripping apart some vegetables to throw into a salad alongside some slices of peaches.

"_Mix the ham with the peaches and salad with your favorite dressing,_" Archer continued as the two tossed the salad in the large bowl. "_Then once the soup has been chilled properly…add some white pepper to the soup…then garnish it with the chopped peaches we set aside earlier and some mint. And we're done._"

"_Wow…_" Rider's soft gasp was echoed by several goddesses, Hestia included.

In the white colored bowl was an orange and pink colored liquid with the mint and peach cubes floating in the center.

With the bit of presentation, Archer then gave a courtly bow as he stepped to the side so that the finished soup and salad took center stage with Rider having left the kitchen a bit earlier.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhh…I want it…and I don't even care for peaches," Loki let out an agonized voice of desire that was mimicked by a few other deities as Rider came back with her hands over Primo's eyes as she led the girl to the table.

"_What's that smell?_" Primo was asking. "_It smells really really good!_"

"_It's a new dish we're trying out,_" Rider explained. "_And we're letting you have first taste. Ta-dah!_"

Rider took off her hands just as Primo reached the table, allowing the elf to see the food in front of her, causing the girl to squeal in delight.

"_What is all this? Why is this here? Is it all just for me? Is it my birthday already?_"

Bouncing on the balls of her feet, Primo fired off several questions with sparkles in her eyes eyes before Rider placed her hands on Primo's shoulders to calm her down.

"_Easy there,_" Rider said kindly as Archer drew up a stool for Primo to sit down. "_It's not going anywhere so have a taste first._"

With a quick nod, Primo picked up her spoon and gently dipped it into the side of the soup, only drawing the liquid up to her lips. She let out a sigh of delight as she took in the sweet aroma. With a single sip, another wordless squeal escaped her mouth as her hand moved up and down in delight, bringing a smile on Hestia's face.

Rider turned to Archer with a smile on her face as she held up a "V" sign at him. Archer tried to play cool as he simply folded his arms and turned his body to the side but nonetheless flashed her a thumbs up in response as Primo cheerfully ate the soup, completely unaware that she was being watched by the gods.

Still, Hestia was definitely going to have the two make the soup for her once they got back home.

"_Well, that's it for our show_," Rider said with a perfect smile as she waved with her hands again. "_Perhaps we'll do it again sometime._"

"_Don't count on it though,_" Archer said with a wry smile as Primo looked back and forth between the two in confusion with her spoon in her mouth.

As everyone aside from Caster funneled into the kitchen, attracted in by the smell of dinner, night slowly fell over the first day of the War Game and the end of the first, but hopefully not last, Archer and Rider's Cooking Hour.

X-x-X-x-X

Night had fallen on their little corner of the world.

It was only expected that a siege battle would last for a while, but a certain group of people knew that the War Game could be ended in an instant if they did not care about the costs.

The costs to the enemy that is.

Lily didn't particularly care what happened to Apollo Familia during or after the War Game, but she kept those thoughts to herself. There was no reason to make the others think of her as callous or something. Lily herself wasn't sure if that did make her callous either. Even if Apollo Familia was being directed to attack them by someone else, there was no reason for her to care about what happens to their enemy.

Which was why she was implementing the plan to sabotage the enemy's supplies alongside Assassin and Gina. Bell had been reluctant but Lily pointed out that by doing this they could force Apollo Familia to surrender faster.

The three of them were making their way across the field under the cover of darkness. Granted it wouldn't be of much help when they got closer to the enemy castle due to the fact that decent night vision came with the Falna package. It was kind of necessary for those that planned on making a living in the underground world known as the Dungeon after all.

Still they didn't have to worry about wall guards too much.

When they saw that torches were going up on the walls as part of a night watch, Archer had quickly shot them down and scared off the ones patrolling on top of the walls. The ones inside the keep proper and those behind the walls were left alone. Archer claimed he could shoot them down if needed but that would be showing their hand too easily. But if Lily and the others needed to escape quickly, he'd do so in a heartbeat and Bell was ready to drop in at any time.

The three of them crossed the plain without any trouble, only making conversation to reconfirm their objectives.

Lily and Assassin were to sneak into the castle and sabotage the enemy supplies as much as possible. It was unlikely they would keep it all in one place, but losing any amount of their supplies, especially after the assault earlier today would be a huge blow to their war power and their morale.

Once that was done, they would make their way out before their trap was sprung. In the event that it fails, Lily would signal Gina for help. Gina was to wait outside until said signal where she would proceed to bombard the walls with her Magic Sword which would be a signal for the others to perform a rescue.

Lily wasn't so arrogant as to believe she wouldn't get caught, even with her magic ring. It wouldn't be a failure on Assassin's or the ring if they get found out after all.

"But…I wonder if the people who are watching through the Divine Mirrors can see you or not," Gina said as she followed behind Lily while Assassin was supposedly a bit further ahead somewhere in the darkness. "Of if it's still limited to people with magic?"

"Isn't it the clairvoyance of the gods?" Lily asked. "Lily would think they would be able to see Lily."

"Yeah but it's only to watch us, right? I don't think they can do anything more than that."

"Lily supposes it is important whether Miss Gina looks like she's talking to herself or not."

"Ah. I didn't even think about that."

Rather than feel dismayed at the thought, Gina simply giggled to herself. Lily simply sighed as she shook her head.

Finally, they came to the walls of the Apollo Castle. As soon as Lily touched the stone wall, Assassin reappeared in front of her.

"It's super quiet," Assassin reported with a smile. "Not too many people are walking around, but everyone is scared so they are looking around at every bit of noise."

"Lily can work with that," Lily said as she double checked that her ring was secure around her finger underneath her glove before turning to Gina. "Lily and Jack will head in now. Remember the signal, Gina."

"Pretty sure I would figure something's wrong when fog suddenly erupts from a castle when there isn't a single cloud in the sky," Gina replied with a pout before sticking her tongue out at Lily.

Lily childishly mimicked the gesture before she pulled out a rope and hook from her bag. Not the big one she brought along to their Dungeon trips but a smaller one that wouldn't get in the way of their stealth mission.

She quietly scaled the wall with Assassin doing the same behind her.

The two of them reached the top of the wall and found no sign of any guards as Archer had said. The remains of torch braziers used for night watches with their still smoldering embers could be seen though. As expected of a Servant, their skill was beyond the limits of normal people.

For the record, Level 5s and higher were _not_ normal.

The top of the walls was completely deserted. Apollo Familia was not taking any chances with another of Archer's shots. Below the wall however, was a different story. Although there weren't any braziers lit, there were guards patrolling the grounds. Still, it meant that Lily had free reign to travel on top of the walls. Or at least the ones that could be seen from the top of their bell tower.

In the distance, Hestia Castle's bell tower rang out, causing the members of Apollo Familia to flinch and dive for cover as as the corner of the wall opposite of Lily exploded.

Yep, Archer and Fia have properly conditioned Apollo Familia to duck away whenever the bell rang as it meant Archer was about to fire an arrow. Hopefully the runes around Fia's head didn't wear off or else they would have to deal with an extremely deaf harpy in the near future.

For now, Lily had to find the location of the supply depot. Not one of the smaller closets that Archer spotted various members of Apollo Familia running to throughout the day, but the biggest one they had.

Most likely it was deep within the castle itself like where Hestia Familia kept their supplies.

Which meant things were going to be difficult.

For Lily anyway.

She then turned toward Assassin with a smile.

X-x-X-x-X

"You know…it's really no fun watching a War Game with someone who knows what's going to happen."

"_You_ were the one who invited me here."

As it was nighttime, the gods at Babel Tower had adjourned and returned to their respective Homes with Hestia returning to Loki's Twilight Manor with said goddess.

Loki had been planning on heading straight to bed, but Hestia had said that her Children were planning a night raid, which meant that there was no way Loki could miss it.

But for a night raid, it sure was uninteresting.

So far Hestia's Divine Mirror only showed the Amazoness walking alone through the plain. Of course, it also showed the grass split apart in front of her, telling Loki that there was someone else there that the Divine Mirror couldn't see. It was limited to what a normal mortal could see to keep things exciting after all.

Well, that was a mouthful.

Which meant it was someone, probably the pallum, wearing a magic item that made them invisible. That Caster was definitely shelling out for every advantage he could get in this War Game.

Still, with Hestia by her side, Loki found it difficult to believe that she was Enyo or someone working with them. She was just too easy to read. Sure, she kept mum about Archer and the other "-ers" but you'd have to be a rather crappy God or Goddess if you couldn't keep your Children's secrets.

Back to the War Game though, all that was going on was the white-haired human girl was currently wandering around the halls of Apollo Castle without anyone seeing her.

It must be a Skill that made her harder, or even impossible, to notice if she could just duck in a corner with her hands on her head and have a cienthrope walk by and not notice or even smell her.

"She must be a real pro at hide and seek," Loki commented.

"The girls stopped playing that after Jack went missing for three hours," Hestia muttered. "We found her crying in one of the cupboards in the bath because she thought she was forgotten about again."

That was both depressing and hilarious. Deprilarious.

Still, when it came to recon, it was one hellova powerful tool if it worked on monsters too. It might be the reason why their Party could reach the Eighteenth Floor after barely three months as a Familia.

Well, that was probably more Saber's skill considering he was powerful enough that it made Loki's precious Ais gain Status Points just from sparring.

Speaking of which, Loki hadn't confronted Hestia about the question of whether or not her special Children were Spirits or not. Well, not counting "Master" Bell Cranel and Argonaut anyway. She wasn't sure why. It wasn't as though Hestia would be able to escape after all.

Maybe she was worried about what would happen if they were.

"_What then?_"

"_So what?_"

Those questions entered her mind.

Would anything even change if she knew the answer to her question? Well, at worst she might push a possible ally against Enyo away if she were too pushy. Despite her looks, Hestia was among the most spiteful of the gods that Loki knew. Which was why Loki wanted to see what happens to Apollo after this. Though Hestia was probably too kind to force Apollo back to Tenkai, it should still be quite a show.

In any case, there wasn't really anything to gain from investigating Hestia and her kids anymore.

But back to the War Game, it looked as though little Jack found herself in one of the larger halls of the castle, which had been turned into a treatment room for the injured Apollo Adventurers. The girl carefully walked along the edge of the room as to not step on anyone but stopped next to one of the injured men.

Loki's eyes widened slightly as the little doll slowly reached her hand to the back of her waist and drew out her dagger. The light in the girl's eyes seemed to have vanished, replaced with the desire to commit bloody murder.

But before the knife could be brought down, the door to the hall opened again as a red headed woman poked her head in to check on the injured. But in the small moment that Loki's eyes turned toward the woman, little Jack had disappeared from view. No, there she was, hanging from the rafters. Smart girl.

Loki found herself letting out a breath she hadn't been holding, an act mirrored by Hestia beside her.

"Okay, wanna explain what _that_ was?" Loki asked.

"I have no idea," Hestia muttered. "Bell said that Jack had a bit of a…bloody streak in the Dungeon but…I thought it couldn't have been that bad."

Loki let out a sigh. It was like looking at another Mini-Ais except it extended from monsters to people too.

"So, you got a baby Jack the Ripper in your Familia huh?" Loki asked, feeling rather happy about her clever little joke.

"Aha…ahahaha…hahaha…I guess."

Hestia let out a rather stilted and depressed laugh at that. Loki supposed she had already heard that joke before and was tired of it. All the more reason to keep using it then!

Back on screen, the woman made her way pass the injured until she reached the door on the other side of the room. Opening it up revealed several medical supplies. Potions, salves, bandages, the works.

After the woman grabbed a few items and left, the girl dropped back down and stared at the injured man again before returning her knife to its sheath. She pulled a leg back as if wanting nothing more than to kick the man's head instead but ended up thinking better of it as she went to the medical closet and poked her head in to see it for herself.

Nodding to herself, she simply closed the door and walked away. Then again, it wasn't as though she was carrying anything other than her knives and it wasn't as though she could break everything without alerting at least someone.

Hestia and Loki watched Jack comb the castle for about another half hour, finding a pantry where Apollo Familia kept some of their food supplies, before she returned to the spot on the wall where she had climbed up from. Once there, she suddenly turned around after a nod and started retracing her steps.

X-x-X-x-X

Lily had been unsure about letting Assassin explore the enemy castle alone, but her fears had been completely unwarranted. She had been able to make it in and out without giving herself away and had found two of the enemy's supply closets. Too bad she couldn't find any of the bigger ones, but a medical cabinet and a pantry was good enough for now.

The medical closet was located in a large hall that had been turned into an infirmary to treat the people who had been burned by Welf's Magic Sword. Lily remembered the power she had seen used against the Black Goliath. The new sword was nowhere near that level but Welf had used it several times without the blade shattering. Judging from the conversation between Welf and Caster, it probably wouldn't shatter as easily as regular Magic Swords either. Had Welf started down the path of creating Magic Swords on the level of the Servants' Weapons?

Lily quickly shook her head, clearing away the irrelevant thoughts as she and Assassin made their way across the room, being careful not to step on anyone.

"Jack? What's wrong?"

"That man was there when they made fun of Mommy and Emma."

Assassin pointed toward one of the injured humans on the floor.

"Can We hurt him more?"

"No."

Lily quickly shut the Servant down, ignoring her puffed cheeks, and dragged her by the hand toward the closet. They carefully opened it up and slipped inside. First order of business was to destroy part of their medical supplies.

Lily would have loved to stuff as many of these potions into her pack as she could, but her pack was nowhere large enough to do that and it was currently filled with items prepared for the sabotage as well as potions of a higher grade than the ones in this closet. Just in case.

In any case, Lily and Assassin got to work.

The two of them removed tiny stones from one of the pockets in Lily's backpack and carefully set them around on the shelves. Each stone had a strange symbol carved into them, with each one having a pair of the same color. These were stones holding Rune Magic that they received from Lancer.

If activated properly, they should explode outward, shattering the potions and damaging everything else in the closet.

They were set to go off the second time the door medical closet door slams shut. Supposedly anyway.

Once that was done the two of them quietly slipped out of the closet and carefully shut the door behind them. Thankfully no one was awake or healthy enough to notice them. Lily understood the feeling completely. She had wanted nothing more than to sleep the burns away after the Black Goliath fight after all.

With that done, it was time to hit the pantry.

Lily had Assassin take the lead at a distance as the Servant was less likely to be spotted than Lily was. Unlike Assassin, Lily couldn't mask her scent all the way and she still made a bit of noise when she moved. Not much, but she suspected any High-Class Adventurer would be able to spot her if Welf and Bell could. She also had to avoid any chienthropes or werewolves that Apollo Familia might have.

Thankfully it seemed as though the two of them weren't on any of their patrol routes as they only had to hide from humans on the way to the kitchen pantry.

The kitchen was also devoid of life aside from a guard patrol outside of it. Luckily there was a big enough gap in their patrols for a skilled thief like Lily to slip through. It was rather clear that they were not putting much effort into their job. Their morale must be rather low after losing two flags with nothing to show for it.

Once inside the pantry, Lily and Assassin set to work, carefully placing inconspicuous little bags amongst the rest of the ingredients. They were little stink-bombs made by Naza to help them for the War Game. Lily had helped her make them and their effectiveness was experienced first hand by the chienthrope who accidentally set one off right in front of her face. The poor woman was rolling on the floor rubbing her nose against everything she could to try and get the smell out. It was probably the second time Naza ever came so close to death, via nearly chopping her own nose off.

Lily was just happy that she wasn't nearly as affected due to the mask she managed to slip on beforehand.

Nevertheless, this way a good portion of the enemy rations would be spoiled with this attack. Lily had wanted to do a bit more like spiking the food with laxatives and other weak poisons, but Bell and Hestia put their foot down on that and only allowed her to do something so overt that Apollo Familia would have to be blind and stupid to not notice.

And so, stink bomb it was along with some firecrackers and paint bombs.

"Is Jack finished?" Lily asked as she set down the last stink bomb at the base of pantry so that it would pop if someone swung the door all the way open to get in.

"Yes," Assassin replied as she gingerly set one at the top shelf in a way that even a light shake would cause it to fall down and explode. "Stinky stinky…"

"It's going to smell a lot worse if it explodes while Lily and Jack are in here," Lily said as she reached for the door. "So, it's time to go-"

But before she could touch the handle, the doorknob turned and the door slowly creaked open.

The one who entered was a pallum, looking rather sleepy and was either here to get a late-night snack or sent to pick up one by someone else. He blinked several times as he looked at…no…looked through Lily toward Assassin who was staring back at him.

And that was when all hell broke loose.

X-x-X-x-X

Gina had been waiting patiently by the wall trying to remain focused. But it was so boring that she found herself sitting with her back to the wall while kicking her legs up and down. She didn't have much of a role to play in this War Game and to be honest, she didn't care. She wasn't one to stand in the spotlight after all. Gina would much rather support Primo or Bell in their dreams instead.

Still, it didn't mean that she was happy just sitting on her hands like this.

"Are they done yet?" She muttered to herself.

A shrill scream echoed in the night sky, causing her to jump to her feet.

"A girl's scream? It didn't sound like Lily or Jack though."

Nevertheless, it was definitely something that shouldn't be happening during a stealth mission.

Gina quickly grabbed onto the rope and pulled herself up top and looked around.

As she scanned the courtyard, someone crashed through a window, screaming their head off. Hot on his heels was a smiling black shadow that Gina had gotten well acquainted with the last few days before the War Game.

It wasn't the cheerful or playful one that Gina knew though. It was an empty smile that one wore because they were enjoying something that they probably shouldn't be enjoying.

The person Assassin was chasing blew past two guards shouting at him, completely unaware of Assassin coming up behind them. In a flash of steel, the guards dropped to the ground, one clutching their arm which had been cut clean off below the elbow and the other holding their stomach.

A panting Lily came out of the window soon after, pulling out several potions as she dumped one on the one who got cut across the stomach before grabbing the detached arm, jamming it against the stump, and pouring another potion over it.

She then pulled out a glowing orb, smacked it against her leg, loaded it into her crossbow, and fired it up into the air.

Red smoke poured out of the orb. It was a flare that was supposed to signal that the stealth mission failed and that they needed help.

Red meant that Assassin was the one that was in trouble but from what Gina saw, it was more like Assassin was the one _causing _trouble.

Bell and Fia would be on their way immediately after seeing the flare so Gina and Lily would have to at the very least slow down Assassin somehow.

Gina wasn't dumb enough to think she could actually stop her. Not to mention that she didn't think Apollo Familia would believe her if she said she was trying to help them.

"Ahhh…what a pain!" Gina groaned as she stood up and drew out her daggers before crossing them into a "X" above her head.

"_Blazing sparks come forth!_" She chanted, sparks shooting out from her body. "_Let the hunt commence, fueled by rage!_"

It was the magic she got after receiving a Grimoire of all things from Primo, who in turn had received it from Caster. And who knows where the Captain got it from.

"_This one pays tribute to Penthesilea!_ _Outrage Ortigia!_"

Lightning shot out from her body before condensing around her like a shell. From the outside it looked as though she was inside a bubble of red lightning, one that expanded and contracted at her will.

With her enhancement active, she raced across the wall toward where Assassin was chasing her prey…was that a pallum? There was no way a pallum could be faster than Assassin unless they were Braver or maybe one of Freya's Bringar.

Which meant Assassin was obviously toying with him.

Leaping off the wall, Gina landed between Assassin and the pallum.

"Jack, stop!" Gina said, spreading her arms out to try and block Assassin. The Servant simply jumped over her. Gina blinked as she slowly turned around. "Yep. What was I thinking?"

The bubble contracted around her as she spun around on her heel. The red sparks streaked across her arms and legs as she sped after Assassin. Each step she took left a small blot of fire on the grass as she quickly closed the distance between her and Assassin. Normally, no amount of magic would be able to let her close the gap, she found that out repeatedly. But since Assassin was playing around, it was easy to get close by running by her side.

"Jack, stop!" Gina called out again, but Assassin ignored her and kept on running. Well, at least she wasn't trying to kill her too.

Three guards tried to block them, probably not getting the memo that Gina was trying to save them.

"Out of the way! Out of the way!"

Thinking that they'd probably have a better chance at surviving a Crozzo Magic Sword than a rather angry and out of control Assassin, Gina drew the purple Magic Sword Welf gave her and swung it down in front of her.

A sparkling electrical explosion sent them flying away, allowing Assassin to run by without bothering to even glance in their direction.

"Jack, come on!"

"Over there!"

Spinning around, Gina saw several archers pointing at her. They drew their bows and took aim at her.

Before they could fire, Gina slammed a hand down onto the grass, causing the lightning coursing around her to expand like a balloon. Their arrows made contact with the bubble and sparks shot out from her body into them, sending them flying away from her. A little handy benefit to her little shield.

Gina then swung the Magic Sword down toward them, sending another surge of electric energy out at their feet, blasting them away.

After that, the Magic Sword cracked and crumbled away.

"Uh oh…" Gina muttered. "Welf's gonna be mad."

Throwing the rest of the broken sword aside, she tried to call out to Assassin one more time.

"Jack, enough, please!"

But Assassin still refused to stop "playing." Or rather, it looked like she was finally done playing. She drew out a knife and flung it at the pallum's leg. The pallum let out a scream as he fell to the ground, knife lodged into the back of his leg. He flipped himself around to see Assassin slowly walking up to him, cleaver at the ready, ignoring the pallum's pleas for forgiveness.

"JACK!"

Luckily for the pallum, salvation came in the form of Bell, literally dropping in from the sky.

The Hestia Familia Vice Captain landed behind the pallum so that Assassin could see him immediately.

Blood drained out of Assassin's face immediately as though she had seen something she desperately did not want to see. Considering it was Bell, her beloved "mommy," Assassin no doubt knew what she was doing was bad. She even quickly hid her knives behind her back and started turning her head around as if trying to find a place to escape to.

Seeing that Assassin had stopped her rampage, Bell let out a sigh as he looked up. Gina looked up as well and saw Fia flying around in a circle above the castle.

Operation Harpy Fall!

A super unique plan where they had Fia carry one of them and drop them into the middle of an enemy group! She was also fast enough to swoop in, grab them, and fly away if needed. An ingenious plan that Lily came up with when Fia offered to fly Primo around when the elf asked her if flying in the sky was all that fun. A plan that could only work if one was light enough to be carried by a harpy!

Too bad they had to reveal it like this though.

Bell then turned to look at the pallum in front of him. To Gina's surprise, Bell yanked the knife out of his leg and carefully helped him to his feet.

"It's Luan, right?" Bell asked. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah?" Luan replied.

"Good."

And then Bell casually backhanded the pallum across the face, sending him flying across the yard. The fact that he did it with such a passive expression on his face actually made Gina shiver. Wait, Luan? Wasn't that the pallum that insulted Bell, Emma and Hestia at the bar?

"Ooooooh," Gina muttered to herself with a nod as the electricity around her vanished. "No wonder Jack was so angry."

Bell simply watched Luan's body roll to a stop before walking up to Assassin who flinched away as he raised a hand up, no doubt expecting to be hit for disobeying him and going off on a near-killing spree.

However, all Bell did was place his hand on Assassin's shoulder and pull her into a hug.

"Have you calmed down?" He asked softly. "I'm very upset right now. Do you know why?"

"We're sorry…" Assassin said quickly. "We're sorry We broke our promise. Please don't hate Us."

"I can't ever hate you. I am upset that you broke your promise, but I don't blame you. Even I could just barely hold it in after all."

"You call _that_ holding it in?" Gina asked, pointing to the groaning pallum in the distance. "He must have flown ten meters, at the _least!_"

Bell didn't say anything to Gina's little joke. He simply let out a breath before grabbing and throwing Assassin into Gina's arms. He then drew out his two minotaur horn blades and swung them above his head.

A red sword smashed down above him into his own blades before he forced them to the side. Their owner landed only a few meters away from Bell before launching himself at Bell again.

"Bell Cranel!" The Apollo Familia Captain, Hyacinthus Clio screamed at him. "Even if it's just you! As long as it's just you!"

"We don't have time for this!" Bell hissed. "Gina, Lily!"

Gina didn't need clarification on what to do. It was time to freaking go.

Hoisting Assassin over her shoulder, Gina made a beeline for the stairs leading up the wall.

"Running away!?" Hyacinthus demanded and Bell stopped to look at him before turning his head toward the line of injured Apollo Familia Adventurers.

"There's no time," Bell said again before the flares were fired between them, hiding him and the rest of Hestia Familia in colored smoke courtesy of Lily.

Once the smoke cleared, Hestia Familia was nowhere to be seen, leaving only Apollo Familia to pick up the broken pieces.

X-x-X-x-X

Somewhere during the show, Loki had frozen with her mouth slightly agape and eyes wide. Glancing to her right, she saw Hestia with her hands over her mouth.

"_Guess I'll hold off on the jokes for tonight,_" Loki thought to herself.

The first day of the War Game came to a quiet close.


	40. Victory in Blood

**Chapter 40: Game's End**

With the start of the second day excitement for the War Game only grew. Most of the noise was being made by those who had bet on Apollo Familia to win as they predicted the incoming storm that would be a repeat of the previous day. Others were talking about Hestia Familia's night raid as it had taken place after a good portion of the city had turned in for the night.

Sadly, not all Adventurers and their deities could afford to take two consecutive days off. Thus, they had no choice but to descend into the Dungeon or return to their part time jobs while crying bloody tears of regret. Those that couldn't take days off yet were hedging all their money on the bets they had placed the previous day.

But compared to the previous day, the second day started off in a quiet and subdued manner.

X-x-X-x-X

Freya let out a deep sigh as she looked at her Divine Mirror over the rim of her wine glass.

All of Hestia's children were shining so brightly, but none shown as much as that boy, Bell Cranel.

"Still, that Captain of theirs…" Freya mumbled to herself.

There was no mistaking that brilliance. It was the same soul that struck at her Children on that fateful day long ago. The same night that she watched Bell Cranel defeat the minotaur.

Well, she could admit she was being a bit mischievous in having Ottarl train up that minotaur, so she supposed it was fair for Hestia's children to be a bit upset at her little prank. And she supposed it was also fair for that to happen after Hestia almost got hurt from her other prank during Monsterphilia.

"Hmm…perhaps I've been a bit _too_ naughty lately."

As Hestia still joined Freya on that shopping trip, she most likely did not know that it was Freya behind those incidents and her Children were keeping it a secret from her.

Still, Freya had since decided that it was best to watch Bell Cranel from a distance from now on. There was no longer any reason to try and push him forward personally. The five magnificent souls around him were doing that just fine. Granted she had been just a teensy bit annoyed when she saw him dancing with the girl from his Familia and even more so when he danced with Loki's child back at the banquet. So much so that she childishly asked Helen and Ottarl to try and flood the banquet hall with minotaurs, but she could let that slide. The former was part of the boy's emotional support, someone that helped keep his head up high even in the face of the world's darkness; and the latter didn't interact with him often enough to truly be a threat.

Besides Bell Cranel, two others of Hestia's children caught her attention. That Saber and that Caster.

She was surprised to see someone that could possibly best Ottarl in combat, let alone two of them. She had thought the days where Ottarl couldn't win had died alongside the Zeus and Hera Familias fifteen years ago.

Their brilliance would not be outdone by Ottarl's own.

A part of her did want to see Saber and Ottarl duel, if only to watch their souls shine beyond their limits. But she knew her Child who so rarely got a chance to push and break through his limits anymore all too well. If they fought without anyone watching them, the two of them would definitely go on until one of them couldn't move anymore…but perhaps that would be the final push for Ottarl to Level Up once more?

Freya quickly shook her head. There was no point in getting greedy again.

With a twirl of her finger, the Divine Mirror changed to show Saber standing in the castle grounds with the woman called Lancer by his side. Their backs were against the wall and the woman was resting her head against his shoulder while he was nestling his own head on hers. Ahh…such a beautiful combination, one that only grew even more beautiful when-

"Oh dear."

In a flash of purple, the woman swung her spear at Saber's head. The knight simply leaned his head back without even opening his eyes before lifting his sword up to block the second strike.

Yes, their souls shined even brighter when the two of them fought like this.

It must drive Hestia up the wall whenever it happened but there were few things that could trump this combination's sheer beauty when that Walkure fought against the one she loved with such passion.

"…Hmm? Walkure?" Freya muttered. "Why is that name coming to mind?"

Was this what Loki meant when she was muttering about how the two felt similar to her?

"Oh Hestia, what are you hiding I wonder?" Freya said with a smile as she turned toward Ottarl who had been even quieter than usual. He would at least speak up the moment Freya said something that he couldn't hear for fear of missing a request of hers.

But it would appear Freya was not the only one wondering what might happen if two certain swordsmen clashed.

"Ottarl," Freya spoke up a bit louder than usual, snapping the Boaz out of his stupor.

"My apologies," Ottarl replied immediately. "I was…distracted."

"You can't play with him unless Hestia says it's okay, understand?" Freya decided to warn him before she allowed him to do something that both she and Hestia might regret.

"As you wish."

Although Ottarl's response was immediate as usual, Freya could hear the disappointment in his voice, causing her to giggle. It was as if he was a child being denied a toy he wanted. After all, as an Adventurer, Ottarl also wished to strive forward and shatter his limits. He had already reached the ceiling of Level 7…all he needed was one more push somehow…and then he would finally see the world from the same level as those who once adventured under the banners of Zeus and Hera Familia.

That Archer person had surprised Ottarl as well, but Freya was not as interested in him as she was in Caster, Saber or Bell Cranel.

That man's soul had been shattered and rusted over from some event in his past. Slowly the color of rust was being chipped away to reveal something blue and beautiful underneath, but it would only ever be a shadow of its former splendor. If Freya had to say something about it, it would be that it was a pity. A pity she hadn't been able to see his soul before the man had broke.

If she had, maybe he would have caught her attention as well. But as it was, it was as though she was looking at a jigsaw puzzle of a landscape rather than the landscape itself. A beautiful scenery marred by jagged lines of the separated pieces. Or even a mirror that had been shattered and glued back into its stand.

"Lady Freya," Ottarl spoke up. "My apologies for asking again, but is it truly all right to let Apollo do as he wishes?"

"There is still no problem…for the moment," Freya added after a thought.

This spectacle had allowed the boy to shine brightly but it was also becoming dangerously close to marring the boy's purity with rage and hatred. Last night's incident with Hestia's adorable little girl was like dripping water onto an edge of a plank that had been delicately balanced on a wall, threatening to send it falling into the abyss below.

But Bell had risen above the dark temptations and remained on his chosen path.

Should he have fallen from that path, Freya would have made sure Apollo and all of his children fell down with him.

A part of her knew it was a dangerous game she was playing with Bell's soul but the excitement she felt while watching him maintain his delicate balance made her unable to stop. To her, it was like a narcotic more potent than any wine or drug.

However, Freya had to be more careful in the future. Ottarl was still fine as he truly did understand her, but the throes of jealousy were starting to appear in her other Children.

Of course, they would obey her if she told them not to lay a finger on Hestia or any of her Children, but their hearts would not be in it.

Even Alan had completely cut off his sister from his life against Freya's wishes after all.

The absolute last thing she wanted was for one of them to give one of Hestia's enemies an opportunity to hurt them, intentionally or not. It was one thing for one of Hestia's Children to die in the Dungeon. The pain may cause Bell's heart and soul to waver, but he would push through, of that Freya had no doubt. It was a natural risk that every Adventurer faced after all.

But if one of them were to be murdered by Evilus and their ilk? Even Freya wasn't 100% confident that his soul would remain pure after that. That pure heart of his was both his greatest strength and his greatest weakness.

"_Perhaps I should ask Loki if she needs some help after all…_" Freya thought to herself.

An ounce of prevention was worth a pound of cure after all…but should she get in the way of his possible growth even if it's for his best interests?

Freya supposed she should wait and see just a bit longer.

X-x-X-x-X

"…Did I make a mistake?"

"About what?"

Bell was sitting in the kitchen area watching Rider and Archer clean up when he suddenly asked that question.

"About last night," he clarified. "I wasn't thinking clearly because of what was going on, but couldn't I have ended things by beating Hyacinthus right there?"

"Perhaps," Rider admitted with a nod as she turned toward Bell while Archer kept working. Even then, it was obvious he was paying attention to the conversation. "But what was on your mind at the time?"

"Getting Jack out of there so they could heal their injured…even though I had Lily sabotage their medical supplies…do they have enough?"

"If they cared about all of their members then they would use everything they have left available," Rider said. "If they didn't then they would have surrendered. If they don't surrender, then…well…"

Bell's face fell at Rider's words as the woman simply sighed in response.

"Don't make that face," Rider said as she cupped Bell's face with her hands after drying them. "What happens to them is not your fault. It's the decision of their leaders."

"But it's my decision as a leader that nearly killed them…" Bell replied.

"That just further separates you from responsibility. You didn't break any rules or agreements with your attack. You made Jack promise to be good, but she was the one who broke her promise to you. According to Lily, she tried really hard to keep her promise too, but it looks like she really didn't like that pallum."

Rider let out another sigh as she brushed aside Bell's bangs from his eyes.

"You couldn't have known Jack would go crazy at the sight of him. She always kept her promises to you before now, right?"

"Right…" Bell admitted.

Bell remembered a saying that it was impossible for men to never make mistakes. He also heard that the greater the man, the greater their mistakes were.

He didn't feel like he was that great of a person even though he was the Master of so many powerful Servants, but his mistake sure was "great."

"If you aren't sure what to do then think of a way to end the War Game today," Boudica continued. "After all, the longer it goes on, the more likely it is for someone to die."

"…I wonder if I'm cut out for this after all…" Bell muttered.

Small squad sized tactical battles against monsters he could handle but coming up with a plan for an entire battlefield was hard, especially when he was afraid for the enemy.

"You're doing rather well for your first battle," Rider said with a rather tired sounding sigh. "Bell, you have a problem where you quickly fall into self-depreciation when things don't go your way…no, even when you are being praised you put yourself down."

"I…I don't do that…do I?" Bell asked as he turned to Archer.

"You do," Archer confirmed without missing a beat. "Pretty much every time you receive a compliment even. I feel like we've had this conversation before too."

"I'm sorry."

The two Servant's shared a look before Rider spoke up again.

"If you want to take responsibilities for mistakes that you are only marginally connected to then you need to learn to take compliments without a word of protest as well."

"Y-yes…I understand," Bell said, his cheeks being pulled outward by Rider as she spoke.

"Good. Now stop moping and help us like a good boy."

"Ahaha…hah…"

X-x-X-x-X

"So bored…"

The ones on watch on the wall today were Welf and Gina. The former was looking out toward the Apollo Castle with his arms crossed over his chest and the other was lazily sitting on one of the merlons with her feet dangling off the side.

Granted, they didn't really need to be on watch since Archer was still stationed on the bell tower and could see everything all around them. But it wasn't as though they could make him do that all day. Well, they could, but they shouldn't!

Well, it didn't matter since Archer was currently making lunch with Rider right now inside the keep anyway. So, Gina had to do her part.

"Bored bored bored…"

Even if she was bored as hell.

She glanced over at Welf who hadn't said anything to her all morning. Or rather, he looked like he wanted to ask something but didn't know how to start.

"Are you worried about Jack?" Gina asked, startling Welf.

"Well…yeah," Welf said as he scratched the side of his head. "I mean, she hasn't gone out of her room, right? Or rather, would we even notice if she did? I mean, she wouldn't even let Bell in, right?"

"Yeah…like she's punishing herself or something."

After the events of last night, Assassin had shut herself in her room, not even leaving it for breakfast.

"You feeling okay?" Welf suddenly asked Gina. "She didn't attack you too, did she?"

"Nope," Gina replied quickly, wanting to defend her friend. "She just ignored me completely. What about you? How do you feel about this?"

"Hmm…well, I knew she was kinda weird when we first met but I never thought she would blow up like that," Welf said to himself. "Guess she really really didn't like the things that asshole said.

If they were bad enough to make Assassin completely lose it, Gina wasn't sure she wanted to hear it, or she might have regretted slowing down Assassin's chase. Anyone who insulted people as kind as Bell, Emma or their Goddess Hestia deserved a beating. But she wasn't sure they deserved to be killed for it. That was a one-way path of no return.

But then again, it was bad enough that Bell, _that Bell_, wanted to wring his neck. Maybe it wasn't the content that was bad but the targets?

"What I wouldn't give to kick his face in myself. But that Mord guy beat me to it."

"And got us into this mess," Gina pointed out as Welf let out a long sigh and shook his head even though it was clear that he agreed with her. "Still, I wonder if we can end things today?"

"That'd be up to Bell, but we might be able to. They're probably still shaken up after the total ass-kicking we gave them yesterday. That being said, I am rather morbidly curious as to what exactly Caster had planned on the fourth day."

"Is he really that scary in a fight?" Gina asked Welf. "The worst I've seen him is when he's half asleep after doing paperwork all day. Now that's something scary."

Welf let out a snort.

"He could easily just turn every last one of them to dust as easily as he when we fought the Floor Boss. You know how other monsters rush in from the other Floor? He just vaporized all of them in an instant without hitting any of us. He even roasted three minotaurs at once in a single breath."

"You mean like a regular breath, right? He's not breathing fire like a dragon or something, right?"

"Hell, at this point, I wouldn't be surprised if he's got a Magic Item that lets him do that," Welf said with a smirk.

"I suppose I may have a party favor like that."

"Doowah!?"

"Kyaaaah!?"

Both Welf and Gina let out a yelp, the latter slipping off the merlon, forcing the former to grab her before she fell off the wall.

"Not that I expect that Apollo Familia will make an assault today," Caster began, completely ignoring the fact that the only thing keeping Gina from having a slightly painful ten-meter fall was Welf's hasty grip on her wrist. "But that is no excuse to not remain vigilant."

"Y-yes sir…" Gina mumbled as Welf pulled her back up with a grunt of effort.

Caster let out an amused huff as he strode off with Lily trailing behind him.

"You know…he never says anything wrong," Welf began as he set Gina back on the wall. "It's _the way_ he says it, right?"

"Yep," Gina agreed wholeheartedly.

But even as she glanced back out toward Apollo Castle, there was still no sign of them moving to attack.

As she made a move to sit back on the wall, she felt a rumble beneath her feet.

"Hey Welf, did you feel that?" She asked turning to the Smith.

Welf opened his mouth to respond but Gina didn't hear him as the wall below her feet exploded.

X-x-X-x-X

""GINA!""

Loki's eyes quickly picked out the two voices who screamed. The first was Hestia, of course, as it was her child whose was currently being dragged into the air screaming by the jaws of a violas. Not only that, six more of them sprouted up around the Hestia Castle. The second was Hermes's captain, who he had dragged along once again.

Both Hestia and Asfi's face were struck with horror and Hermes was also looking on in disbelief. Come to think of it, the Guild profile did mention that the little Amazon used to be a member of Hermes's Familia before being Converted.

Loki recalled hearing that the violas were responsible for killing several of Hermes's kids a few weeks back when Ais went with them. Guess this was poking Asfi's trauma button quite a bit right now.

Loki's eyes quickly turned toward Apollo, who had been looking sour ever since he arrived in the room. However, even he was looking quite disturbed and confused at the appearance of the violas as well. Like he had never seen them before. Looks like he probably wasn't involved in their appearance then.

Well, at the very least Loki felt that she should probably cross off Hestia working with Enyo…she's watching her child being mauled on screen as Welf Crozzo was trying to get past its vines to save her after all.

Another viola was trying to get to little Primo, but she was crouching in fear behind the minotaur. Said minotaur had its hands grasped firmly on the plant-like monster's jaws and was preventing it from snapping shut around them. Then, with a blood curdling roar fitting of a monster, the minotaur ripped the violas's lower jaw clean off, sending a shower of blood everywhere but on Primo who was still hiding behind it.

Loki's kids had felt that the violas were around Level 4 in strength. For a minotaur, a monster classified as an upper Level 2 by the Guild, to tear one in half so easily painted it as an irregular and Enhanced Species. Where did the little chibi find it?

Two more violas were trying to snap at Caster, who had positioned himself in front of Lily and was knocking them back with the flat end of his golden axe when they got too close. Why he wasn't just splitting them in two, Loki didn't know but even then, he looked like he was utterly bored "fighting" them. Yet even as he was playing with the plants, his eyes were focused on the one that had Gina in its teeth.

Archer, Rider and Bell came running out of Castle with Rider running for Gina while Archer and Bell headed toward Emma only to be cut off by one themselves.

Said Emma was trying to run toward the direction of Saber and Lancer with one of the violas right on her heels while Saber was rushing toward her. Lancer, on the other hand, was making a beeline for Gina and Welf.

Looks like there were at least seven violas in total. How were they going to get out of this?

X-x-X-x-X

_Ithurts!Ithurts!Ithurts!Ithurts!Ithurts!Ithurts!Ithurts!Ithurts!Ithurts!Ithurts!Ithurts!Ithurts!Ithurts!Ithurts!Ithurts!Ithurts!Ithurts!Ithurts!Ithurts!Ithurts!Ithurts!Ithurts!Ithurts!Ithurts!Ithurts!Ithurts!_

Gina's mind was filled with barely coherent thoughts as the monster's jagged teeth sank itself into her right arm and pulled her up into the air.

Even with all the pain in her arm going to her head, she could see that everyone had their hands full with more of the plant monsters.

A memory of her overhearing Lulune trying to talk to Asfi about plant monsters only to be cut off when Asfi turned to her direction came to mind.

Were these the monsters that killed Pot, Pock, and the others?

Was _she_ going to die here too?

"No…no! I don't want to die! Someone! Anyone! Help me!"

She heard Welf shouting something back at her, but she couldn't make it out. Not over her own screams of pain and the sound of the monster that was chewing on her arm.

Then a screeching sound like that of a bird of prey came from above her. Something fast, angry, and red had slammed onto the viola from above. It was the Harpy Fia. She was slashing at the viola's head, carving trenches into the creature's head with her sharp talons. The monster's blood showered everywhere as it thrashed about in pain. The viola's jaws opened as it let out a screech of rage, sending Gina flying away…and falling toward the ground.

"_Sorry about this!_" Came Fia's quick apology through the face mask she was wearing to keep anyone that didn't have Hestia's Falna from hearing her voice. The harpy zipped away from the viola trying to snap at her toward Gina. Gina then felt several sharp talons dig into her skin, drawing blood, as she was quickly pulled up and away from the viola. It hurt. A lot. But it was still far better than being stuck in a monster's mouth.

They zipped through the air, making sharp turns left and right as several vines shot up at them, trying to swat Fia out of the air. The harpy was fast, but carrying Gina along handicapped her speed, allowing one vine to pierce through the lower side of her wing, scattering feathers everywhere.

"Fia! Gina!"

A shout came to them as a black and white shadow lashed out, severing the vines before they could get any closer.

Assassin appeared on the grass, the vines she severed dropping down behind her as Welf rushed forward, Magic Sword shrouded in roaring flames.

"_BURN RED! KAZUKI!_"

Welf's furious roar followed up as a massive tornado of flames surged forward, enveloping the viola in fire, drowning out its death throes. However, Welf's use of his Magic Sword had drawn the attention of two other violas. They turned their metaphorical backs to Caster and charged at him, only to be intercepted by a flaming blue arrow and a barrage of white light.

"_Coming down!_"

Fia shot off a warning as she flew toward Welf. The smith carelessly discarded his Magic Sword on the ground like it wasn't worth several hundred million valis and opened his arms up, ready to catch them.

Gina felt Fia's talons dislodge themselves from her shoulders and she fell into Welf's waiting arms while Fia pulled up just before hitting them but ended up slipping on the grass and rolling to a stop instead.

"_Ow,_" came a tired response that spoke more of annoyance than injury.

"Gina!" Welf said as he held her close. Gina looked up and saw a splat of red all over his face with Assassin's right next to her own. "Are you…oh…oh shit! Lancer! Lancer, over here!"

Oh. It was probably blood then. Hers.

Now that she was not going to die immediately, Gina felt strangely calm and tired. Tilting her head slightly, she saw Lancer rushing toward them, her burning spear still lodged within the head of a dead viola.

X-x-X-x-X

"Lancer!" Welf shouted for the Servant of the Spear, completely aware of the desperation in his voice.

But why shouldn't he be worried? Gina's arm was bent in several places that it shouldn't and couldn't be bent in and was filled with holes. His clothes were also becoming more dangerously red than he preferred.

As Assassin turned and ran over to Fia, Lancer came rushing up to him, having quickly killed the viola that had been trying to bite Welf.

Lancer's normally blank face (so long as Saber was not involved) quickly turned into outright fear as she got closer, with the last few meters being crossed in a blink of an eye.

"Place her down," Lancer said quickly, quickly running her finger over the ground. The grass burned away in an instant and a solid mound of dirt rose up much like one had done back when Rider was training Emma at Melen.

Welf carefully placed Gina down and laid her injured arm over her stomach. When this War Game was over, he was going to insist Gina at least wear some kind of protective clothing made out of Salamander Wool.

"Lan…cer?" Gina's voice was quiet and weak as Lancer took Gina's uninjured hand in her own.

"You'll be fine," Lancer said stroking Gina's face with her hand. "Mister Cr-…Welf, please."

Lancer held her hand out to Welf and Welf placed his own hand on top of it. She then took it and placed Gina's uninjured hand in it. It was probably an act to reassure Gina as Lancer's hands were covered by her cold metal gauntlet.

Gina's hand was weak, almost lifeless in his grasp. He tightened his grip as it was the only way he could think of to reduce the helplessness he was feeling in watching a ten-year-old girl slowly bleeding out in front of him.

But in front of him was a Servant. Some kind of Super Spirit. If a Spirit had been able to save his ancestor from death after being mauled by a monster, then Lancer should be able to do the same for Gina.

As Assassin came back to them with Fia's wing draped around her shoulder to help the harpy walk. There was a huge gap in her feathers where a vine had shot through but there was no blood. A harpy's wings were like that of a bird after all. She would be grounded for a few days as her feathers grew back but aside from the crash, she was relatively unharmed.

"Lancer! Welf!"

Rider came running up to them, her eyes widening in horror as they fell on Welf.

"It's-" he began as he looked down at himself only to hesitate at what he saw. His entire front was red. "It's…not mine."

As expected, his lame remark did not ease Rider's fears at all but rather made them worse.

She then looked over her shoulder and Welf leaned to the side to look behind her as well.

Caster was walking up one of the stairs leading to the top of the wall, no doubt to see if Apollo Familia was going to capitalize on that little distraction, with Lily sticking close behind him for her own safety. Bell was pulling Emma up to her feet with Archer standing on top of a viola, making extra sure they were dead. Another two were currently turning into ash, having been cleaved clean in two by Saber. The last one was next to Berserker who was comforting a sobbing and scared Primo in his arms. _That's_ going to be quite the scene back home.

"Jackie, can you go check up on Primo?" Welf asked. "And make sure she doesn't see Gina like this."

Assassin looked down at Gina, blinking back the tears in her eyes before looking at Fia who nodded. The harpy took an uneasy step back from Assassin, favoring one leg over the other, before the smallest Servant ran over to Berserker and Primo.

"Miss Gwen is stable," Lancer said as she finished tracing runes on Gina's injured arm and Welf watched with amazement as the flesh was slowly knitting itself back together. She then picked Gina up in her arms. "I must act quickly to save her arm."

The fact that that was even possible allowed relief to seep from Welf's body. With a small grunt of effort, he stood up and walked over to Fia to offer his back and carry her inside. Rider moved to follow them but glanced toward the wall…or rather the massive hole in the wall where the first viola had sprouted up from.

Apollo Familia was already riding out, eager to take advantage of the chaos of the violas. Welf certainly didn't have any reason to think they were coming to help.

"Welf," someone spoke up in a voice so cold and dark that Welf immediately flinched and felt every single hair on his body stand on end with goosebumps forming soon after. It wasn't quite like the feeling of seeing the Black Goliath but it sure was close. "Hurry and take Fia inside."

"…Ri…der?" Welf asked in complete disbelief that it was the same woman that got on his case for staying up late or for forgetting to eat that was giving off that aura that was deathly cold yet threatened to envelope him in a flame more powerful than his own Magic Swords.

Even Fia, the one who jumped right into the jaws of a monster to save Gina, was shivering rather uncontrollably.

"_Now_ Dear."

"Yes Ma'am!"

Welf quickly ran after Lancer with Fia on his back but stopped to give one last look over his shoulder and to see Rider walking toward her chariot…with each step slowly causing the grass beneath her feet to burn away to ash.

X-x-X-x-X

"Where are you going?" Caster's voice came from above Rider as she steered her chariot toward the gate.

"I'm going to give them a reason to surrender," Rider replied before her eyes turned to look up without moving her head an inch. "Then I'm coming back to have words with you."

"Oh? About what?"

"About why you let those things attack us without a word to anyone."

A rather dry chuckle was the king's only response.

He neither denied nor admitted to her accusation and his laughter was more of amusement than anything else. Amusement that someone like her would voice her displeasure openly to him.

Yellow light appeared around the gate, forcing it to open without using the winch. A gold and red staff then rose up from her chariot near Rider's foot. There were no ornaments or blades adorned on it. It was more like a sturdy metal rod than anything else.

The message was clear. Caster would not stop Rider, but it also reminded Rider that Bell and Hestia would not be happy if she went too far with what she was about to do.

But even so, all she could do was offer a wordless apology.

"After all…even I can find a reason to go on a rampage…"

With a flourish, she took the staff Caster offered her in hand and snapped the reins of her chariot.

Her beloved steeds reared up as they let out a cry of battle, sending sparks of magic flying out from under the chariot.

She felt someone's eyes on her back. Giving one quick look, she saw that it was Bell, but the boy flinched back at her gaze. It probably wasn't something he was used to seeing on her after all.

The eyes of a warrior queen.

Turning her back to her Master, Rider snapped the reins and the chariot blazed off toward the oncoming Apollo Familia.

There number was around fifty. It looked like they were making a serious push toward them, taking advantage of the violas' attack. That only made the flame roaring inside her burn all the more.

Her chariot shot forward but as she drew closer, she weaved off to the left of the army's formation and just narrowly scraped through it.

"Agh…gaahh?"

Or rather, she scraped something off their formation.

A human male wearing a metal breastplate was hanging off the tip of her staff, its golden tip having crashed through the plate and stabbed into his chest, allowing her to hoist him up above her head like he was nothing more than a sack of flour. Making a sharp turn, she flung the extra baggage off her staff and sent him sprawling to the ground as she prepared to make another go at the enemy.

"I am Rider of Hestia Familia!" She roared, eyes seemingly glowing with deep blue flames. "Disperse or be trampled!"

X-x-X-x-X

"Rider!"

Bell had called out to her, but the woman left the castle without saying anything to anyone.

And not only that, she headed straight for the frontlines and engaged Apollo Familia.

"You say engage but it's more like she's tearing them to pieces, right?" Emma asked, her voice rather quiet and filled with worry. Bell didn't know if her worry was for Apollo Familia or the glare that Rider had levied their way before she left.

"In any case, we can't leave her out there alone," Bell decided. "Let's finish things now and get Gina back to the city! Berserker! Saber!"

At his order, Berserker and Saber made their way to his side, the former carrying Primo in his arm.

"Saber, please go help Rider and make sure she doesn't overdo it!" Bell ordered, rubbing a hand over his chest as he felt his insides heating up. "Berserker, clear us a way to the Apollo Castle! Primo…are you up for it?"

"Y-yes!" Primo nodded. "I won't let that stupid plant scare me!"

Bell decided not to point out that that "stupid plant" would have bitten her in half were it not for Berserker's protection.

"Right, Saber, go on first to help Rider. Berserker, you and Primo next. Head straight through them to the Castle. The rest of us will be right behind you."

Red lightning surged from Saber's gauntlets and the Servant shot toward the battle immediately after a nod of acknowledgement. Berserker held Primo up to her spot on his back and allowed the elf to climb on and secure herself properly. Once that was done, he ran over to pick up his club and shield before rushing out of the castle as well.

"What are we going to do?" Emma asked as Assassin appeared behind her.

"We're going straight for Hyacinthus," Bell replied as he turned toward Assassin who flinched at his gaze.

"Can…We come too?" Assassin asked.

"That depends," Bell began. "Do you want to? Or do you want to stay here and make sure Gina's okay?"

"We…" Assassin began, hesitating as she looked backed at the castle. "We'll help Mommy! The faster we beat the bad guys; the faster Gina can get help!"

"All right. But remember, you can't hurt the bad guy who hurt Emma, okay? Or Caster will get really mad."

"Un!"

Assassin acknowledged the order with a nod.

"Is Lily coming along too?" Emma asked.

"I don't know. She disappeared from Caster's side after Rider left the Castle…well, I'm sure she has her own plan."

His trusted Supporter always did after all.

"All right, let's go! We head straight to Apollo Castle!"

The other two nodded in response and followed after him.

X-x-X-x-X

"Outta the way! Outta the way!" Primo shouted as Berserker bull rushed right through the center of the Apollo Formation. "We're stopping for no one so move it or break your face!"

Again, the Level 1s broke rank when Berserker came barreling at them with an inhuman roar. Berserker held his shield, which was attached to his left arm, in front of him, using it as a ram to clear the way with his club also being held in his left hand. Someone swung their spear at them to try to get the raging bull to stop, but Berserker caught it with one hand and ended up dragging the poor human along with them until they released their weapon. Once their unwanted passenger was gone, Berserker discarded the spear as well.

It was Primo and Berserker's job to clear a way for Bell and the others to follow behind them. They had to get this done quick as apparently Gina and Fia have been injured by those plant things. Although Assassin had said that they would be fine, Primo knew that Gina would rather rest at home than in that cold empty castle.

Which meant that they had to get through the gate…or rather, get rid of it!

"Protect me, Berserker!" Primo said as she held her staff in front of her and began her chant, causing her body to shine in white light.

"_Oh, stars that hang in the night sky. I grasp you in these unworthy hands, tearing you down from the heavens you reside in!_"

She began a chant. It wasn't the one she fired so often since joining the Familia. No, it was a completely new spell, one she had received in preparation for this day.

"_I offer you these words in exchange for your majesty!_"

The chant, Mind, and time required for this spell could not be compared to her original spell.

All her focus went into her Mind as she allowed Berserker to defend and move for her as arrows rained down upon them; all of them bouncing off Berserker's shield.

If she had a Magic Circle like the ones that are given to Adventurers that had the Development Ability Mage the Mind cost and time required to focus it could be lessened but it would be a long time before that happened. There were rumors that it was possible for some Spells to come with their own Magic Circle, but it didn't matter right now as she didn't have one with this spell.

"_You who reign above the heavens themselves! Rain down upon this earth, scatter these worthless beings!_"

Rather than a prayer like her first spell, this song sounded more like a demand. One made to the stars that rested in the skies above.

"_Immortalize your grace within our souls!_ _Stardust Fall!_"

The light that gathered around her body rushed into her staff as she pointed it straight up into the air. The magic converged and condensed, forming a massive stone the size of a small house that fell toward the Apollo Castle Gate.

The guards near the gate immediately turned tail and ran, not wanting to be anywhere near ground zero.

Primo held it up as long as she could, wanting to give the guards as much time to flee as possible before she was forced to swing her staff downward toward the gate or risk an Ignis Faatus.

The world around them seemed to fall silent as the massive stone moved through the air. There was a rather ominous feeling seeing something so big float across the sky like that. Berserker seemed to think so as well as he carefully plucked Primo from her seat and placed her right behind him. He then slammed the shield into the ground and braced himself behind it while holding Primo as close to him as possible.

And then the world exploded.

X-x-X-x-X

Saber calmly watched the Apollo Castle gate transform into a shower of stone flying off in different directions as he released his chokehold on the Apollo Familia Adventurer, allowing the man to collapse onto the ground, unlikely to regain consciousness anytime soon.

From there, he used a single short sword and destroyed the equipment of the Adventurers around him. One tried to swing a halberd at his head. The swing may have been fast to most of the viewers but for Saber it might as well have been moving in slow motion. The Servant caught it with his empty hand, his fingers digging into the blade until it shattered in his grip before he grabbed the shaft and pulled the unfortunate Adventurer closer where he was promptly introduced to Saber's boot.

To those watching in Orario, it was clear where Bell had learned to fight.

It was such a simple task that Saber wondered if anyone would bother watching his battle against broken and defeated men and women.

The strike force had been quickly reduced under Rider's relentless assault. Although the woman was fighting in a near blind rage, she hadn't severed any limbs in her fury. Not that that was any consolation to their foes. Men and women were staggering away from the battlefield with broken and dislocated limbs with a few desperately trying to pull their friends away as well.

The Servant had descended from her chariot, allowing her horses to charge the enemy on their own initiative. They would ride far away from the melee as Rider distracted the enemy with her ferocious assault before smashing into her targets from behind, sending them flying as the Servant acted as the anvil to their hammer.

As expected of a Rider Class Servant, the rider and mount were of one and the same mind.

Saber's presence was redundant here if one were to expect him to repel the enemy. He was here to stop only one person.

"Rider," Saber said, grabbing onto the woman's arm. "Enough. They're beaten."

Rider wheeled around to face him with a glare that would have made a lesser man flinch. Saber however, simply narrowed his eyes in response.

It was only expected that a Servant would be able bring such violence to bear and Saber was no stranger to beautiful women suddenly baring their claws to indulge themselves in violence.

Nevertheless, it was always disconcerting to see.

Rider broke eye contact first before tossing the golden staff onto the ground where it dissolved into golden light, returning to the king's treasury.

"Even if they tried to take advantage of the commotion, they had nothing to do with it," Saber said. "Those monsters are hardly subtle after all. I would have noticed them while I was tracking Apollo Familia days ago."

"I know," Rider replied, her voice cold and curt as she pulled her arm out of Saber's grip. "Any proper military commander worth their salt would have taken advantage of it."

"Gina will be fine," Saber said, trying to guess the source of Rider's rage so he could calm her down. "Brynhildr will not fail."

Rider didn't reply as she glanced back at him over her shoulder as her chariot came to a stop in front of her. As she stepped onto the chariot, Saber spoke up again.

"Where are you headed now?"

"Back inside. I don't want to overtax Bell anymore than I have to."

She then gave a look to Saber as if to ask if he was coming along to which Saber answered by stepping onto the chariot behind her.

X-x-X-x-X

"Berserker! Primo!" Bell called out to the pair them as he and the girls ran up to them. "Are you two all right?"

The minotaur's shield looked as though it had been turned into a giant slice of metal cheese, but Berserker simply nodded his head as he brushed aside the rocks that were lodged into his arms as if they were nothing more than dirt while Primo looked a little out of it.

"I suddenly feel very tired…" Primo admitted. "Is this Mind Down?"

"If it was, you'd be unconscious," Bell replied with a wry smile as he held a Mind Potion to her lips. "Here, drink."

Primo accepted the potion obediently and Bell drank one himself.

"Did it work?" Primo asked.

"Well, the gate is…well…gone," Emma pointed out dryly. "So, I say it did. What's the plan, Bell?"

"Jack will go with me inside the castle and find Hyacinthus," Bell said as he wiped his mouth with his sleeve before placing the empty bottle back into his pack. "We should try to go for the flags on the walls too. Caster probably won't like a Flag Capture victory but at this point I don't really care. It completes his conditions after all."

"And the fifth flag?"

The five flags of the War Game were supposed to be placed in the five spots agreed upon by the rules of the War Game. They were to be placed on the four corners of the walls and the final one was to be placed in the same "throne room" as the Familia Captain. That way it would be the Captain's duty to guard the final flag and in theory, either force the attackers to distract him in order to make off with the flag or fight him there.

"I'll have Jack take it and run while I take on Hyacinthus. But I don't think it'll take that long. This is just a way to distract the remaining Apollo Familia."

If Apollo Familia had to chase after the captured flags instead of assisting Hyacinthus, then all the better. And since Bell wasn't the Captain of Hestia Familia, there was less risk to their side.

"I think that giant rock was quite distracting already."

As the stone had been made by magic, there was no trace of it left on the battlefield. Only the remains of the gate were scattered here and there.

Bell simply smiled as he shook his head.

"Berserker…and Primo too if you're still up for it," Bell began, turning to the two. "Go in first and make a big commotion so Emma can go around to the rear and take the other two flags. They can't afford to ignore you rampaging around after all. But it might be dangerous now that your shield is more or less destroyed."

"Let's do it!" Primo said as she climbed back into her saddle. "Let's go rampaging, Berserker!"

Berserker nodded his head before taking his club in hand. With a beastly roar that was beyond what a human or demi-human could make, Berserker charged toward the destroyed gate with Primo on his back. Then, in a show of power, smashed through the rubble, scattering the rocks outward toward the keep wall, causing it to collapse as Primo screamed out, "THERE WAS A GAP RIGHT THERE!"

Shaking his head, Bell ran forward after them after giving them a few minutes head start.

"Did you use your Skill before coming here?" Bell asked Emma.

"Ah…no, I didn't," Emma replied worriedly.

"Then stick close to Berserker and Primo. Move together to get the flags. If it's impossible then just run."

As an Adventurer of only a few weeks, there was no way she would be able to take on the veteran members of Apollo Familia head on without borrowing someone else's Status. At best she could hold them off until she found a way to escape.

"Right."

Emma nodded her head in understanding, both of Bell's words and her own abilities, before she split off from Bell and Assassin to follow after the minotaur/elf pair.

Bell and Assassin made their way inside the central keep searching for the throne room.

The throne room, for the sake of the War Game, was not any specific room in particular. It was what the room where both the fifth flag and the Captain resided. It wasn't to say that the Captain had to stay there the entire time, but it was a designated place that the Divine Mirrors can easily see the Captain. As such, the throne room could be anywhere.

Hestia Familia made use of the largest room as their throne room, but Apollo Familia had used theirs as a makeshift medical room. They would need to search for a different spot.

But if Bell took in the fact that Hyacinthus had dropped in on him from above, that lowered the amount of possible locations rather easily.

Perhaps it was Hyacinthus's personality to loom over his subordinates or to look down on his enemies from above, Bell wasn't sure. Caster was much the same way, but he chose the largest room as Bell wanted to make use of the bell on the tower in their plans. The fact that the king had no intention of having his eardrums ring every few hours also played a part in the decision.

"Remember Jack, no going overboard again," Bell said as the two of them burst through the doors and ran through the halls.

"Yes Mommy!" Assassin replied. "We won't mess up this time! Should we go look for the mean man?"

"'Mean man?' Y-yeah! Find him them come back to me to show me the way."

"Okay!"

With that, Assassin sped forward, turning down a different hallway and vanishing from sight as her Skill activated.

Bell stared at the direction Assassin had disappeared to before taking the other hallway.

Bell hadn't gotten too far when a pair of doors to his left burst open and a cat person jumped out at him with a roar.

Bell dodged the man's first sword swing before catching the second with his red dagger. He wasn't quite confident enough to catch swords barehanded like Saber could yet. With his other hand, Bell drew the Hestia Knife and shattered the demi-human's blade before bringing his left foot up to the man's face, sending him crashing to the floor, rolling a few times before coming to a still stop.

Each new injury would be on Bell for not ending things immediately last night. He had been so preoccupied with getting the girls out that the thought of beating Hyacinthus then and there didn't even cross his mind.

Bell felt that his goddess, Servants, and the rest of his Familia expected him to be the one who defeated Hyacinthus. If Bell was honest, he had wanted to be the one to do so as well. But at this point, he also didn't care who beat him so long as this War Game came to an expedient end.

As he made his way down the corridor, more and more Apollo Adventurers attacked him and each of them were quickly taken down without a second glance.

A small part of Bell was worried that their little deception in regard to his Level might come to light after this and they'd probably only have to pay a fine or something. Worst case was that the entire War Game would be considered null and void, making this whole affair one giant waste of time but that wouldn't change the fact that Apollo still lost to them.

Bell came to a stop near another double door room. It wasn't as though he could sense auras or anything like that, but a feeling told him that there were people waiting inside. It wasn't enough that it could have been the makeshift infirmary…so it was most likely a trap or an ambush waiting for him.

If he hadn't been in a hurry, Bell would have probably ignored it, but as it was, he couldn't take the risk of overlooking any room that Hyacinthus could be in.

But even in his haste, it wasn't as though he was dumb enough to charge right in.

Bracing himself, Bell held his hand up toward the double doors.

"_Firebolt!_"

The red lighting shot forward from his hand and blew the doors off their hinges. One of the doors hit some poor elf that had been standing near the front and sent him flying back.

With the initiative on his side, Bell rushed forward himself, into the waiting arms of Hyacinthus himself.

X-x-X-x-X

"What was that, did you see that!?"

"A chantless spell!?"

"I want that human sooooooooooooooo bad!"

The gods and goddesses all around Hestia were chattering with glee as Bell charged forward to fight Apollo's Captain even though the man was surrounded by Apollo's elite. Hestia spared the main mirror in the center of the room a glance, giving her precious Child a silent word of encouragement before turning her attention back to her personal Divine Mirror.

The Mirror was currently showing Lancer attending to the injured Gina. Sitting on a chair, leg bobbing up and down in worry, was Welf. Fia was also there, one wing significantly less feathery than the other as she was staring out the window toward the Apollo Castle while occasionally glancing back at Gina.

"Not going to watch Bell fight, Hestia?"

"I don't need to watch for him to win, Hermes."

Hestia didn't turn her head as she replied to the god who had suddenly came up to her. She was too busy watching Lancer drawing runes on Gina's arm with the Amazoness's own blood with some morbid fascination.

"Haha…well…I suppose that's true," Hermes said with a weak chuckle as he sat down beside her.

"She'll be fine," Hestia said, more to herself than Hermes.

"Hmm? Are you talking about Little Gina?" Hermes asked. "Sure, she may have been in my Familia but she's part of yours now. I'm no longer her God so I shouldn't have a reason to care what happens, right?"

Although his tone betrayed none of his inner thoughts, Hestia chose to believe he was lying. There was no way his Captain would have screamed alongside Hestia if they didn't care a little bit after all. He did go out of his way to make sure Gina had a new Familia to go to after she wanted to leave his own after all.

"Then why are you here?" Hestia asked.

"I was just curious about Bell. Can you tell me what his Status was before he Leveled Up?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Hestia swore she saw Loki's posture shift slightly closer toward the two of them.

"Even if I told you, it's not like you'd believe me," Hestia answered simply.

He was most likely asking for Bell's Status after the minotaur fight. After all, they hadn't officially announced Bell's Level 3 promotion yet. Hermes probably thought that Bell's base abilities at Level 1 and 2 were extremely high.

"Come on…I can keep a secret. You know that."

Indeed, she did. Disgustingly so.

"Every Stat besides Magic and Agility was SS."

"…Seriously?"

Contrary to Hestia's belief, Hermes did seem to believe her, but he can't seem to wrap his head around it. That was only to be expected. After all, since the time of Zeus and Hera, everyone thought that S999 was the cap for the various stats. Hestia didn't know the Status for Loki's top three or Freya's Ottarl, but she suspected that if one of them had broken through to SS they wouldn't exactly keep quiet about it.

At the very least Loki wouldn't.

Then again, an extra point or two at Level 1 or Level 2 didn't matter much on its own.

If Bell kept doing so at each Level Up however…he could actually be an entire Level stronger than what his Status actually said.

Before Hermes could ask something else, the other deities roared in excitement.

The two of them turned around to see Bell surrounded by the unconscious bodies of downed Apollo Familia members as he was sword-locked with Hyacinthus. However, both Adventurers had a dark and eerie light shining around their bodies.

The source of the light was coming from a long-haired woman holding a staff while a short-haired woman was standing in front of her as a guard.

"Oh, looks like a magic sealing curse from that Magic Item," Hermes noted, and Hestia blinked in surprise that Apollo had such a thing before a painful thump in her chest reminded her of something that had slipped her mind.

Turning back toward her own Divine Mirror, she saw Lancer staring at her own hands as golden sparks were slowly floating away from her.

Swiping her mirror back and forth she tried to find the other Servants.

Caster was on the gate, one arm folded over his chest as he glanced down at his gauntleted hand lazily and without concern…even though sparks were rising up from his hand as well.

Rider's chariot had stopped as she stared wide-eyed at the lights floating off of her body and that of her chariot and horses.

Berserker's massive body was also giving off more wisps of light than the other three put together, and both Primo and Emma were running around the minotaur, who was panting on all fours, at a complete loss at what to do before the human ran toward the Apollo Castle.

And, despite the goddess's best efforts, Assassin was nowhere to be found, her Skill completely hiding her from being spotted by the basic Divine Mirror…or at least, she hoped that was the case.

The only ones who looked to be unaffected at being cut off from Bell were Archer and Saber. The former perched once more on the bell tower watching the fights going on in Apollo Castle and the latter was helping Rider remain upright as the chariot and horses vanished.

The _only _silver lining was that all the main Divine Mirrors in town were completely focused on Bell's duel with Hyacinthus and that the rest of Apollo's Adventurers were too unconscious to notice what was going on with the Servants.

Which was fair; it could be the deciding bout after all.

The Curse seemed to be affecting Bell's performance in the fight as well. Whether it was because there was some side effect of the magic or it was due to being completely cut off from his Servants for the first time since he picked up the Holy Grail and Archer from the Dungeon Hestia wasn't sure. However, Hestia suspected it to be more the latter than the former.

As a goddess, Hestia was able to sense her Blessings on all of the Children in her Familia and would continue to do so until they either Converted out of the Familia or died. If she were to suddenly lose her connection to all thirteen of her Children at once, she definitely wouldn't be able to think straight.

But even as Bell was holding off Hyacinthus's flurry of attacks, his eyes were bouncing from Hyacinthus to the two women in the room as if trying to find an opportunity to break off and destroy the Magic Item.

Judging from the aura around Hyacinthus, he was most likely also affected by the Curse, but it wasn't affecting him as badly as Bell.

Three red blades flashed all across the room as the Hestia Familia Vice Captain and Apollo Familia Captain stepped around the downed Adventurers almost like they were in a coordinated dance.

"Come on Bell…" Hestia muttered as she folded her hands together in prayer.

X-x-X-x-X

Things were quiet, disturbingly so.

Even though he was dueling with a Level 3 Adventurer, the world around him was completely silent.

The clashing of metal against metal didn't reach Bell's ears. The presences of the man in front of him, the two women that Cursed him, and he unconscious Adventurers by his feet also didn't register to him.

It was like he was all alone in the world. The magical bonds that tethered him to the others were gone.

For the first time in months, Bell felt completely alone in the world once more.

It was only by instinct alone that he was able to defend himself as he tried to find an opening to destroy that Magic Item.

But as it was, there was no way he could find one in his current state. Not all by himself.

But of course, he wasn't truly alone.

""BELL!""

Two voices called out to him in unison, shattering through the curtain of the silent world.

Through the two windows on opposite ends of the room, he saw two girls. One human and one pallum.

X-x-X-x-X

Lily had left the castle shortly after the violas had been put down. She ran across the battlefield, stopping only once to stare at the barely restrained brutality that Rider was inflicting on the Apollo Familia. She then laid her body flat on the grass as she watched Berserker and Primo completely obliterate the castle's outer wall before they stormed inside with Bell and the others.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Lily took out a hook and rope from her pack and used it to scale up the walls of the castle.

Lily reached into her sleeve and pulled out the white Magic Sword that she received from Welf. Taking a leaf from Archer's book, the girl loaded it into the crossbow and took aim through the window.

With a simple pull of the trigger, the Crozzo Magic Sword flew just as well as any arrow. The blade smashed through the window, shocking the redheaded woman for a split second, before she and the mage she was protecting were blown away as the blade exploded between the two. The resulting discharge of the lighting magic stored with the blade also completely destroyed the magic staff that the mage was holding.

With that obstacle down, Lily called out the boy's name at the same time as someone else.

""BELL!""

X-x-X-x-X

Emma didn't know what was happening with Berserker.

One moment he was tough as any bull, and the next moment he was suddenly on the ground gasping for air.

The only thing Emma could think of that could make the powerful Servant fall to his knees was that something had happened to Bell, the Servant's anchor to this world.

Not that she really understood what that meant but she did at least get that "No Bell, no Servants."

With no other choice, she left Primo to try and calm Berserker down as she ran toward the castle to try and find out what happened to Bell even though she didn't even know where to begin.

With no other option, she ran close to the wall, peering through each of the windows to see if she could get lucky. Even though it was an emergency, Emma didn't feel confident enough to try and break through a window to get in.

As she passed by a window, she spotted her Vice Captain being pushed back by the enemy Captain.

Emma's hands immediately went for her blades but stopped just before she drew them out.

What exactly was she planning to do? Fighting the Level 1 members of Apollo Familia was one thing, but Emma wouldn't be able to do a thing thing against the Level 3 Hyacinthus. Especially not when there were two Level 2 Adventurers ready to jump in.

As it was, she was only going to get in the way.

At least, if she something as dumb as charge right in.

She secured Nikka back in its sheath while drawing out Gekka. She then carefully traced its edge on the glass in a circle, cutting out a hole wide enough for her to stick her hand through.

And then, she began her chant.

"_Rend my flesh, pierce their soul._"

An eerie light surrounded Emma as she gathered and focused her Mind into the Spell…no, into the Curse.

Unlike Gina, who received a self-enhancement magic, and Primo who received a new bombardment magic, Emma received a Curse from the Magic Grimoire.

"_Break the blessing and wither their strength!_"

The red headed woman turned to look at Emma and her eyes shot wide open. But before she could do anything, the ground beneath the woman's feet exploded, sending her and the Mage behind her flying away. The destruction of the Magic Item also caused the curse around Hyacinthus and Bell to vanish.

Hyacinthus stared in shock in the direction of the explosion, exposing his back to Emma.

Seeing her chance, Emma finished her chant.

"_Épine Flétrie!_"

A nearly invisible wave shot through the room from her hand, sending a high-pitched sound at Hyacinthus's back, enveloping him once more in a dark aura while also causing Emma to collapse onto her knees.

The Curse had an effect similar to her Skill, but it was also the complete opposite. Her Skill allowed her to take the Status of her friend and add it to her own. The curse however, temporarily took away a portion her own Status to do the same to her target.

If she could hit them that is.

With that done, she then called out her friend's name at the same time as someone else.

""BELL!""

X-x-X-x-X

""BELL!""

"Lily…Emma…"

Seeing the two of them come to his aid reminded Bell once again that he wasn't alone. The feeling of seven roaring flames being tethered to his soul also reinforced his heart. And with it, his strength.

"Hah!"

With renewed vigor, Bell swung his two red knives at the rouge blade…and shattered it into a thousand pieces. The bloodlust from the minotaur he defeated on the Ninth Floor still resonated within his two minotaur horn daggers.

Without his sword and Cursed by Emma's Magic, Hyacinthus was now no match for Bell.

With a punch, Bell sent Hyacinthus flying out a window and followed out after him.

"Miss Emma, are you okay?"

Lily hopped through the windows of the room to reach Emma as quickly as she could, pulling out a Dual Mind/Body potion from Miach Familia's Blue Pharmacy to give to the girl.

"Y-yeah…" Emma nodded as she accepted the potion gratefully. Once she drained it, she carefully got back up to her feet. She then glanced at the bottle in her hand before turning to the Pallum. "Lily! I have one more favor to ask of you!"

"Y-yes?"

Several meters away, Hyacinthus had pulled out a short sword to replace his destroyed weapon and was just barely holding off Bell's relentless assault as cuts and wounds appeared all across his body.

"W-who…" Hyacinthus began, eyes wide in fear and rage. "WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE!?"

Bell caught Hyacinthus sword between his daggers as he glared at the man.

"We're…Hestia Fa-" he began only for something to fly from the side and strike Hyacinthus in the side of the head, throwing him off his feet and landing with a thud on the grass.

Blinking in both confusion and surprise, Bell looked around to see the shattered remains of a potion bottle and turned toward the direction it came from.

"That's what you get, you jerk!" Emma shouted, voice filled with righteous indignation as she was shining with the pink aura that signaled her Skill's activation.

"…Lily thinks Miss Emma ruined Bell's scene," Lily said as several bells resounded in the distance to signal the end of the war game. "Well…Lily supposes it's fine to let Miss Emma throw away her bottled emotions now and again."

X-x-X-x-X

A heavy silence filled the entire city of Orario at the scene but as Church bells rang out throughout the city everyone realized that bottle throw, anti-climatic as it was, that had been the final blow of the War Game.

People throughout the city were cheering as the commentator's voice rang out.

"There's the final bell! That was…well…that was something! The victor of this War Game is Hestia Familia!"

All throughout the city, those who cheered on and believed in Hestia Familia from the start were celebrating.

From Eina Tulle, temporarily forgetting her neutrality as a member of the Guild, hugging her coworker, Misha, in joy.

To Mord Latro, who laughed his head off as he ran toward the betting counter to claim his millions of valis in winnings alongside a trio of Gods who betted on the supposed underdog.

To Tiona Hiryute, as she happily hugged Lefiya before swinging the hapless elf around and around.

To Syr Flover, as tears of happiness ran down her cheeks in relief.

To Hestia herself, as she slid across the chamber to where a cowering Apollo was trying to back away from her and her swaying twintails that were snapping back and forth like snakes after checking to see that her Children were all unharmed.

To a young woman with long purple hair staring wide-eyed at the human girl being depicted on Divine Mirrors all across Orario.

"Why? Why are you here!?"

The woman spoke to no one as she clutched a blue diamond-shaped pendant around her neck, one identical to the one around the girl's neck.


	41. Aftermath

A reminder for FFnet only readers to check out the story thread on the Spacebattles forum. You can find omakes written by me and other readers for more enjoyment. The fic also has a tvtropes pages that you can use to find the thread directly as well.

* * *

**Chapter 41: To the Next Stage**

Gina Gwen let out a soft groan as she opened her eyes and looked around.

"This is…my room?"

Instead of a spartan room lined with stone, she was in a small, yet comfortable room of wood and plaster decorated with things any ten-year-old girl would love. Storybooks, songbooks, stuffed animals, and ceremonial daggers.

Well, things a ten-year-old Amazoness would love anyway.

"Yo, Sleeping Beauty."

Gina's eyes fell down at the foot of her bed where the red-haired Smith of Hestia was sitting with what looked like a sewing kit by his side.

"Welf?" Gina asked as she tried to sit up, fear slowly building in her chest. "…Why can't I feel my arm?"

"Ah, that's because you're on like a million painkillers," Welf said as he walked over and placed a hand on her right shoulder to keep her still. "Magical and normal."

Gina followed his hand and saw that her arm was wrapped in a cast and was tightly bound to her chest to keep her from moving it. And just like that, all the tension sputtered out of her like a leaking balloon.

"Lancer said your arm will heal up just fine, but it'll take a few weeks," Welf continued as Gina ran a hand over her arm to make sure it really was still there. "Jackie and Primo were here too but they fell asleep, so Lancer carried them back to their rooms. Bell, Lil'ly and Emmy wanted to stay too but they kinda clonked out the minute we got back so Rider put them to bed before heading to the kitchen. Fia's still here but she just clocked out."

Welf indicated the harpy who had one leg in a small cast as she was sleeping soundly with her back against a wall.

"So…we're back home?" Gina asked as Welf gently made her lie back down and pulled her blanket up. "Did we…win?"

"Duh," Welf replied bluntly as if he was insulted that she might have thought otherwise, causing her to smile. "Anyway, I'm just here because I'm used to staying up all night working on stuff and to make sure you don't wake up all alone."

"Thanks, Welf…" Gina replied honestly. She did appreciate his sentiment.

"You can thank me by looking over the armor designs I'm going to make for you starting tomorrow," Welf said, ruffling her hair. "I know Amazoness don't usually use them but I'm going to have to insist on this."

"Fine…" Gina begrudgingly agreed as she rubbed her shoulder with her free hand. "What were you working on there?"

"Haha…well I wanted to add a few cool things to it, but I guess it wouldn't hurt to show you what I got now."

Welf went back to the spot on the floor where he had been sitting and picked up a bit of cloth.

"Ta-dah! A new one for your collection!"

It was a teddy bear. Its fur was a light brown color and it was wearing a yellow chiton over its body held together by a belt with three tiny gems slotted in. It also had a little club in one of its hands and a red dagger in a small sheathe around its waist.

Gina wanted to squee, but her body felt too tired to do more than let out a soft squeal.

Her glee was still obvious in her face as Welf let out another chuckle before placing the teddy by her head.

"He's so cute Welf!" Gina said as she rubbed her cheek against it. "I didn't know you made things like this too."

"Well compared to leather armor, it's way easier," Welf admitted. "Though I think I kinda screwed up on the face."

Taking a closer look at it, Gina noted that the eyes were half closed, and its snout took up a generous amount of space on the lower half of its face, giving the teddy a rather sly and smug look.

"I know I'm the one who made it and all, but I feel like its face is mocking me."

Gina couldn't help but giggle at the sour face Welf was making while staring at the teddy as the door opened up.

"It's getting late, Welf," Rider's voice said as the woman came in holding a mug in one hand and a plate with a sandwich in the other. "You should head to-"

The woman stopped speaking when she locked eyes with Gina. Rider then seemed to blur in place for a moment before Gina blinked and found the Servant kneeling in front of her, sandwich and drink still in her hands. Rider then shoved the snack into Welf's hands and pulled Gina into a tight and warm hug.

"You're awake…" Rider said, choking back tears. "Thank goodness…"

"Um…Rider?" Gina began. "You're kinda…um…"

Rider's fingers dug into Gina's skin a bit before her grip lessened and the woman leaned back a bit. She reminded Gina a lot of her own mom, though the way they showed their physical affections differed greatly.

Not to say that Gina's mom never hugged her; just never so tightly. Her dad had said it was because she had once dislocated his arm when she hugged him at full strength, so she always had to hold back when showing affection to others.

"Gina?" Rider suddenly called her name and Gina realized tears were falling from her own eyes.

"Ah…sorry…" Gina said as she wiped her eyes with her free hand for a moment before Welf handed Rider a handkerchief that the woman then used to wipe them for her.

"You have family outside of Orario, right?" Rider asked. "Do you want to send them a letter or go visit them?"

"N-no…I'm fine…" Gina said quickly. "The only ones who would go out that far from Orario would be Hermes Familia anyway…"

It wasn't as though she had left her old Familia in bad terms. She just had enough of a god who lost over half of the reward that was paid for by the blood of her friends over something as stupid as entering the Dungeon for his own personal amusement. Her old Familia understood her reasons and saw her off warmly, but she'd feel awkward if she had to rely on them for anything now.

Rider just stared at her softly for a moment before nodding her head.

"I understand. Do you want something to eat? Or would you rather rest some more?"

"Umm…I'd rather eat with everyone else…"

"All right. I'll call you once it's time for breakfast. Though the Caster and the others haven't returned yet. They're probably dealing with the Guild…same with Goddess Hestia."

With that done, Rider left the room, muttering to herself. Gina then turned back to Welf for an explanation as the young man was stuffing the sandwich into his mouth, being careful not to let any crumbs fall onto her bedsheets.

"Yeah…Caster, Saber and Archer are still back at the Castle to deal with the cleanup," Welf explained after swallowing. "Caster…kind of blew up like half the world just as the end bell rang…so he probably has to explain that."

"Did he say why?" Gina asked.

"At a guess, I think that's where the bad guys were hiding," Welf said. "It was both far away enough from our base that no one would pay attention to it on the Divine Mirrors and close enough for those plant things to attack us."

At the mention of the violas, Gina rubbed her arm again.

"Well, don't worry about that stuff," Welf said as he stood up and placed a hand on Gina's head. "Just leave everything to your big brother and rest."

Gina looked up at Welf with a giggle.

"You know Amazons don't have brothers, right?" Gina asked.

"Hey, first time for everything."

"Then, I'll leave it to you, 'Onii-chan!'"

Welf let out a strained cough as he clutched a hand over his chest.

"W-what was that?" Welf asked.

"It's something I learned from the Gods who came to Orario from the Far East," Gina replied with a smile. "They said it's a magic spell that little girls could say to older boys to make them weak."

"No one should have this power…" Welf said seriously before an evil smirk appeared on his face. "Why don't you get together with Primo and Jackie to say it to Bell?"

"You're mean, Welf."

"Oh, you wound me."

Welf playfully placed a hand over his heart as if someone had shot him there before setting the empty plate and mug on the nearby desk before plopping himself down on the floor beside Gina's bed so that his face was just visible to her from her spot lying down.

"…What are you doing?" Gina asked, blinking in confusion as she moved the teddy to the side to see Welf's face better.

"Feeling a bit lazy to go back to my room since it's in the second building," Welf said. "So, I'm going sit here and fix up some things."

"…I see."

"Oh right, Lancer also told me to make you drink this if you happened to wake up early. Something so you could relax better."

Gina nodded her head as Welf helped her drink the rather bitter liquid.

"…Thanks, Welf…" Gina muttered as she nestled into her sheets.

"For what?" Welf asked simply, pretending to not notice as he sat down and started patching up the holes in his coat.

As exhaustion caught up Gina again, she muttered out, "It wasn't your fault."

But even as Welf's hands stopped moving, Gina had already traveled back into dreamland.

X-x-X-x-X

"I see…so Gina's fallen back asleep then."

"Yes, Goddess Hestia."

Hestia and Rider were in Hestia's office with the latter having prepared a late-night snack for Hestia as well after reporting to her about Gina's condition.

Hestia had been dealing with the Guild to discuss the terms of her winnings until late into the night.

Deciding to get rid of a potential pain in the butt for the future, she seized the entirety of Apollo Familia's assets aside from the personal effects of Apollo's Adventurers; heirlooms, clothing, and the like.

Their weapons, armor and supplies on the other hand now belonged to Hestia Familia along with the entirety of their treasury and Familia Home. Apollo was also to disband his Familia and be cast out from Orario by the end of the week.

Originally, Hestia would have just been fine to take everything Apollo owned and be done with it, but after what happened to Gina, she wanted to never see his face again. She wanted to get rid of his entire Familia altogether, but the Guild begged her to reconsider as the loss of a hundred veteran Adventurers would cut into their profits.

And so, not wanting to make things harder for Ouranos than she had to, she settled for just kicking Apollo out.

"You don't think it's too much?" Hestia asked Rider who shook her head.

"No, if anything I say you are being too lenient," Rider replied. "You should have forced his Familia pay us millions in tribute each month instead. Then we could have used the money to build a better home for the Xenos."

"Yeah but that means I have to see his face," Hestia pointed out with a sigh. "That said, I do have his mansion now. But I am not completely sure what I want to do with it."

"You don't wish to move us into there?" Rider asked.

"That place was big enough to fit over a hundred people and have plenty of room to spare. We don't need that much space yet and I don't want to walk five minutes just to find the dining room or a toilet."

"Well…you have a point there."

"Besides, we still have two entire buildings to fill out here. I don't want to make Gil's renovations be for nothing. He paid good money for them after all."

"Then what will you be using the new building for."

"Well…I always did wonder if I was any good at running an inn," Hestia admitted. "It'll probably need some renovations, but I have Apollo's money to get started with that."

"Would the inn workers be part of the Familia too?" Rider asked. "I don't have anything against that but…"

"Hmm…probably not," Hestia admitted. "We still have to keep the Xenos a secret after all. I might give the future managers my Blessing so they could handle any problems in keeping order but I'm not looking to expand any more for the time being. Well…I wouldn't mind one or two more to help out our B-Team while Gina is healing up."

"…You are much calmer about all of this than I expected," Rider admitted as she looked at the goddess. "I admit, I thought you'd be much angrier."

"Oh, blindingly so," Hestia said, her tone and demeanor a complete contrast to her words. "Especially if what you say is true in that Caster knew about it beforehand. But what can we do about it? If he felt that that was the best course of action, then the alternative might have been even worse…that or it's just me putting my faith in the man who brought my Familia up from nothing."

"Then…what do you plan to do in regard to Evilus and Enyo?" Rider asked. "Will you be joining Goddess Loki in her alliance?"

"Nope," Hestia said, shaking her head. "As much as I'd love the extra help, I can't risk any of them knowing about the Xenos. We're already drawing those smugglers' eyes from openly using Fia and Berserker in the War Game after all. Even if the latter isn't technically one."

"Then our immediate goals?"

"As a Familia, probably prepare for anyone trying to force their way into our Home to get to Fia. For me personally, I'm going to get to work in turning our new property into an inn. The more I think about it, the more I actually want to do it!"

Rider simply let out a sigh as she wondered if things would be okay with a goddess like this.

X-x-X-x-X

Caster and the others returned to Orario within the next few days and the Servants, minus Berserker and Assassin, convened with Hestia in order to get an explanation for Caster's actions.

"Considering the circumstances, it was the most optimal outcome," Caster said, weathering the death glares from Rider and Lancer as if they were nothing more than rather adorable animals.

"Gina's arm being used as a chew toy is considered optimal!?" Rider demanded, making Hestia, Saber and Archer take a step back to give the woman some room.

"Is it not your duty as Captain to prevent such harm from befalling the young ones?" Lancer added. "Or will you say that you did not see the attack coming?"

"I am not a god," Caster said simply, narrowing his eyes at them. "And I will not have you confuse me as such. If you wish to force the blame upon me, should I not say the same of the two of you? Instead of playing 'House' or being distracted with love affairs, should you not have remained vigilant as well? I have made it no secret that our enemies would move to strike at us, correct?"

Rider and Lancer turned their heads away in anger.

"And, as I have said it time and time and again, I am but a watcher. There is no need for me to act unless I am personally affected. There is no excitement to be had if I am to step in each and every time."

"Then…what was the worst-case scenario?"

Saber asked.

"The one who would have been targeted would have been Libera," Caster replied. "The creatures are naturally attracted to magic and the child is always practicing in her off-time."

"I see…" Hestia nodded in understanding. "And if they had, Berserker would have…well…gone berserk."

Hestia shook her head at her lame turn of phrase.

"And if Bell had been outside…" Archer began.

"Naturally, being the beacon of constant magic as he is, he would have been the perfect bait. But as it was…"

Caster simply shrugged.

Even the violas had not been strong enough to dig through the solid rock that was the castle even if they had been able to tear through its outer walls. Thus, being unable to reach their intended target, they split off and attacked the other beacons of magic.

"So that's why you were outside," Hestia muttered. "Were you trying to distract them?"

"Humph," Caster scoffed at the notion. "For what reason would I offer myself up as bait for a bunch of brats?"

Hestia simply shook her head with a smile at Caster's non-answer.

"Fine…" Rider said, accepting Caster's explanation. "Then what are we going to do about them? About Evilus?"

"Naturally, retribution will be had," Caster replied. "But…the conditions aren't perfect to mount an assault."

"Conditions?" Lancer repeated. "So, you know where they are?"

"Of course. My informants have spotted them, and I have located their base. However, if we strike too early, we will simply be attacking an empty hovel."

"I get it…you want to wait until most of them are home before you strike," Rider muttered.

"I have no interest in chasing after scurrying rats any more than I have to. But have no fear, we will not need to wait long. I have already prepared the perfect bait to ensure that the rats remain home for our attack."

X-x-X-x-X

And so, the curtain fell on the War Game, with Hestia Familia standing victorious.

The exploits of Hestia Familia became the talk of the town and their Adventurers became hometown heroes almost overnight. They were the center of attention wherever they went after returning to the city.

Obeying Hestia's demands, Apollo Familia was disbanded immediately. Apollo said his good-byes and released every one of his followers before being escorted out of the city for the last time.

Hestia had wanted to stand on the gates while going "Neener-neener" to her enemy as he left just to twist in the knife but was talked out of it by Bell and Emma.

As for the now Familia–less adventurers, they went their separate ways. Some went on journeys of self-discovery, others were scouted and joined other Familias, and a few fell into despair. A small group, including Hyacinthus, went against the laws of Orario by leaving the city to follow their god.

And thus, some semblance of normalcy returned to Hestia and her Children's lives.

X-x-X-x-X

The café had barely just opened for business when Caster stepped inside.

"Wel-" the hostess at the door turned to greet him but stopped short once she recognized who he was.

Caster ignored her as he glanced around. It would appear that he had arrived before anyone else. The place was currently deserted.

Perfect.

Seeing that the employees were unable to handle his magnificence, Caster strolled over to an empty booth in the corner of the café without waiting to be prompted, plucking the menu from the hostess's hands as he did. He sat down facing the corner with his back to the rest of the aisle.

As he skimmed through the menu, Caster paid the staff the bare minimum of attention. The serving girls had quickly gathered together and were chatting and giggling amongst themselves until the owner shouted at them to get back to work. If Caster didn't know better, he'd have thought he had stepped into the Hostess of Fertility by mistake. Except the owner was a human male instead of a dwarf female.

Caster ordered a simple breakfast set when one of the servers finally came over to take his order. He didn't really glance at what it contained and had simply ordered the first thing that he saw in the breakfast section of the menu.

Due to certain excruciating circumstances, he had to eat outside this morning. Not that he needed to eat of course, due to being a Servant.

It just provided an excuse to leave the house for his errand.

The meal was a simple and standard fare. Eggs, bacon, some toast and a coffee. Cheap and perfect for a quick morning meal.

However, Caster picked at his food as he set some documents down in front of him and read through them as the café slowly began to fill up with regular citizens and Adventurers alike seeking their morning nourishment.

More than a few stopped at the entrance in shock when they saw him before taking their seats. For one reason or another, the booth next to Caster remained empty while the rest of the café filled up.

Then the seat was taken by a chiethrope wearing a hood with pointed ends for her ears. As she placed her order and relaxed against the back of the booth she spoke up.

"Have I kept you waiting?"

"No, you are on time. Early even."

Caster's eyes did not leave his work as he began eating the slightly cold meal with one hand.

"What have you found?" He asked, his mouth barely moving but carrying well enough that the woman's ears could still pick it out over the bustle of the restaurant.

"They've gone to ground," the woman replied. "It seems like they caught wind of what Loki Familia is planning. Not that it was particularly subtle. All of their Level 6s were seen getting their stuff maintained and they were buying a lot of healing supplies. More so than usual for a Familia of that size. Anyone could see that they are planning some kind of operation. But since they didn't buy a large number of rations or hire Hephaistos Familia Smiths again, it's clear that they aren't going on another Expedition."

Caster nodded his head. The seed he planted was about to bear fruit then.

"That's enough," Caster said as he allowed a bag of coins to appear by the woman's leg, hidden to the rest of the building. "If they have hidden themselves then there is no need for you to continue your work. Until Loki Familia's operation is complete and we have a result, our association is finished."

The woman didn't reply as the bag vanished up into her sleeve.

"Anything else?"

"None. However, should you feel that you are in danger, you are welcome to come to Hestia Familia for protection, Gita Meyers."

"Hopefully it won't come to that."

His informant was unaffiliated with any Familia and hadn't received a blessing from any of the gods of Orario. She made a living gathering and passing information along to whoever paid and wasn't interested in joining the Magic Stone trade of Adventurers. However, it also meant she had very little in the way of protection if she suddenly found herself in possession of information well above her pay grade.

Caster was fond of competent people and there was no way he was going to toss a useful one away after he was done but he also wasn't going to force someone to change their way of life. If one is to change, then they must do so by their own will.

"Oh, but there is one last thing I wish to know before we part."

"Yes?"

"What is the most popular bakery in this city that sells muffins?"

The query surprised Gita so much that she threw all confidentially to the wind and looked over her shoulder at Caster in confusion and incredulity.

X-x-X-x-X

"Umm…what is all of this?" Gina asked.

She had finally regained enough strength to walk without help even though her arm was still in a sling and wrapped tightly against her chest to allow it to heal.

Nevertheless, both Primo and Assassin were unwilling to leave her alone, so they ended up sticking closer to her more than usual.

But the three of them had suddenly been called up to Caster's office, with Gina's new teddy, nicknamed Tri-Star after the three gems on its belt, tucked under her arm. There, they found a dozen muffins, wrapped into four bags of three had been waiting them on top of the irate king's desk.

"Exactly what it looks like," the king growled, one hand propping up his head with his elbow on his arm rest. Beside him was a rather satisfied looking Rider. "Baked treats for the three of you for your accomplishments during the War Game."

The Young Girl Trio of Hestia Familia shared a confused glance at the unusual generosity of their Captain.

"Wait…aren't these muffins from _that_ store?" Gina asked as they took the packages in their hands. "The one that's always has an hour long wait?"

"Ah, they are!" Primo said, pointing to the mascot design on packaging. "I recognize this thing!"

"Thanks, Mister King!" Assassin said happily.

"If you are quite finished then begone!"

The girls nodded and quickly scampered back out the office. But as Gina closed the door behind her, she could hear Caster say something to Rider.

"_There! _Are you satisfied!?"

"Very. I'll stop hiding chili peppers in your meals now."

What was that all about?

X-x-X-x-X

"Miss Eina! Long time no see!"

Bell called out to his Advisor as soon as he and Saber entered the Guild.

The entire building almost immediately fell silent at Bell's voice as everyone turned to stare at them, causing Bell to flinch back. However, Saber ignored the gazes as he placed a hand on Bell's shoulder and led them over to Eina's cubicle as usual.

"Long time no see, Bell and Mister Saber," the half-elf Advisor replied as usual. "You came at a great time. We got a few Quests that specifically asked for your Familia, including ones from the Guild itself…oh…but before that. Congratulations on winning the War Game."

Eina had gone right into business mode but managed to offer her congratulations all the same.

"Thank you!" Bell said happily, both for receiving the praise and because that trouble was finally over, and he probably won't see Apollo or any of his (former) Adventurers ever again. "Oh, and we probably should hand these over before anything else."

"Hmm? Level Up reports?" Eina asked as she picked up the first one. "Ah…so Miss Gwen has Leveled Up. Thank goodness…she's okay then?"

"She's a bit shaken but her arm will be fine after another week or so," Bell replied.

"That's good to hear."

Eina then flipped to the other page only to immediately freeze at its contents.

However, she was not about to make the same mistake she made a little over a month ago.

"Before we continue, shall we move to a private room?" Eina asked, putting on a splendid mask of professionalism as she led them to their usual room. Once the door was closed and locked, she immediately rounded on Bell with her hands on his shoulders. "LEVEL 3!?"

"Ah…yeah, that's right," Bell said blankly.

"Putting the time, it took aside, it's only natural, correct?" Saber asked. "We defeated a much larger Familia with Bell spearheading our efforts. We also defeated the Monster Rex with Bell delivering the final blow as well."

"The time it took is precisely why this is so strange!" Eina said, letting out a long sigh before sinking into a couch while Bell and Saber sat across from her.

"Umm…I'm sorry for the trouble?" Bell offered but Eina shook her head.

"Well…this is great news," Eina continued. "Two Level Ups out of the War Game then?"

"Yes," Saber confirmed. "Unfortunately, no one else has managed to Level Up from this ordeal."

"I don't think this city can handle more people Leveling Up in only a month or two…" Eina sighed. "In any case, I suspect that your Familia Rank will go up again so please be prepared for that."

As the two of them nodded, Eina then took out the papers she had been meaning to give them first.

"As I said before, the Guild has received several Quests that asked for your Familia specifically. Most of them are the usual material requests from the Dungeon but there are a few interesting ones."

"…A photoshoot?" Bell read off the page.

"Yes. The store specializes in taking memorial photos and the like. Their request involves using your photos and likeness as part of their advertising."

"Oh…"

"The request only calls for the two of you, Mrs Lancer, Miss Flores and Jack. The payment is rather decent although I suspect it will take a few hours. They are also asking for your measurements to prepare the outfits. The theme they wish to use seems to be 'Family' and 'Love.'"

Bell's eyes glazed over as a dry laugh escaped his lips while Saber closed his eyes in an understanding, but not self-aware, nod.

"Another Quest I want to bring to your attention is this one…it's one the Guild itself wishes to make to you…or rather, to Miss Rider and Mister Archer."

"A Cooking Show?"

"Yes. The impromptu show the two of them put on the first day of the War Game was very popular in the city. I tried the recipe myself and it was delightful. And so, due to the sheer amount of request we received, the Guild wishes to give them a venue so they can put on a show more frequently. If not a show, then cooking classes that anyone can attend."

"This is the first I've heard of this," Bell muttered as he turned to Saber who could only offer a shrug of his shoulders in response. "I mean, the Goddess did joke about doing that, but I didn't know they actually did it."

"Well it's not mandatory but please discuss it with them at the very least," Eina continued. "The Njord, Ninsun, and Demeter Familias have all expressed their desires to sponsor the shows as well."

That could definitely help ease their food expenses.

"Of course, it is your Familia's right to reject all the Quests but do at least give the second one a thought."

It looks as though Eina was one of the people looking forward to the shows. Well, the decision remained with Archer and Rider in the end since they were the ones doing it.

X-x-X-x-X

"Apollo Familia sure has some strange tastes…"

Emma let out her commentary as she, Hestia, Lancer and Lily were touring the former Apollo Familia home so that the goddess could get a better idea of what she was working with before going forward with her inn idea.

"Statues upon statues…all of Apollo!" Hestia shouted as she picked a bust, looking as though she wanted nothing more than to throw it at a wall. However, she must have decided that it would be a pain to clean up as she set it back down with a little thump. "Well, at least we won't be hurting for plaster and stone."

"It's big enough that Goddess Hestia needs to hire at least ten people just to focus on cleaning," Lily said, a notepad in her hands having done a quick catalog of the rooms. "Lily counted at least twenty rooms but that isn't counting the ones underground or the secret hidden rooms. Lily already found five of those…and each room is also big enough to fit in at least three or four people comfortably."

The manor, constructed of solid stone and wood, was three stories tall. In addition, it had yards in the front and back as well as a surrounding iron fence. When it was still owned by Apollo Familia, over one hundred adventurers had called this place home. Even if they included their goddess in the count, Hestia Familia had only thirteen members, fifteen if one also included Fia and Berserker.

"It was the right idea not to use this as our new Home just yet," Hestia nodded. "We'll probably have to split the rooms in half…agh, that's gonna up the renovation costs…"

Hestia had wanted to bring Caster along for his opinion but…

"_Are you or are you not also a Goddess of Architecture!?_" Caster had shouted at her before slamming the door on her face.

In short, she was on her own. For now, at least.

"Goibniu Familia must be happy that we are giving them so much work," Lancer muttered.

"Hmm…it'd probably be too much to give each room their own shower, so we'll probably have to expand on the public bath that's already here," Hestia continued, muttering to herself. "What do you girls think? Should we hire people to work here to bring in some more Familia members?"

"The latter is the cheaper option but Lily wonders if we'll be able to find that many trustworthy people to know about the Xenos and Servant so easily," Lily said. "That being said, hiring young women who couldn't join the Dungeon Crawling business wouldn't be that much more expensive. It would be cheaper than hiring professionally trained ones through the Guild at the very least."

"Maybe you should have Rider or Archer work here to take care of the inn's food needs?" Emma asked. "I think bringing even one of them over would definitely help bring people in."

"Ohh! That's an excellent idea!" Hestia began before shaking her head. "No wait, wait…we're getting ahead of ourselves. Let's focus on cataloging and cleaning everything in this building before nightfall at the very least. I have to meet with Take tomorrow too."

With that said, the four of them split up again with Emma walking through the halls, picking up discarded and forgotten items left behind by Apollo Familia. A few socks, some leather bags…just basic things that could easily be overlooked when a Familia of over a hundred people had to suddenly vacate the premises. There was even a cute looking pink pillow that had someone wedged itself between a pillar and a wall.

Emma gathered up all the items and moved to deposit them outside of the gate. Lancer had said that several Apollo Familia members were still hanging around their old Home, no doubt hoping to get back anything that Hestia Familia might be throwing out as unnecessary.

Lily would probably try to sell the missing items back, but Emma felt that it would be rather difficult to try and sell back a single sock.

Just as she set the box down, a cry sounded out to her right, causing her to step back from the box. Not a moment later, someone dived toward it, snatching the pink pillow from the rest of the items.

"It's here!" The long-haired woman cried. "It's here, it's here, it's here!"

The woman seemed so happy to be reunited with her pillow that she was hugging it like it was a long-lost friend.

"Sorry about that…" a red-haired woman quickly came up to apologize for her friend. "She was really looking for that pillow."

Obviously the two of them were former Apollo Familia Adventurers but Emma recognized them as the two that had been in the same room as Hyacinthus during the War Game.

"Umm…Daphne Laulos and Cassandra Illion, correct?" Emma asked, surprising the redhead. "I memorized the names and faces of all of Apollo Familia's High-Class Adventurers. I had to know who to watch out for during the War Game and run away with all my might from after all."

"Well, aren't you diligent?" Daphne asked with a wry smile. "Congratulations to your victory and all of that."

"Umm, are the two of you okay?" Emma asked. "Lily did shoot you with a Crozzo Magic Sword after all."

"Was _that_ what that as?" Daphne asked in surprise. "It felt like a punch from an electric minotaur."

"No, Berserker was outside."

Daphne simply shook her head as Emma smiled at her little joke.

"Anyway, no hard feelings about your win," Daphne continued. "The two of us weren't exactly on good terms with Apollo in the first place."

"I do feel kind of bad about taking your Home though."

"Apollo was the one who started it, despite all of our protests, so it's all on him. Although I do have some questions about the sheer high quality of you Hestia Level 1s, it's not my place to ask about it."

"I see…well, if you or anyone else are missing any items, let me know and I'll keep an eye out for it."

"Thanks, but we probably shouldn't outstay our welcome."

Daphne's eyes turned up toward the building and Emma followed them. There, on the top floor was Lancer, peeking through the curtain with viciousness, vigilance, and venom laced eyes.

"Though I say that, we'll probably be seeing a bit more of each other in the future," Daphne said.

"Huh? Why is that?"

"Cassandra and I got scouted by the Miach Familia. Your goddess is friends with him, right?"

"Ah, yes, that's right. We also buy from Blue Pharmacy for most of our potion needs. I see…it's good that Lord Miach's getting more members…but are you two okay? I heard from my Vice Captain that he has quite a bit of debt, right?"

"It's a bit big but it's not impossible to clear," Daphne said with a shrug. "We'll manage."

With that said, Daphne grabbed Cassandra by the collar and proceeded to drag her away. No sooner did the two disappear from view did Lancer materialize by Emma's side.

"What did they want?" Lancer asked.

"Miss Illion was hoping to get her pillow that she forgot," Emma explained. "And that they're with the Miach Familia now."

"I see," Lancer muttered, all hostility draining away in an instant. "Well, I suppose that's fine then."

"Bell already got mad at Jack for going off and attacking that pallum, Lancer," Emma reminded her as Lancer averted her eyes. "And they're not Apollo Familia anymore. And it's not as though they were part of that group from back then anyway."

"My mind understands but my heart does not," Lancer replied simply, looking rather ashamed and crestfallen. The expression quickly vanished when she turned down the street. "Ah…Master and Sigurd…"

Emma turned to see Bell and Saber walking on over, the former reading some papers while the latter was carrying lunch in a basket.

"Hey you two!" Emma called out. "Did the Guild visit go well?"

"About as well as one could expect, all things considered," Saber replied, handing the basket to Emma before taking Lancer into his arms as if it was only natural.

Emma only shook her head in tired exasperation before turning to Bell.

"What are those?"

"Ah, Quests that people addressed to our Familia," Bell replied. "Most of them are requests for Drop Items from the Middle Floors but there are a few interesting ones that Miss Eina pointed out."

"Ooh! Let me see! Let me see!"

Accepting requests from civilians before going on an adventure was what being an Adventurer was about, right?

The first sheet she grabbed was apparently one from the Hostess of Fertility. Syr had heard of a spring on the Eighteenth Floor that supposedly produced water so delicious that any cooking that used it would become even more delicious. It also had massive skin revitalizing properties.

"Bell! This one! Let's do this one, right now!"

"Huh? Oh, the one by Syr?"

"Yes! Let's go! Right now!"

As a girl, Emma had to see the effects for herself. The fact that it was also an excuse to see the Under Resort for herself was just a bonus.

"Hey you slackers!"

A shout caused the four of them to look up and see Hestia poking her head out from a window.

"No lazying around when we have work to do unless you invite me too!" She protested angrily. "Get back to work! I want to at least get things up and running before Grand Day! That goes for you too, Bell! Saber!"

The two humans and two Servants quickly ran in to help.

X-x-X-x-X

"…Should I feel annoyed or appreciated at this?"

"Annoyed. Definitely annoyed."

Welf and Archer were standing in the last of the newly added buildings to the Hearthstone Manor that Goibniu Familia had added when they were on vacation in Melen, but Caster had kept hidden. Until today that is.

It had been a forge. One perfectly suited for a smith's needs as the Blacksmith Familia knew exactly what was needed.

While it was certainly convenient for the new Hestia Familia Smith, it didn't change the fact that Caster had ordered it when there was no one in the Familia that could make use of it.

"Well, at least I won't be stuck using a portable forge," Welf said as he went around settling his personal tools in with the new equipment while Archer helped. "But…was it really that obvious that I'd join sooner or later?"

"Well, Bell was really hoping you would even if he never said it out loud," Archer said. "After all, you're the only guy friend he has. This Familia is filled with women, spirits and monsters otherwise. That isn't to say he doesn't enjoy your friendship either way."

"Got a point there, and yeah, I get it."

Welf was looking rather sheepish at being so appreciated by Bell. As he turned to Archer, the young man noticed the Servant was looking at the weapons Welf wanted to put up for display. None of them were Magic Swords or anything special. Just little things he made for practice and looked good enough that he didn't want to melt back down.

"You really do work hard," Archer noted with a smile. "Compared to my way of doing it, I definitely appreciate the regular path of using a hammer and forge."

"Your way makes me want to cry sometimes, to be perfectly honest," Welf replied with a wry smile.

The "arrows" that had been fired into the walls of the Apollo Castle had been copies of the same Magic Sword Welf had given Gina, souped up to a level that they could smash a wall to pieces in one blow, even if it destroyed them instantly.

Due to the circumstances of the War Game, Welf had given Archer permission to do so but it hurt both his pride as a Smith and as a person to see his several all-nighters of work completed and made more powerful in less than a minute…and mass produced at that.

No wonder Caster hated him.

Welf wouldn't say that he felt the same, but it was… humbling to say the least.

"I wouldn't want to step on your toes," Archer said. "You're this Familia's Smith, not me. I'm only good at making things that are going to be broken at a moment's notice anyway."

"That's because you and Saber taught both Bell and Emmy that completely awful way of fighting! You're making every Smith in the city cry you know!"

A style that involved destroying your opponent's equipment. Certainly, useful for people who are afraid of killing their human opponents like those two, but it certainly had a different price to pay.

"You say you can see into a weapon's history and blueprints, right?" Welf asked. He wasn't that angry since it wasn't _his_ weapons being shattered but he felt like he had to air the words out for the sake of those who did make them. "Then shouldn't you know the blood sweat and tears we Smiths put into those weapons!"

"I do, but I don't particularly care when they are currently being used by enemies. I do care when I know the person using them or the one who makes them, which is why I ask for permission before breaking them. Except for Caster. Then I do it to get under his skin."

A Familia where everyone respects the Captain's power and authority but hate the man himself. How in the world has it not collapsed upon itself?

"Still, I can't imagine any of you guys getting beat when the going gets tough," Welf said. "Spirits are amazing…"

"We may be but there's no such thing as invincible, Welf," Archer said. "Anyone can be beaten with the right weapon, tactics, or people by your side. Be it a school teacher with proper training and support from a mage, or a person who practiced a powerful martial art while equipped with blessed weapons or Magic Items passed down in their family, or even just some punk kid who got lucky. A Servant can be taken down as easily as any monster from the Dungeon."

"…These examples are _oddly_ specific," Welf began, staring at Archer with a raised brow. "Did you-"

"As a hero, I've seen quite a few things," Archer replied with a chuckle. "Some things amazing that they might have came out of one of Gina's fairy tales. Others so horrible that Rider would beat me to death with her bare hands if I were to mention them out loud."

"See, before the War Game, I would have considered that a joke," Welf muttered, shivering slightly at the memory of the woman's rampage.

"It'd be a mistake to consider someone's surface behavior to be everything they are," Archer said with a shrug.

"Yeah. 'Always be wary of the humble ones' and all that."

Archer let out another soft chuckle as the two of them got back to work organizing the forge.

X-x-X-x-X

"All right, now look this way…and hold…"

_SNAP_!

Bell struggled to keep his eyes open as the room erupted in smoke, flash and powder. In front of him, Assassin let out an annoyed groan as Lancer gave her a soft chuckle before stopping her from rubbing her eyes and ruining the makeup covering up her scars. Saber, for his part, remained still and motionless like a statue made of ice.

The four of them had were dressed in slightly formal suits and dresses and had been asked to pose as a "family" for the pictures. Lancer and Assassin were at the forefront with the former sitting down on a chair and the latter standing beside her. Saber and Bell were standing behind them with Bell placing his hands-on Assassin's shoulders.

Off to the side, Emma was smiling, holding a coat in her arms as she was dressed in a refreshing spring dress. She was going to have her picture taken too but after this.

Saber and Lancer also had taken several photos together beforehand and each one of them looked like a romantic masterpiece in Bell's amateur eyes. The Family photo right now, where Bell and Assassin were positioned in a way that made them look like the two's children, made Bell slightly embarrassed and he didn't think he was someone worthy of pretending to be their child. Saber and Lancer however, said the opposite in that they couldn't ever be called Bell's parents. That honor was reserved for the ones who actually held the title, even though Bell never knew them.

"All right, that's good!" The photographer said as he looked at Assassin with a friendly smile. "Good job hanging in there."

Assassin responded by sticking her tongue out at him to which he laughed good-naturedly.

"Then, everyone please step off to the side. Mister Cranel if you can quickly change costumes for the next shoot. Miss Flores, if you could step up as well."

Then next on the themes of "Family and Love" was Bell and Emma.

If Hestia had known about this, she definitely would have put a stopped to it, but as she was too busy working on making renovations to the inn, she simply saw it as an opportunity to let everyone see how great her Children were and approved the request without a second thought.

"All right, you two get in a bit close…and Mister Cranel, if you can place a hand on her shoulder."

"Eh!?"

Emma's pink one-piece dress had left her shoulders bare.

He understood that it was just for a picture but…

Emma, for her part, just let out a giggle, but Bell could see that her cheeks were red as well.

"It's just a hug, Vice Captain!"

"You can do it, Mister Cranel!"

The peanut gallery of Gina and Primo, who came along to see Assassin get dolled up, called out to them.

"Come on, Bell," Emma said with a teasing smile. "You already carried me all the way home before, right? Soaking in the rain and everything."

"N-no, uh…the circumstances between then and now are completely different…"

"Then…you don't want to touch me?"

"Please work on your phrasing, Emma!"

"Umm…I know our store asked for this, but can you two put the flirting off until after we finished this?"

"W-we're not flirting!"

As the shooting continued, Gina grabbed Assassin before the girl could wipe away the make up and pulled her toward another store employee while Primo followed behind.

"Hey, is there another room for used shooting?" The Amazoness asked. "If so, can we get a picture with just the three of us?"

The employee looked surprised but nodded as Gina handed over payment for it.

"A picture with just the three of us?" Primo repeated as they were led to a different room.

"Yep! Besides, why should they get to have all the fun?"

"This isn't fun…" Assassin mumbled, fingers dangling in front of her face as she wanted nothing more than to scratch it.

"Come on, we're going to be friends forever, right? So, let's keep track of memories with this."

"Memories huh," Primo muttered, looking convinced. "All right, I'm in!"

"You better be, because I already paid for it after all!"

"Can We at least wipe this stuff off?" Assassin begged.

"Come on, you look cute. Just keep it on for a little longer, okay?" Gina requested and Assassin grumbled but obeyed.

The three of them then squeezed together, arms linked, and cheeks pressed against each other with smiles that could melt the coldest of hearts.

"""Cheeeeeeseee!"""

_SNAP!_

A flash and cloud of dust later, the photo was theirs.

"Awesome! Let's do this every year from now on!"

"We're not putting this stuff on again!"

"Now now, you don't have to…"

As Gina, Assassin and Primo crowded around the photo to admire it, Saber and Lancer looked on with a smile.

The photo would eventually find its way into a large album along with dozens of other similar photos belonging to a powerful mage that led one of the strongest Familias in Orario as one of her most precious of treasures.

But that was a story for another day.


	42. Lucky Rabbit

**Chapter 42: Questing Again**

Orario had barely recovered from the excitement of the War Game when a new piece of information from the newest rising star Familia was released by the Guild.

Naturally, the news had also made its way into Loki Familia's Twilight Manor

"That punk rabbit actually did it..."

Bete was holding a crumbled up notice in his hand. A notice about a new Level Up.

Bell Cranel had reached Level 3 in the same amount of time it took to reach Level 2.

"...Is this Argonaut's influence again?" Tione wondered as she sat with her younger sister, Ais and Lefiya. "I mean, every single one of their members are weird, but only Bell is Leveling Up like crazy, right?"

"Who can say?" Ais replied as she glanced over at Lefiya who was holding a copy of the notice in her hands. "Lefiya?"

"Huh?" Lefiya blinked as she turned toward Ais. "Ah, no…it's nothing! It's just really surprising, right?"

"Yes."

"Are you thinking about little Primo?" Tione asked, causing Lefiya to wince. "I knew it. What's wrong? She did pretty well during the War Game, right?"

"That's just it…" Lefiya admitted. "She didn't just do well, she did amazing. Even though we only had one lesson, she took in everything without any problems. And now she shows that she can Chant while keeping control of an Enhanced Irregular Minotaur."

"So you're saying she's a genius?"

"Yes…does she really need someone like me to teach her?"

"Did she ever say that she didn't want or need you to teach her?"

"Well…no but that's probably because-"

"But nothing. She hasn't canceled it so that means she still wants to learn from you. Sure she can fire off a big spell but you saw how utterly exhausted she was after right? Even if she has that minotaur to protect her, the better she controls her magic or Mind or whatever, the less likely she'd be placed in bad spots, right? Besides, she totally adores and looks up to you, right?"

"Well…I suppose so."

Even so, Lefiya still looked disheartened.

"And what's wrong with you?" Tione asked, turning to her sister. "You've been awfully quiet these last few days. Ever since the War Game ended."

"Well…" Tiona began. "I guess I've been thinking about a few things."

"Still worried about what happened to that Gina girl?" Tione asked. "They reported that she Leveled Up as well so she's obviously fine. You're overthinking it."

"Hmm."

Tiona only let out a non-committal grunt as Tione looked at Ais. The other girl could only shake her head, saying that she had no idea what to do.

Tione let out a sigh as she placed a hand on her chin in thought.

"All right then, let's go visit them," Tione said, drawing the others' attentions. "We're still nowhere close to finding this second entrance into the Dungeon even with the clues the Captain got from Hestia Familia. So let's use this opportunity for a break."

Finn had come back from the Banquet of the Gods with Loki and Ais with a message from Caster given to him by Bell.

The message said that there was a series of hidden tunnels that connected Daedalus Street to the Pleasure Quarters but had Orichalcum doors protecting them. Caster had said he found one of them but could not divulge its location as it was located nearby his informants' homes and divulging its location would put them at risk.

However, that did narrow their search locations down a lot so Finn accepted it without protest. Thus Loki decided to have her Familia search Daedalus Street for other entrances while leaving the Pleasure District alone for the time being to Hermes Familia.

"Since we're not on search duty today, let's go chat with Archer and his Familia for a bit," Tione decided. "Maybe even sneak a bit of his or Miss Rider's cooking."

"That's a great idea!" Tiona said, cheering up immediately. "Let's get going right now."

"I…I wouldn't want to impose or anything," Lefiya said, sounding unsure of the plan. "They have to be busy with the clean up right? Loki said that they claimed the old Apollo Familia's Home for their own."

"Well if we're in the way then they'll say so and we'll leave. Simple as that."

"I don't think Archer will tell us to leave even if they were busy," Ais mumbled to herself, already picturing the man letting out a tired sigh as he welcomed them into their Home.

X-x-X-x-X**  
**

Archer wasn't the one to greet them at the door.

"Grrr…"

It was the massive minotaur with the red feathered harpy riding on its shoulder.

The bull monster was wearing its bullhead shaped helmet and was letting out a low growl as it had stopped in front of the gate from what looked like a patrol of the grounds while the bird-like monster had a cloth mask around its face, covering its features and teeth. Both were also wearing tunics depicting the Hestia Familia emblem.

Despite the massively oversized minotaur, the only one who was even slightly nervous of the monster was Lefiya.

"Heya!" Tiona said cheerfully. "Is Archer or anyone else home? We'd ring the bell but its…not here for some reason."

"You know you're talking to a minotaur, right?" Tione asked incredulously. "It's not going to understand-"

However, the minotaur nodded its head before stomping away toward the house and banging his hand on the door.

The door opened up to reveal a sleepy looking pallum.

"What is it, Berserker? Did Miss Rider not feed you yet?" she asked before her eyes fell on the gate. "Huh? Loki Familia? Why are…ah…"

Lily seemed to understand why they were here as she ran over to unlock the gate for them.

"Sorry about that, Misses Adventurers," Lily said, lowering her head. "We had to remove the bell because people kept ringing it asking to join the Familia…or to ask Master Welf for one of his Magic Swords."

"A Crozzo Magic Sword right?" Lefiya asked, and Lily winced in response.

"A-anyway please come in!" Lily said, sounding as though she wanted to avoid a potentially awkward conversation. "The Goddess isn't home and a few of the others are out doing some Quests but Master Archer is in. Miss Primo too."

Accepting the invitation, the four girls entered the home, walking pass the minotaur who gave them a small wave before continuing his walk around the yard.

"That is so _weird_," Tiona muttered.

"It is the result of our Familia's new taming system," Lily said, hands on her hips and chest thrown out proudly. "Monsters can understand words spoken by humans and will listen to us. Usually."

"Usually?" Ais asked.

"Well, it's hard to get an angry minotaur to listen to you when it's angry. He's called Berserker for a reason after all."

"You mean how it destroyed the Apollo Castle gate even though Primo tried to get him to stop?" Lefiya asked.

"Yes. He really didn't like that they tried to shoot Primo."

Lefiya nodded her head. _She_ didn't like that they shot at Primo.

As they entered the dining area, they found both Saber and Archer sitting at the table while sharing a drink. The two of them looked up when the girls entered and Archer immediately had a wry smile on his face. Then again, that was more or less his default expression around the girls.

"Here pretty early, aren't you?" Archer asked. "Nothing to do today?"

"Not really," Tione replied with a smile as Archer gestured for them to sit while Lily excused herself to head back upstairs to apparently catch up on sleep. "She seems tired."

"She was with the goddess all night working at the new property we got," Archer replied as he stood up to pour drinks for all of them. "Lancer's there helping her now. Rider's with Bell and Emma in the Dungeon, heading to the Eighteenth Floor on a Quest. Primo's with the other girls upstairs."

"Then Gina's okay too?" Tiona asked and the two men nodded in response. "That's good to hear. I tried to check with the Divine Mirror during the War Game but I didn't know how to change the view."

"Even if you did, only Loki or another god would be able to change it," Tione said with a sigh.

"Yeah yeah, Bete already told me that a million times. Hey Archer, I know it's been over a week and all but do you have any of that peach soup thing? Our Familia made a bit when you and Rider did your show and it was really good."

"The soup, huh?" Archer muttered before standing up and heading over to the fridge.

As he did that, Primo came down carrying a tray with three empty cups. It was clear from her grumbling that she had been picked against her will to refill drinks.

"Ah, Miss Virdis!" The grumbling quickly vanished as a bright smile appeared on the elf's face. "Are we having another lesson today?"

Seeing the older elf, Primo set down the tray she was holding and trotted over to Lefiya like an excited puppy. Lefiya glanced over at Tione who was smiling back at her with an "I told you so" feeling to it.

"Umm, I didn't bring any lecture materials with me today," Lefiya said and Primo's ears slacked in disappointment. "I…I'm just visiting to confirm the next time you are free! After all, you're still probably tired from the War Game, right?"

"Well…"

"Resting is important too, all right?"

"I understand! Then, can we have a lesson this weekend? There are a lot of things I want to ask about!"

After assuring the younger girl with a nod, Primo grabbed the glasses she had set down, which had been refilled by Archer, and scurried back upstairs.

"See? What did I tell you?" Tione asked as Lefiya gave her a smile. "She adores you."

"Yes…" Lefiya admitted before muttering to herself. "I'm not going to lose!"

It would appear that she was starting to take Primo as a rival seriously.

A soft chuckle caught the girls' attention as they turned to Saber.

"No, my apologies," the man said, lowering his head slightly. "I was just hoping that Primo and the other two will be as good friends as the four of you. Though I suppose we are missing one more."

"Gina's both rambunctious and mature enough to take on both Tiona and Tione's roles," Archer pointed out.

"Hey, are you saying I'm a trouble maker?" Tiona demanded, only to shrink back and the deadpan stares of both her sister and Archer. She then turned to Lefiya and Ais for help but neither of them could meet her eye. "Traitors! I'll remember this!"

X-x-X-x-X

As their Famila played host to the Loki Familia girls, Bell led Rider and Emma down into the Dungeon to take care of the Hostess of Fertility's Quest. As they had left early in the morning, right after breakfast, they managed to make great time.

"I know I shouldn't have expected anything different," Emma began as they trudged their way down the stairs to the Seventeenth Floor which contained the Goliath's Boss Room. "But the Dungeon doesn't really change its dreary scenery of rocks, rocks, and more rocks, does it?"

"Well, there was a bit of fog and trees a few floor back," Rider reminded her. As this was her first time in the Dungeon, Rider was a lot more excited than she probably should have been due to the fact that she was going on an Adventure for the first time since coming to Orario.

"Well, we'll see if you have the same opinion once we hit the Seventeenth Floor," Bell said.

"The place where you and the others fought the Goliath right?" Emma asked and Bell nodded. "What was it li-?"

Emma's voice died in her throat as they stepped onto the Seventeenth Floor. Bell turned to her and watched as she stared at the Wall of Sorrows, the massive crystal-like wall that housed the Goliath as it recovered between spawns. He chuckled to himself as he watched her head slowly tilt up, and up, and up.

"…How?" She managed to squeeze out.

"How does a monster get that big, or how did we manage to beat a super one?" Bell asked.

"Both."

"I have no idea."

"To which?"

"Both."

Rider let out a soft giggle into her hands as Emma threw a pout at Bell's direction, but it was the truth. Even now, Bell had no idea how he managed to kill the Black Goliath. It was a creature that could regenerate from getting its head blow clean off its shoulders after all. It was only thanks to Lily, Welf and his Servants buying him time to charge his Skill to use Tiona's sword and cut it down in one heroic strike.

Nevertheless, the three of them hurried across the Floor and made their way down to the Eighteenth Floor.

When they exited the staircase into the opening, Emma was speechless once more, only managing a small "Wow" at the sight. Even Rider's eyes had widened in surprise. It wasn't as though Bell didn't understand. He had the same reaction after all.

The Safe Point: the Eighteenth Floor.

A world full of nature, crystals, plains, a massive tree growing in the middle of a massive lake…

It truly deserved the title of "Under Resort."

"Right now that we're here…" Bell began as he pulled out a map from his pack allowing the other two to peer over his shoulders to look as well. "Let's see…according to the map we got from Caster, it should be on the north side of the Floor."

"North, got it," Emma said as she started walking down the path.

Rider and Bell watched her take about ten steps before raising their hands and pointing toward the opposite direction in unison. Emma quickly spun on her feet, a blush stretching from ear to ear and hurried back toward them.

Along the way to the spring that had the mysterious water, they encountered several monsters. Nothing Bell and Rider couldn't handle and even a few that Emma could.

"I thought this was supposed to be a Safe Zone?" Emma said as Bell pulled his silver stiletto from the corpse of a massive beetle monster before using his carving knife to start fishing for its Magic Stone. "Doesn't that mean that monsters aren't supposed to come here?"

"It means that monsters aren't supposed to spawn here," Bell corrected her. "It doesn't stop them from coming from the upper or lower floors though."

"…Some 'Safe Zone' then…"

"It's relatively safe compared to the rest of the Dungeon."

"I suppose so…is something wrong, Rider?"

"Hmm?"

Rider's head had been turned over her shoulder as if she was staring at or looking for something.

"Ah, don't worry about it," Rider replied. "I was just making sure that none of those monsters that broke off from the battle decided to come back."

"Oh yeah, the lygerfang never came back, did it?" Bell asked.

A Lygerfang was a massive four-legged feline monster with massive fangs from which it got its name. It stood taller than a person and was considered by some to be on the same level to a Level 2 as an infant dragon was to a Level 1. They weren't quite as dangerous but an unsuspecting Party could take casualties if they didn't see it coming.

Bell and the others had panicked when it appeared and fell back to let another wave of monsters take the vanguard but it never reappeared. It probably thought Bell and or Rider were too dangerous and decided to try and find some weaker prey.

"Should we go after it?" Emma asked. "Or rather, you and Rider? It'd be bad if it ran into a weaker Party, right?"

"It…should be fine," Bell replied slowly. "Only veterans normally come down here and they make their way straight to Rivira where the exit to the next floor is. Anyone wandering around the Floor is used to fighting the stronger monsters."

That or they were escorted by people who were strong enough to fight those monsters. Nobles and the like would often hire Adventurers to take them to the Eighteenth Floor purely for the view after all.

"Well, it's none of our business anyway," Rider said, giving one last look over her shoulder. "Each Party should mind their own business after all, right?"

"Well, yes…" Emma agreed with a nod.

"Then let's get back to looking for that spring. How much further, Bell?"

"Not too much," Bell replied as he looked at the map again. "Should be just over there…"

X-x-X-x-X

As Bell led the others further down into the trees, a large shadow stepped out.

"Did that woman notice me?" The figure muttered. "As expected, it was too obvious of me to take care of the ones that got away…but I need them to find that spring soon before…"

They quickly shook their head before disappearing back into the foliage.

X-x-X-x-X

Bell and the others continued their little Adventure. They made their way pass several more groups of monsters where Bell removed the Magic Stone from the stronger ones until they eventually found their destination.

"Wow…" Emma said once they found the spring.

It was built into a small cliffside with the water trickling down several crystals into a small pond. Several flowers could be seen budding along the edge and the clear flowing water reflected the light above making it seem like it was liquid crystal that was flowing down.

"It's not very big though," Bell noted as he stepped up to the spring. If they had came at a different time they may have not been able to get any water at all. "Will we have enough to fulfill the Quest and to take back for our own use?"

"Well, there's no point in worrying about that," Rider said as she took out several bottles from her backpack. "If we do, we do. If we don' then we don't. Simple as that. I think we'll have plenty leftover for ourselves."

"Can we take a little sip to see if it really is as special as Syr says it is?" Emma asked.

Rider responded by filling up three glasses and handing two to Bell and Emma. The three of them took a sip and their eyes immediately shot open.

"Huh? Is this really just water?" Rider asked, bringing her free hand over her mouth.

"It's better than any water I've ever drank before…" Emma agreed.

"No wonder they wanted some," Bell added. "I heard that some elves don't like to drink alchohol so having this spring water lets the Hostess gives them a nice alternative."

"Do you think it'll increase the potency of potions too?" Emma asked. "Let's gift a bottle to Lord Miach's Familia."

"That's a great idea!" Bell agreed immediately as they all got back to work filling up their bottles. "…Hmm?"

"Something wrong, Bell?"

"Umm…can the two of you hear me out for a second?" Bell asked as the two of them leaned in closer.

X-x-X-x-X

The shadow stepped out toward the spring, only to see that there was almost no water remaining. Only just enough to barely fill a handful.

"I was too late?" They muttered dejectedly. They had spent too long searching wildly and even longer taking care of the monsters that had been trailing the trio from earlier. "What should I do? It would take too long to wait for it to fill up again…hmm?"

Something shiny was poking up from the sand. The large shadow carefully pulled the object out and saw that it was a small bottle holding about half a liter of water.

"Is this from the spring?" The figure asked before a small smile appeared on his face. "I see…they knew I was there after all. Was it the woman? No…most likely the boy figured it out as well."

The figure glanced down at the foot prints in the sand, noting that it was the perfect size for Bell Cranel.

"I suppose it is only fitting for someone like him to be worthy of her attention. His constantly increasing skill will please her all the more."

Giving Bell one last silent thanks, the figure pocketed the bottle and made a beeline toward the exit as quickly as he could.

X-x-X-x-X

"Huh? Someone really was following us?" Emma asked as the three of them made their way back out of the Dungeon. "I didn't notice at all."

"Well, it's not like I sensed them or anything," Bell admitted. "It's just that every single monster that disengaged didn't come back. It's one thing for the smarter monsters to cut their losses, but even the weaker ones that ran didn't try coming back to attack us while we were in a different fight. So I thought someone else was following us while taking care of the ones we missed. In that case, they must have been looking for the spring themselves."

"And since we weren't exactly hiding that we knew where to look, they followed us," Emma finished with a nod. "I see. So that's why you wanted to leave a bottle behind. You're so nice, Bell."

"Well, they did help us out after all. So I hope they manage to get back safely."

"Speaking of which, we should hurry as well," Rider said. "We don't want to be late for dinner after all."

"Yes! I can't wait to share some of this with Primo and the others."

X-x-X-x-X

Up above the Dungeon, on the highest floor of Babel Tower, the goddess Freya was drumming her hands on her seat. She had asked Ottarl for a simple glass of water several hours ago, only for her Captain to disappear into the Dungeon without telling anyone.

Now the sun was setting and she still hadn't gotten her drink. A few of her other Children had offered to get one for her but she was committed at this point and wanted to see just what Ottarl was planning so she decided to wait.

Finally…

"Lady Freya."

"You're late," she snapped. "How long does it take to get a single glass of water?"

"My apologies," Ottarl replied with a bow. "But I wished to make sure you got to drink water suitable to your tastes."

"And you went into the Dungeon for it?" Freya asked, brow raised.

"Yes. It is said to be quite delicious as well as being good for your skin."

Freya's eyebrow remained raised as she watched Ottarl pour the water out into a glass for her. Bringing it to her lips, Freya allowed the liquid to enter her mouth and her eyes widened.

"…This is just water?" Freya asked, completely taken back. "I can't believe it. It's more delicious than any water I've ever drank before. Good work, Ottarl."

"To be honest, the spring had dried up when I had arrived," Ottarl admitted, lowering his head. "However, the rabbit noticed I was following his Party and left the bottle there for me."

"So this is…" Freya began, feeling a warm flutter in her chest.

It was a gift from that boy to her. No doubt an unknowing one from his point of view, but it was a gift to her regardless. And one willingly given too.

Seeing the blissful smile on his goddess's face as she thought about Bell Cranel, a small one appeared on Ottarl's own before he bowed and took his exit.

X-x-X-x-X

"What was that all about?" Emma asked as she, Rider and Bell watched the well dressed courier disappear back into the crowd.

"I have no idea," Bell replied as he flipped the letter he received back and forth.

No sooner did he and his Party leave the Dungeon did the courier accost them and handed Bell the letter without so much as an explanation aside that it was an invitation. Considering the _last_ invitation he received, Bell was a bit wary about opening and reading it.

"Well, there's no point in putting it off," Rider said. "Open it."

Bell let out a groan of protest for a moment before opening the letter.

The invitation was printed on golden colored parchment and had a rather fancy flair to it.

"It's an invitation…" Bell began, quickly reading through it with his eyes. "For me and Caster…to the El Dorado Resort Casino tonight."

"Just the two of you?" Emma asked.

"Well, it says we can bring a…uh…date along…"

"Why I'd love to Bell," Emma said, causing Bell to squeak. "But Lancer said she's continuing Gina and my Rune Magic lessons tonight and I don't think going to a Casino is a good enough excuse to get out of it."

"Emma…" Bell let out a tired whine as she giggled before apologizing. He then turned to Rider who had a rather stiff expression on her face. "What's wrong, Rider?"

"No…I have a certain bad feeling about something…" she replied before quickly shaking her head. "A-anyway, let's go to the Hostess to drop off the water before heading back. Maybe you can ask Syr to go along with you?"

Judging from the formality of the invitation and the fact that the resort had referred to itself as Orario's Grand Casino, Bell got the impression that it was some high class event, something he was woefully unsuited for when compared to the likes of Caster. Thus it was probably a faux pas to go alone when the invitation called for an escort.

Lancer was out as she would be teaching Gina and Emma, who are also out.

Primo and Assassin were…probably too young to bring to such an adult setting and he doubted Rider or Hestia would let them go.

Lily…might go, or she might look revolted at the idea of going to a place where people threw away their hard earned money for entertainment.

Rider…felt like going to a party with one's mom, a feeling Bell didn't particularly want to confirm.

And the goddess herself? A bad idea all around.

Syr was probably the only one he could ask on short notice…even if he would have to endure a barrage of teasing from the girl herself and his Servants for it.

Well, hopefully Caster would just refuse the invitation and save them all the trouble.

X-x-X-x-X

"…What do you want now, Loki?"

"I just came by to see if you wanted to share any of your newfound happiness with me."

Loki had came to pester Hestia again at the former Apollo Familia Home, bringing Riveria along with her as an escort. She would have brought Finn along but preparations for Grand Day and their operations beyond that were taking up his time.

Hestia had been discussing possible renovation plans with Goibniu but the old god excused himself when Loki came by to give them some privacy, taking along his Familia for a quick meal break as well.

The two goddesses sat across from each at the long dining table with Riveria sitting next to Loki and Lancer sitting next to Hestia.

Two goddesses with magically powerful and beautiful individuals next to them, it was clear that Loki's words were just a joke to try and lighten up the atmosphere. Not that Hestia was buying a word of it.

"Fine…then I'll get to the point," Loki began. "Was gonna ask if you wanted to join our little detective party again, now that your kids got caught on the sharp business end of those monsters as well."

Hestia response was to simply narrow her eyes at the memory.

"I did think about it," Hestia admitted. "But the answer is still no."

Loki didn't miss Lancer's eyes turn slightly toward the direction of her goddess, telling Loki that it was a surprise to Lancer.

"My Children were wandering around Melen when Ishtar picked a fight with yours," Hestia reminded Loki. "They heard what that one who attacked Freya said. You're working with Enyo."

Loki eyelids split open as she glared at Hestia.

"Not that I think you're doing it on purpose," Hestia continued, ignoring the glare. "But that means someone in your little group is as well or maybe one of them even is Enyo completely under your nose. As such, while I trust you a lot more than I care to admit, I don't trust Dionysus or Hermes for that matter."

"Even though you took in one of Hermes's kids?"

"She wanted out, and I took her in. She can't lie to me after all. Something that can't be said for that smiling prick."

Loki agreed with that sentiment 100%.

"Back in Tenkai, I shared my territory alongside both that idiot and Dionysus," Hestia continued looking slightly nostalgic as she glanced to the side. "Up there, we of our territory of Olympus had to select the Twelve Gods as our Representatives. Zeus and the others picked me over Dionysus and I thought his heart was going to break so I gave him my spot."

"You probably just wanted to hole up in your temple and relax all day," Loki accused her with an annoyed look causing her to flinch.

"Lady Hestia…" came Lancer's tired voice.

"D-don't slander me in front of Lancer! Anyway! Back then Dionysus was always on edge. I wouldn't have been surprised to see him go '"The latent evil aura in my right fist will obliterate you assholes!' But from what I've been hearing it seems like he got over that bout of 'illness.'"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Well, I didn't want to say anything after not seeing him in years back at the Banquet as to not hurt his reputation but I really wasn't surprised to see you working so easily with Dionysus. You two are cut from the same cloth after all."

"…Huh?"

"I mean, you really went at it with other gods, remember? Duels to the death and all that. Dionysus was the same. I mean, he started trying to take on _Zeus _of all people for a seat."

"Loki…"

Now it was Riveria's turn to give a tired look to her goddess.

"Oi! Now _you_ need to stop dragging up ancient history!"

"Fine, fine. Anyway, I didn't want to get into a scary situation like that so I offered him my seat and got out of there."

Loki could just picture Hestia going "_Play nice now, you hear me?_" before running away from the brawl.

"Anyway…if you want to borrow Archer or Saber or Caster for something, ask them and if they say yes, I won't stop them unless I want them for some other thing, no matter how trivial it is," Hestia continued, returning to the main topic. "But as it is, I'm not committing to anything formal so long as you clearly don't trust those other two either."

"Why are you only ever sharp when it's inconvenient for me?" Loki asked as she rubbed her forehead.

"I had to learn quickly when living with someone like Caster."

As such, Loki was forced to leave the mansion without getting Hestia's cooperation outside of a token word.

"That being said, we can't exactly fault her for being hesitant," Riveria asked. "Even if Archer and his compatriots are powerful, the rest of the Familia is not. That we can possibly secure one of them as assistance is already a lot more than we can ask."

"Yeah yeah, I know," Loki said. Hestia was also probably wary of one of them finding out the secret behind their power. It wasn't like Loki didn't understand what with her being cagey about Ais's past but since Hestia had a lot more than one crazy secret, it was harder for her to keep a lid on them if she joined up with them.

Especially since, as she said, Loki didn't exactly trust Hermes or Dionysus either.

That being said, she couldn't imagine Dionysus, someone she saw sneaking off to play with some kids during his shift at his job, to be someone that would get into fights with other gods that made Hestia of all people say he was scary.

For better or for worse, Hestia was fair: She didn't discriminate or set people apart from one another. Though she got plenty mad at Loki, who picked fights with her or made fun of her, she held real authority, too. Loki suspected Ouranos and even Zeus acknowledged her. She was plain, but her status as a goddess, the one who ruled over the immortal flame, was undeniably high.

She'll have to ask Hestia more about Dionysus some other time though she doubted Hestia would gossip about Dionysus any more than she already had.

"Well, let's go pick up the girls from their playdate," Loki said, deciding to push those thoughts to the side for the time being. "If we're lucky we might be able to squeeze ourselves in for dinner!"

"Please have some shame, Loki," Riveria begged her with a sigh.

"Shame ain't getting me some good grub, woman!"

X-x-X-x-X

"Welcome! Oh, White Hair! Are you eating here today?"

The cat person waitress, Anya, greeted Bell when he arrived with Rider and Emma at the Hostess of Fertility.

"No, we're just here to deliver the Spring Water Syr requested the Guild for," Bell replied. "Is she around?"

"No she's not!" Anya said angrily. "Can you believe her? She and Ryuu took a vacation together just as we're getting into the busy season!"

Indeed, the pub was completely packed full of Adventurers and the human and elf were nowhere to be seen.

"Oh, you finished that request nice and quick," Mia Grand, the proprietress, said with a thankful smile. "Here you go. Everything we owe ya in there. You check."

"Yes, thank you very much," Bell said as Rider accepted the bag. "Umm, by any chance do you know when Syr will be back?"

"What, missing her already?" Mia asked with a laugh. "Should be back tomorrow I reckon. She invited herself along onto Ryuu business but they should be done soon. Why? Hoping to ask her out on a date?"

"That's…"

Bell wasn't sure how to put it but his hesitation was all Mia needed to stare at him for a moment before throwing her head back in laughter.

"Oh, that girl is going to be kicking herself tomorrow," Mia said as she thumped Bell on the shoulder, causing his knees to buckle painfully, before walking back to the kitchen with Anya returning to her duties.

"What am I going to do?" Bell wondered.

"Well, I'm sure someone will be able to go with you," Rider said as she place a hand on Bell's shoulder. "Let's hurry back."

"Yes…"

X-x-X-x-X

"Uhh…"

"Yo, welcome back! Don't mind us!"

When the three of them arrived back at the Hearthstone Manor, they were greeted to the sight of the goddess Loki and several of her Adventurers taking up space around their dinner table.

Off to the side, Primo was badly hiding herself in the doorway, peeking out to look at the green haired elf sitting beside the goddess. Riveria Ljos Alf. Riveria for her part looked rather nonplussed at the young elf's actions as Primo would shyly duck behind the wall if she tried to look in her direction.

"Did you guys find the spring?" Archer asked, standing next to the blender with a basket of peaches beside him.

"Yep, we got a bit of a haul," Emma replied as Rider set down her pack on the counter and pulled out several of the bottles.

"What did ya just go into the Dungeon for some water?" Loki asked as everyone from Loki Familia turned toward the bottles.

"It's extremely good tasting water," Emma explained. "We heard about it from a friend who sent us on a Quest for it. These are just the leftovers we took for ourselves."

"We got enough to ration about half a liter for each person in the Familia…" Archer said as he examined the bottles, ignoring the rather curious and greedy looks Loki was throwing him before pinched the goddess in the side to get her to stop. "Did the three of you already try some?"

"Yes," Rider nodded. "It's unlike any water I've ever drank before. It was certainly worth the effort. Although the spring's already dried up by now."

Archer nodded before pouring a bit of the water from a nearly empty bottle into a glass and taking a sip for himself.

"…Is this really just water?" Archer quietly muttered, eyes widening as he stared at the bottle.

"See, if you're going to react like that, you're just going to make everyone else even more curious," Loki protested.

"U-umm…"

Everyone turned toward Primo who was still peering out from the doorway.

"Can you pour a bit out for everyone from my share?" She asked Archer.

"It's all right, child," Riveria said quickly. "There's no need for that. Have some shame Loki! Don't make a child share her things with you."

"Oh come on. You and I both know it's _you_ that she really wants to offer it to."

Primo shrunk back behind the wall, completely embarrassed that she was so easily found out.

Rider had a soft smile on her face as she picked up one of the bottles and began pouring out a glass for Loki and her Adventurers.

"Miss Rider…" Riveria protested but Rider simply shook her head to deny her from saying anything else as the Servant placed the glasses in front of them.

"I'll fill hers up a bit more with some of mine, don't worry about it," Rider whispered into the high elf's ear.

From Riveria's face, she did worry about it but didn't say anything more as she brought the glass up to her lips.

"Heh…it really is good," Tiona said as she quickly finished off her glass. "Definitely not normal water. Thanks Primo!"

Primo simply nodded her head as she ducked back behind the wall, only to squeak in surprise as Caster walked passed her with a frown.

"We were not supposed to be expecting guests," Caster said, eyes sweeping across Loki Familia.

"Yo, Goldy!" Loki said cheerfully, ignoring the glare he was throwing at her. "Just pretend we're not here."

Caster proceeded to do just that as he turned toward Bell instead.

"Did you receive something?" He demanded.

Bell didn't bother asking how he knew about the invitation and simply handed it over to Caster without hesitation.

"El Dorado, huh?" Caster muttered as Loki's ears perked up. "I suppose it was only a matter of time before they sent an invitation. I have already brought seventy percent of the other Casinos to tears after all. Prepare yourself, boy. We will leave tonight."

"But the invitation says we have to bring an escort right?" Bell pointed out, fully aware that a big grin was appearing on Loki's face as her Adventurers were looking at her with suspicion. "Emma and Gina are going to be studying with Lancer and I think Jack and Primo are a bit…"

"Indeed. And Arde is not the type to enter such an establishment. And as Rider is the only one of proper standing to be my escort…you are left without one."

"Ah, I knew it," Rider said with a sigh. "Not that I particularly mind, but do I get any say in this?"

"You may say your piece so long as you understand that it will be ignored," Caster replied causing Rider to roll her eyes.

"Maybe I can try asking Miss Eina?" Bell threw out before looking unsure of himself "Ah…but I might get in the way of her work at the Guild…"

"Hey, can I offer a suggestion?" Loki asked putting herself between Bell and Caster. "Why not take Lefiya with ya?"

"Huh!?" Both Bell and Lefiya shouted at the same time.

"Not for free of course," Loki continued. "Let's call it a Quest. We have Lefiya escort you to and back from the Casino and you hand over half of your winnings as payment. I ain't lending my girl out for cheap after all."

"Loki…" Riveria began but Loki quickly cut her off.

"We're still in the red after the Expedition, remember?" Loki pointed out, causing Riveria's mouth to snap shut. "And we need more funds for the future which is why we have to do that stupid exhibition for the Guild. It's a bit of a gamble, but this way Lefiya can help earn back some of that money. If the little rabbit wins big, then we get a piece of it, if not then Lefiya gets to have a good time at a high class casino either way."

"…What do you think, Lefiya?" Riveria asked as she turned toward her student.

"Umm…if it can both help our finances and Bell's Familia, I think I wouldn't mind," Lefiya replied as Riveria put on a tired smile while Loki beamed.

"Then let's get going!" Loki said as she clapped her hands. "I got the perfect thing for you, Lefiya. Hey Archie! Can we get those soups to-go?"

"Save your to-go orders for when or if the inn gets up and running," Archer shot back but nonetheless poured the soup into a few canteens for them which Tiona happily accepted.

"Thank you for your generosity," Riveria said to Primo with a smile that caused the younger elf to blush furiously and nod her head as she melted against the wall.

"Umm…I'll pick you up at your Familia Home then?" Bell offered to Lefiya who blinked and stared at him blankly for a moment before the implications of what she had just agreed to hit her square in the face, causing her to blush furiously.

"U-uh…yes…of course," she nodded as the twins were giggling behind her back.

As Loki took her girls and left, someone spoke up.

"Wow, the Vice Captain got a date!"

Primo let out a shriek as she spun around to see Gina and Assassin standing there behind her.

"Primo became a tomato," Assassin pointed out as Gina snickered into her hand.

"Y-you…you…! Gaaaaaah!"

Unable to hold her embarrassment at being seen by her friends, Primo let out a shout as she chased after them, causing them to squeal before running back up the stairs.

"…It is a date, isn't it?" Bell muttered weakly.

"Congratulations on the beginnings of your harem, Master," Sigurd "helpfully" offered as Bell let out several shouts to try and obfuscate his words while Emma looked back and forth between them in confusion.

X-x-X-x-X

Bell, Caster and Rider quickly got prepared for the outing. Bell put on the same suit that he wore to the banquet of the gods as it was the only thing he had in the way of formal wear.

Caster's suit was of similar style to Bell's except that it was pure white with golden trimmings that he wore over a red dress shirt. He also had a jacket draped over his shoulders, one that was a solid gold color.

Rider decided to wear the dress that Hestia had picked out for her during the goddess's shopping trip with Freya. A pure white dress that exposed her shoulders, back, and a good portion of her upper body, displaying her already ample cleavage all the more, but was otherwise rather simple in design with little in the way of frills or embroidery. Caster also prepared her a golden hairband as well as a pearl necklace fitted with rubies around her neck.

"This is a bribe, isn't it?" She asked as the three of them rode in the same carriage heading toward Loki Familia's Twilight Manor.

"Call it whatever you wish," Caster simply replied. "It changes nothing."

Bell felt that it was more of an apology for dragging her along but he wasn't anywhere near brave enough to voice his thoughts while stuck in such cramped quarters while within strangulating range of Caster's arms.

The driver announced that they were near the Twilight Manor and Bell prepared to get off to greet Lefiya.

He found her standing at the gates, wear a flowing green and white dress that seemed to flow off her body, further cementing Bell's first impression of her as a beautiful fairy. She had silver bands hanging off her arms and had used one to tie her hair off to the side rather than leaving it in her usual ponytail.

"…"

Bell found himself speechless at the sight.

"C-come on…say something," Lefiya begged, cheeks flushing a bit red as the Loki Familia guards chuckled into their hands.

"I…you look…wow."

But Bell couldn't string his words together properly and it only made Lefiya even more embarrassed.

"What do you think?" Loki asked, popping out from behind the elf. "I do good work if I say so myself!"

At Bell's nod, Loki continue, "So be sure to get her back by dawn and along with half your winnings. I'm not losing out on betting like with the War Game this time, ya here me! You better win big!"

"Y-yes! I'll do my best!"

"Then go have fun!"

Loki punctuated this by giving Lefiya a big smack on her rear, causing the elf to shriek and wheel around to slap Loki across the face, sending her flying off her feet with an expression that screamed "Worth it!"

"…Is it okay to hit a goddess like that?" Bell asked.

"""She's used to it."""

Lefiya replied at the same time as the two guards did, making Bell wonder just what exactly goes on inside Loki Familia that the goddess was used to receiving physical abuse from her Familia.

"Umm…I'm sorry for the trouble?" Bell asked as he offered a hand to Lefiya.

"No…I went and accepted it without putting much thought into it…" Lefiya replied as she took his hand before her eyes widened. "N-not that I think it's bad to be seen with you or anything like that! I'm just saying that any problems I have is with Loki and my big mouth."

"Ahaha…I understand."

As Bell led Lefiya back to the carriage, Mord Latro's voice suddenly sounded in Bell's head.

"_Gonna have to be some pretty open-minded elf to let a human touch her then._"

Lefiya was pretty open minded, huh? He supposed she was just used to physical contact due to her goddess Loki.

X-x-X-x-X

"My, you look radiant, Miss Virdis," Rider said as the carriage started moving again. "Like a fairy from a mythical forest."

"T-thank you very much," Lefiya replied shyly, unsure how to accept a compliment from what was probably a Spirit that radiated beauty similar to the gods above.

She thought that Rider was already rather beautiful normally but being dressed up for a formal occasion made it hard for Lefiya not to stare. It reminded her of how she felt about Ais in a way.

"…Hmm?"

"Is something wrong?" Bell asked.

"N-no, just thinking of something silly."

Right, there was just no way.

Lefiya made small talk with the three members of Hestia Familia as they rode the carriage through the late night streets of Orario. She was please to say that she only managed to stick her foot in her mouth only once when she asked about Rider's relationship with Archer.

"Us?" Rider repeated. "There's nothing particularly special going on. We're just friends and coworkers from the same Familia working to keep several growing children fed. That said, he does remind me of my husband once in a while."

"Husband?" Lefiya repeated. "You're married?"

"Yes. And and he gave me two daughters."

"Why didn't they come with you to Orario?"

"…They're not here anymore."

Forget foot, she practically shoved her entire leg down there.

"I…I'm sorry," she quickly apologized but Rider simply waved it off with a smile, saying that she's long since moved passed it. "Were they…was it because of monsters?"

"Monsters…yes, I suppose so."

Lefiya felt that Rider wasn't referring to the same kind of monsters that she was.

"So what did you do before you joined Loki Familia, Lefiya!?" Bell suddenly asked in a rather loud voice as a rather obvious attempt to change the topic, something Lefiya appreciated greatly.

"Yes! I studied in Orario's School in the Education District for three years before joining Loki Familia at Level 2!"

"…What kind of education did you receive that allowed you to hit Level 2 from schooling?" Rider asked incredulously.

After that she decided not to touch on the subject of their pasts, even though she was still curious about Rider. Caster, who she had put already together was a king of some country somewhere, had said that Rider was the only one whose standing allowed her to stand by his side. Which meant that the woman was also some sort of high noble or probably even a queen. Was it just a play act from the Spirits or did they actually contract with royalty and bestowed onto them with unique powers to complete whatever it was they came to Orario to do?

As she pondered this, the carriage came to a stop. A moment later, the driver opened the door for them, allowing both Caster and Bell to step out. Bell extended his hand back toward Lefiya who took it and stepped down from the carriage with Rider taking Caster's hand soon after.

The blinding lights of Orario's night life caused Lefiya to blink a few times as she glanced around at the many colorful buildings adorned with the highest quality Magic Stones the city had to offer with an array of wealthy looking guests milling about. Many of which had stopped to stare in their direction. Or rather, in the direction of the three Hestia Familia members.

"That's…Hestia Familia right?"

"No way, from that War Game?"

"It's Moonlit Dawn!"

"Who is that elf with him?"

"Wait…that can't be Thousand Elf, could it?"

However, Caster paid them all no heed as he boldly strode forward, parting the crowd, with Rider's arm hooked in his.

"Um…"

Bell, looking as though he wasn't sure if he should do the same, just offered Lefiya his hand instead. It was a bit too embarrassing to walk arm in arm, so she accepted it and he led her down the street behind the king and queen pair.

"So…which one is the casino we're supposed to head to?" Lefiya asked.

"I'm guessing…that one," Bell said, gesturing with his chin.

Lefiya turned to see a building that stood out even in this plaza. Its sumptuous, gorgeous, shining facade could trick one into thinking it was a massive mound of gold. Statues of deities who symbolized wealth or success were installed around the entrance, either as a perfunctory show of respect or to share in their favor and blessings. A billboard lit up by Magic Stone lamps displayed the words THE GOLDEN CITY.

"…That's…extravagant," Lefiya admitted as Bell let out a dry chuckle in agreement.

They reached a checkpoint that was manned by guards bearing the Ganesha Familia Emblem where Caster flashed their invitation and they let them pass.

As they climbed the steps to the casino, they were greeted at the door by a male dwarf. Just like Gareth, he was rather shot and stout. Unlike the old Adventurer though, his beard was kept neat and his hair slicked back and his body was bulging underneath his black suit. He was flanked by a pair of male bodyguards, one cat person and one human.

"I am Terry Cervantes, the owner of this casino. Thank you very much for coming," the dwarf greeted them with a big smile. "I hope you all have a wonderful time here tonight."

"It would not do to reject an invitation from an establishment such as this," Caster replied. "And I am sure we can mutually benefit from this endeavor."

"Indeed, indeed."

Cervantes had the opportunity to have the current rising stars of Hestia Familia in his establishment and in return they had an opportunity to make some money. No doubt the dwarf was considering this to be basically free advertising if he was lucky.

Lefiya also received some money from Loki on the off chance that she wanted to try her hand at gambling but she wasn't too keen on it. She just hoped that Bell would at least break even by the end of the night.

Cervantes exchanged a few more words with Caster before allowing them to go on their way while he remained at the entrance to personally greet a few more of the important guests.

Passing through the foyer, they were greeted by employees of El Dorado Resort and stepped out into an enormous hall.

Lefiya felt her jaw drop at the extravagance in front of her. The first thing that came into view was a breathtakingly large magic stone chandelier, followed quickly by the luxuriously vibrant and elaborately patterned carpet as well as the variety of tables where people were playing all kinds of attention- grabbing games.

Cards glided from dealers' hands as though they moved along a flowing river. Colorful dice danced through the air while roulette wheels spun madly, their balls bouncing wildly around. Employees in stylish uniforms and guests in dazzling outfits alike gathered around each table like butterflies flocking to flowers. At every game, stacks of chips were being built, wagered, and paid back out. Around the tables, sighs of despair mixed with thunderous cheers, combining into a never-ending din. The casino was in full swing.

"Well, Caster?" Rider said to the king. "How does this place compare to the other casinos you've visited?"

"In Orario or elsewhere?" Caster asked back.

"Let's stick with Orario for now."

"It is more adequate than the others but as expected, it is filled with excess indulgence."

"Since it's you of all people are saying that it must be awful."

The four of them stopped by the chip exchange and Bell curiously picked one of them up.

"What's this for?" He asked.

"It's a chip to use for this casino," Caster explained. "Its worth in valis is printed in the center."

"Eh!? One…two…thee…four digits!?"

Lefiya also froze at hearing its worth. She only brought along enough money for five of these colorful chips and Caster had casually exchanged an entire suitcase full of them. Bell was also trembling when he was suddenly handed a small case containing fifty chips.

"Now then…where should we start," Caster said, a smile gracing his face for the first time since Lefiya had seen the man tonight. Before he could pick a game however, someone called out to Bell.

"Huh? Moonlit Dawn is that you?"

The group turned around to see a burly and rough faced Adventurer walking over to them. Lefiya felt that she had seen the man before but couldn't recall exactly where.

"It is you!" The man said, his face breaking out in a huge smile. "Never thought I'd see you in a place like this! And your friend is…oho…hohoho…"

"M-Mord…please don't say anything…!"

His eyes fell on Lefiya and a sly smile appeared on his face before he started nudging Bell's side as if sharing some private joke between them.

"So here to enjoy the night life huh? Let me buy you a drink."

"Huh? No, that's okay."

"Don't worry about it! It's my treat. As thanks for winning your War Game after I bet a ton on ya and…you know…for getting you in that mess in the first place."

Mord's shoulders sagged a bit as he looked rather apologetic about something. Was he talking about the bar fight that Bete had told Lefiya and the others about a few weeks back?

"No, that wasn't your fault…" Bell said quickly. "But if you insist on the drink…"

"I do! Come here! Your friends too!"

"H-hah…" Lefiya nodded as she followed after the Adventurer who led them to a bar counter where he let them choose whatever they wanted.

Not wanting to get drunk in such a foreign place, Lefiya chose a glass of the Alv Pure Water that Riveria loved to drink.

"So…that kid who got bit by that strange monster," Mord said quietly to Bell and his Familia. "She okay? And I don't mean just physically."

"She's fine, thank you for asking Mister Latro," Rider replied. "She was a bit scared for a bit but she says she's ready to go back into the Dungeon as soon as her arm heals."

"Good to hear," Mord said with a smile. "Bigger men than her would have given up if something like that happened to them. She's going to be one tough cookie when she gets older."

"There are none with such weak wills in the Familia," Caster said confidently.

"After what you did with only a handful of Adventurers, I'd believe it! Hahaha!"

Despite his rough exterior, the human seemed rather cheerful and friendly to Bell's Familia. Just what transpired between them for that to happen?

As Lefiya tried to put his face to memory she felt a hot gaze on her back. Turning around she saw that a green-haired elf in a black suit with a silver-haired woman wrapped around their arm were staring at them with wide eyes…or more specifically, at Bell and Lefiya. Bell hadn't noticed as he was still chatting with Mord. They looked to be some kind of noble couple although Lefiya thought it was rather rare for a human noble to be with an elf to begin with.

The woman had a hand up and was pointing at Bell's back as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"Hey Bell," Lefiya spoke up, leaning closer to him to get his attention. "Did you know those people?"

"Hmm?"

Bell looked toward her in confusion before Lefiya gestured toward the couple. He then turned toward them and blinked for a moment before his eyes widened in surprise.

"Huh? Sy-"

In a flash, the elf was in front of Bell with a finger on his lips.

"I'm sorry, please don't say that name out loud," the elf said and Lefiya realized that it was a woman currently disguised as a man.

The elf's sudden appearance drew the others attention as well as the woman came hurrying up to them.

"Miss Ryuu and Syr?" Bell tried again in a much softer voice. "This is where you were?"

"Good evening, Mister Adventurer," the silver haired woman said with a smile. "Were you looking for us?"

"Well we…" Bell began, gesturing to his Familia members. "Got an invitation to this Casino and it said to bring an escort so I thought about asking you but your…friend said that you two were on vacation."

"…!"

Syr simply smiled as she covered her face with her fan in response. Nevertheless, Lefiya never thought someone's internal scream of regret could be so audible.

"So you had to ask someone else?" the elf, Ryuu, asked as she turned to Lefiya.

"Good evening," Lefiya greeted them. "Wait…aren't you two from…"

"Yes, but please keep it a secret," Ryuu said with a quick nod.

Mord looked confused for a moment but Lefiya could see him staring at the two pub workers' faces as if trying to piece together where he knew them from to which Rider quickly whispered into his ear and he nodded in understanding.

"Well whatever you two are doing, leave us out of it," Mord said for all of them. "We're here to have a good time after all!"

"Come to think of it, how did you get in?" Rider asked. "No offense meant but…it doesn't feel like you received a private invitation."

"Definitely not, madam!" Mord said with a good-natured smile and a laugh. "My pals and I came in with a Gold Card! It's a pass for those who drop a shit ton of money in the Casino Strip! It allows entry to every casino here! We dropped so much dosh to get this baby! Probably the only Third Class Adventurers who have it!"

Mord then explained that it was a special privilege offered to High Class Adventurers. A High Class Adventurer who could bring back valuable Magic Stones and Drop Items from beyond the middle levels was more dependable than a rich person with no skills. Even more so if they were a member of a powerful familia.

However, the adventurers and factions that could afford to mindlessly flaunt that kind of money would normally be limited to those in the First and Second Class Adventurers categories. If a Third Class adventurer like Mord was here, he must have spent an unimaginable amount of money, using up everything he recovered from the Dungeon day after day.

"No wonder you're still Third Class," Ryuu muttered.

"Shaddap!"

Meanwhile, Rider and Bell turned toward Caster who simply shrugged.

"Do not ask any questions that would diminish his achievement," he said simply.

…Did that mean Caster had one himself?

"So you come here often then?" Ryuu asked and Mord nodded. "Perfect. Do you know anything about the VIP room beyond that door?"

Mord turned toward the direction Ryuu pointed out.

"If you're trying to get in there non-formal like, best you give it up," Mord said, scratching the stubble on his chin before pointing to the uniformed guards at the door. "See those guards? They ain't Ganesha Familia. Same for inside. Everything in there is extralegal territory. Not even Ganesha Familia can step inside without the owner's permission."

"So anyone who can't be trusted to keep quiet about what goes on inside won't be allowed in?"

"Yeah. According to one drunken VIP I ran into, the rumors that they enjoy themselves with high-stakes games are true…and after that, the owner's mistresses come out. The guy's a pervert who surrounds himself with crazy-hot women. Likes to flaunt them in front of the VIPs. Freaking pervert."

Lefiya didn't really have a good impression of Cervantes to begin with and Mord's words certainly weren't helping it.

"Also…there are stories that new members going back there get 'baptized,' you know? They say he eats them alive. It's only whispers, but…well, like I said, the owner is a giant pervert…You know what I mean, right…?"

He was looking from Ryuu to Syr as he spoke, giving them a silent warning.

"Do you wish to abscond of someone's possession?" Caster asked, swirling the wine in his glass as Syr and Ryuu glance at him. "To disguise yourselves and make off with the owner's trophy?"

"She's not a trophy, she's a human being," Syr replied.

"One that was given up by her family in a wager I bet," Caster concluded without much evidence but judging from Ryuu's glare, it didn't seem to far off. "Even if she was to be freed, would she even wish to return to the household who would place her up as collateral? Or do you wish to play the role of an ally of justice to satisfy your own ego?"

"Absolutely not," Ryuu refuted his accusation immediately. "I am doing this to try and repair a broken family at her mother's request."

"Something that is broken will never be the same no matter how hard one tries."

"The bonds between people are stronger than that. Even more so when it's between family."

"How _wonderfully _altruistic. Well, I suppose that is a form of entertainment in itself."

"I am not here to amuse you," Ryuu replied, only for Caster to laugh in her face.

"Everything in this world exists to try and amuse me," Caster said as if it was obvious before stepping up right into Ryuu's face. "However, someone trying so desperately to become something they are not, is only worthy of contempt."

It was slight but Lefiya could swear that she saw the man's eyes flicker over to Syr for the briefest of moments.

Ryuu's hand moved like a blur toward Caster's face, far faster than the Level 3 Lefiya could see. However, the man moved his hand to block the slap like it was nothing.

"Indeed, the face and voices of miserable maidens is the best kind of instrument to be played by the king," Caster said, brushing Ryuu's hand away as if it was nothing more than lint on his shoulder. "But there is no reason to wear it out so quickly. Come, I shall show you mongrels how simple these games truly are…"

Caster walked off with a frowning Rider following close behind him.

"…I don't know if I can like your Captain, Bell," Lefiya whispered to him.

"You and half the Familia…" Bell admitted. "But it's thanks to him that we're where we are today."

"Bell! Lefiya!" Rider called out. "Are you coming?"

Lefiya and Bell quickly finished their drinks as they followed Caster and Rider to one of the roulette tables. Mord and (after a quick discussion) the other two girls also followed them with Ryuu's face looking less than happy at Syr's decision.

"Pay attention, boy," Caster said as he stood with Bell at the table that was empty save for the hume bunny dealer. "I shall explain the rules of this game."

"Yes…" Bell replied with a nod as Rider set down the suitcase full of chips beside Caster, allowing the king to withdraw a small stack of chips.

"Do not worry your little head. There are quite a few different bets one can place but there is no need to know all of them. Just remember these simple ones. The most simple one is whether you think the pocket will be an even or odd number."

Caster punctuated his explanation by placing a stack of chips on odd.

"Next is whether or not it will land on black or red."

Another stack on red.

"From there, we move onto the Low or High Bets, which splits the numbers in half. 1-18 and 19-36."

Another stack on Low Bet 1-18.

"Uhh…Caster?" Bell began.

"Quiet boy. I am speaking."

"Right…"

"Moving inward a bit, the bets divide the table into thirds."

A stack on the 1st 12.

"A Column Bet for an entire column of numbers."

A stack on the first column.

"The Double Street Bet that bets on two lines of numbers."

A stack on the intersection of the first two rows.

"The Corner Bet…"

A stack on the corner touching 1, 2, 4, and 5.

"The Street Bet to bet on a single row."

A stack on the first row.

"The Split Bet to bet on two numbers at once…"

A stack between 1 and 2.

"And of course…the Straight bet on a single number."

One last stack on the number 1.

"The bets go from lowest payout to highest payout," Caster said to Bell who was as shocked and confused as well Lefiya and the others were, including the dealer. "From doubling your bet up to receiving thirty-six times your original bet. Do you understand?"

"Y-yes…" Bell nodded.

"Good. You may begin."

The dealer blinked in surprise before realizing he was talking to her. Quickly coughing into her hand she put on a professional smile.

After confirming the amount of chips placed on the cloth, the dealer spun the roulette wheel with a practiced hand and tossed the ball in. After making sure there were no new bets or adjustments from Bell or the other spectators, the dealer announced the end of the betting window.

Seemingly fashioned from an ore mined in the Dungeon, the polished red ball emitted an inexplicable light as it danced across the spinning wheel. Everyone held their breath as the ball slowed to a stop and with a thunk…landed in the 1 pocket.

No one said anything. Not even the dealer as they all stared at the ball. The dealer quickly cleared her throat again and announced the number and color before counting out Caster's winnings.

"Simple, is it not?" Caster asked with a rather evil grin.

"…I now understand how you managed to pay for our manor so quickly," Bell muttered.

"Enough of your platitudes," Caster said but he still had a smile on his face nonetheless. "It is your turn."

"R-right," Bell nodded as he stared at the cloth board for a moment before placing three chips on black.

"What…after that spectacular show by your Captain you're just putting it on a color?" Mord asked in disappointment.

"It's just the first bet so it's fine, isn't it?" Syr pointed out.

"I think a smaller bet after that first one is what we all need…" Lefiya added and Bell quickly nodded in agreement.

The ball spun around the wheel once more before stopping on the number 8.

"Eight…did I win?" Bell asked.

"You did," Ryuu said with an impassive nod as Bell's three chips became six.

"Good job kid!" Mord said. "Now keep it rolling to impress your elf girl!"

"I-I don't need to be impressed!" Lefiya protested, ignoring the unhappy stare that Syr was leveling her way. "No wait, that didn't come out the way I meant!"

"Just keep going Bell," Rider urged him with a smile. "Let's try to win big so Lefiya can help out her Familia a bit."

"R-right…then a column this time."

The ball rolled around the wheel once more and Bell won another bet, receiving fifteen chips.

"Amazing Bell, two in a row!" Syr cheered.

"It's nothing to be proud of," Caster pointed out.

"Don't judge everyone on your standards," Rider said with a frown.

Next was a Double Street Bet with eight chips.

Hit.

"Haha, wow. I'm sure it's just beginner's luck."

Corner bet. Ten chips. Hit.

"J-just a fluke…maybe."

Street Bet. Thirty chips. Hit.

"L-lucky?"

One hundred chips. Split bet.

Hit.

"…"

Everyone around Bell was silent as the mountain of chips grew and grew. Even Caster was watching with a single brow raised.

Straight Up bet. Three hundred chips.

…

Hit.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAH!"

Mord let out a roar, causing several people to wander on over in interest.

Lefiya and the girls were looking at Bell in a daze while Bell himself was staring at his small fortune with a blank and almost dead look on his face.

"What? What what's going on?!"

"Look at that! The roulette table!"

"Look at that mountain of chips…!"

"Who won that?!"

"Wow, it's Moonlit Dawn of Hestia Familia!"

"It's the lucky rabbit from the War Game!"

The surrounding patrons and gods clamored around the table, interested in seeing the famous Bell Cranel in action. Lefiya still couldn't believe her eyes at how quickly one could amass a fortune like this. How long would she have to dive into the Dungeon to even make this much? Was it even okay to take half of this?

"Mister Cranel…!" Ryuu suddenly leaned in close to Bell. "I'm sorry but can you loan us some chips? I promise to pay you back!"

"Huh?" Bell's face was still twitching from the shock of his winnings as he turned toward Ryuu. "Uh…yeah, sure…go ahead."

"Thank you, Bell!" Syr said as she and Ryuu grabbed an armful of chips and went on their way.

"Mord! This is where you were-what is that!?"

As they left, a pair of male humans came by looking for Mord.

"All right, Bell, do it one more time!" Mord said as he handed Bell a case of chips. "Another Straight Bet! I'll spot you!"

"It's definitely not going to land another time!" Bell insisted. "I can only have so much luck!"

"Come on, show these numbskulls your skill!"

"Who are you calling numbskulls!?"

One bet later and Mord's friends were cheering alongside him as well as the crowd around them.

"Well, it is clear that the boy doesn't need a chaperone anymore," Caster said with a smirk on his face while Rider let out a dry laugh. "Enjoy yourself, mongrel. We shall meet up in an hour."

"Good luck, Bell. You too Lefiya."

With Caster and Rider heading off to do their own thing and Mord leaving with his friends to gamble away their new new fortune, Lefiya helped Bell pack away his winnings and the two of them moved to the corner of the hall so he could rest.

"…I'm too scared to count how much is in there," Bell admitted, staring warily at the crate by their feet.

"I completely understand," Lefiya nodded in agreement. There had been three hundred chips in his last bet and since the payout was thirty-six times normal with each chip worth about one thousand valis.

That was well over ten million valis made in about twenty minutes even if one took out the amount Bell loaned to the two disguised pub girls. It would have taken her and her friends a few days in the Dungeon to make that much.

"Gambling is scary…" Lefiya muttered and Bell shook his head up and down so fat that it looked like a blur. "I really don't feel right taking a single valis of it though…all I did was stand around and watch."

Not like that wasn't what half the women in this casino was doing…

"No, please don't be reserved," Bell said. "Or rather please take it! I'm too scared to go back home with this much money!"

"…You're the type who gives away five million just because it's scary to hold onto that much?"

Not that Lefiya couldn't understand that feeling. That suitcase had more money than her current worth as an Adventurer sitting in it.

However, Lefiya wasn't the type to just accept money for doing nothing. If she was going to get money, she would at least do something to feel that she earned even a single valis of it.

"I suppose since I'm here, I should try playing something too," Lefiya decided as she stood up and looked around. "That table is empty. Let's go."

"All right," Bell nodded as he stood up and wheeled his winnings after Lefiya toward a table where a dealer was absentmindedly shuffling a deck of cards while waiting for someone to step forward but most of the guests had gathered into two separate crowds in the same directions that Caster and Rider had went as well as the direction the two pub girls had gone of to.

"Welcome," the dealer said with a smile as she set the deck of cards down. "Would you like to play?"

"I'm sorry but it's my first time," Lefiya said as she sat down at the table and Bell stacked some of his chips up for her. "Can you explain the rules?"

"Of course."

It was a rather simple game. You received two face up cards from the dealer and the dealer had two cards themselves with one of them faced down. The goal was to keep getting cards, or "hitting" cards, to get the total of the cards as close to or on twenty-one without going over while also beating the dealer's total. Face cards were worth ten and the ace was either one or eleven. Getting an ace with a ten or a face card was called a blackjack and an automatic win if the dealer didn't also have a blackjack themselves. At this table, the dealer had to keep hitting until they reached 16 and will stop, or stand, at 17 or above.

"I suppose these games have to be simple if you want more people to play and bet money on them," Lefiya muttered to which the dealer could only give a wry smile in agreement.

Her first cards were an 10 and a 7, giving her a total of seventeen. It was only her first game and she could already tell she was in a tough spot. Over half the cards left in the deck could make her land over 21 after all. The dealer had a 9 showing while the second card was still upside down.

"Uuu…I'll stand here." Lefiya decided to play it safe.

The dealer nodded as he flipped over her second card, revealing a 2 for 11. Then the next card the dealer drew was a queen, giving him 21, making it Lefiya's loss.

"Mu…grr…"

"It's fine, Lefiya," Bell said raising his hands up trying to calm her down. "If you had hit, then you would have gotten 27, right?"

"Well, yes, but it's still frustrating!" She said before raising a finger toward the dealer. "One more go!"

Her second hand was much better. A pair of kings, giving her a total of 20 to the dealer's 7 and hidden card.

"Would you like to split bet?" The dealer asked. "If you get two cards of the same value you can split it in half and draw two new cards to play two hands at the same time with a second bet. It gives you a chance to win four times your original bet."

Or lose it twice as fast.

"I'll do it," Lefiya said as she turned toward Bell. "Can you give me even a little bit of that luck of yours?"

"How would I even do that?" Bell asked in response to Lefiya's unreasonable request.

"I don't know just channel it somehow," Lefiya said as she placed another stack of chips beside her first one, allowing the dealer to split her cards into two separate piles before drawing two more cards to go with them. A 10 and a queen, giving Lefiya another pair of twenties. "Whatever you're doing, keep at it!"

"I'm not really doing anything though…"

Lefiya ignored him and decided to stand on both hands. The dealer flipped over the hidden card to reveal a 5, giving them 12. And the next card was…

10\. Total of 22. A bust.

"Hurray!" Lefiya cheered as her two stacks doubled in size. Just like that she made back the money she had lost and a bit extra. "Next I'll…ah…uh…ahem!"

Should she keep going? She just turned fifty thousand into a hundred and fifty thousand after all. Well perhaps she should just lower her bet a bit.

X-x-X-x-X

"Everything on Red."

The mountain of chips already threatening to cast a shadow over the king's sitting form did not move from its spot beside Caster. No one, not mortal nor god, dared touch the massive fortune accumulating beside the golden-haired man was already far beyond the prize Bell had won, as the sweating dealer spun the ball within the roulette wheel. Caster's eyes followed the man's hand, as if appraising his skill in throwing the ball like he was the owner evaluating his employees.

The crowd watched with bated breath, some even trying to push forward to get a better look, as the ball clattered in the pockets before coming to a slow stop.

The dealer glanced into the wheel before speaking up in a dry and hoarse voice that seemed close to begging for forgiveness.

"21…Red."

The crowd behind Caster erupted in cheers as his mountain doubled in size and a pair of Ganesha guards helped deposit the new amount of chips into several crates for him. The corners of Caster's mouth turned up slightly, but it was a short thing as he barely glanced at the massive increase in his winnings.

Once they were done, the king stood up and the crowd parted for him to leave, with Rider pushing the cart with his winnings along behind him.

"I suppose there is no amusement to be had watching someone achieve victory one after another?" Caster asked as he plucked two glasses of wine from a nearby server and held one of them out to Rider who accepted it.

"I think that's my line to you," Rider pointed out as Caster huffed. "You didn't look like you were having nearly as much fun making millions compared to when you were teaching Bell about the game."

"Do not assume to read me so easily," Caster replied with a smirk as he took a sip of the glass in his hands only to frown and glare at it in disgust and set it aside without another thought. "All the riches of my garden return to me in the end. To me, it is nothing more than moving money from my treasury into my wallet. But yes, I suppose seeing the gods look upon me with eyes of envy and admiration lost its luster much sooner than I expected."

"I feel like I have to ask again," Rider said, a hand over her cheek. "Are gods _supposed_ to be so pathetic?"

"It is the nature of this world," Caster replied with a shrug. "The gods have descended from their temples and thrones in 'Heaven' in search of new experiences and in turn…_change_. For better or worse. But in the end, their core…their nature remains the same. I suppose one could say that mortals should still honor their gods, while refraining from placing them upon pedestal."

"I feel like many do a great job of shattering those pedestals themselves," Rider noted, throwing a glance at a trio of gods sobbing on the floor as their chips were taken from them by the dealer. And just beyond that table was another god being taken away by a Ganesha Familia guard after trying to steal a chienthrope's chips.

"And what is your position on that useless goddess at the Home?"

"Lady Hestia does her best and fails on occasion but I believe she lives up to her role as a goddess…when she is not clinging onto Bell in any case."

"You do not believe she fails for accepting the boy into her Familia in the first place?"

"Of course not. She accepts everyone, whether they're an orphaned boy or a king with a royal stick up his butt. It is only natural for the goddess of the hearth. I believe it is only natural for someone like her to bring us all together."

"Feh…"

Caster shook his head as he glanced over to the blackjack table where Bell was trying to calm down a simmering Lefiya.

"What are you going to do?" Rider suddenly asked.

"About?"

"About those pub girls," Rider clarified. "Do you plan on helping them save that girl?"

"There is no reason for me to do anything that would cause me to be banned from this Casino," Caster replied. "I do not care about some foolish girl that has been cast aside by her family."

"Oh? That's not what Lily seems to think."

Caster _did not_ avert his eyes from Rider who proceeded to smile at her small victory which he allowed.

"You already let them run off with several million after all. Why not give them a little more help?"

"It is not a habit of mine to help those who do not ask for it," Caster replied. "If they were to grovel in front of me, then perhaps I would offer a hand."

"Your personality switches from gallant to horrendous in a blink of an eye," Rider muttered with an exhausted sigh. "I can't deal with you at all."

"There is no one that can truly understand the king's magnificence after all," Caster said with a laugh.

"Yes, yes, I get it. You really are a lonely person, Caster."

"…"

Caster turned a glare toward Rider, who ignored him as she enjoyed her glass of wine.

X-x-X-x-X

"Uuuuu…uuuu…!"

"Umm, Lefiya?" Bell began. "Maybe it's time to stop?"

Lefiya hadn't gone in the red, but all of her winnings were almost gone. It was a constant up and down of emotions as she went on winning streaks and losing streaks back and forth to the point that all she had was seven thousand left. Only two thousand more than she had started with.

She was currently on a five hand losing streak at the moment and Bell could definitely tell that she was close to losing it. "It" being both the rest of her winnings as well as her temper.

He turned toward the dealer, silently begging him to cut her off, but the man just shook his head with a wry smile. A smile that told Bell that the man had seen this all too often and knew that it was pointless to try and get them to stop even if he wanted to. Lefiya would only quit when she won again or she ran out of money.

Her current hand was had a 10 and a 3. The dealer also had a 10.

Bell could see the gears turning in Lefiya's head as she tried to figure out what to do.

"Ngh…double down!" She said as she placed what was left of her chips on the table.

"_Well_," Bell thought as the dealer handed Lefiya a 5, which brought her total to 18. "_One way or another this should be the last hand._"

The dealer flipped his card over and revealed another 3, causing Lefiya to audibly gulp. And then…

9\. Total 22. Bust.

"Yeeeeeesssss!"

Lefiya let out a massive cheer at her victory while Bell breathed a sigh of relief.

"Okay, I think I'm done," Lefiya said with a rather refreshed smile on her face as she stepped away from the table.

"Done for the night or done with the game?" Bell felt the need to ask.

"Definitely with the game," Lefiya replied seriously as the two of them walked away from the table. "I didn't think I was the type to fall into the trap so easily."

"I suppose that's how they get you," Bell said. "But…I really don't like walking around with so many chips. We're already using the biggest denomination they have too."

"Then let's see if we can't get a receipt or something," Lefiya suggested as they headed over to what looked like a cashier booth similar to the one they went to when they first entered. "Excuse me, may we exchange these chips for valis here?"

It turned out that they could. Bell accepted a small sum to keep on hand while accepting a receipt from the cashier saying that they would deliver the rest to the Hearthstone Manor by the end of the week. Lefiya also reluctantly accepted a receipt for half of Bell's winnings as was agreed upon when she took up this "Quest."

"Are you going to play any more?" Lefiya asked Bell who held a hand to his chin in thought.

He had, in the course of a few hours earned enough money to get another license to bring another Xenos up, even if he gave half to Lefiya. It might be best to try and get enough just in case they ran into another one.

Before he could answer though, one of the casino employees suddenly came up to them.

"Excuse me, dear guest," the staff member said as they bowed to Bell. "But one of our VIPs would like a moment of your time."

"VIP?" Bell repeated as he and Lefiya shared a look. "Umm…may I ask who it is?"

"Yes. It is Lady Sirene."

Sirene…Syr?

And by VIP, did that mean they were behind those private doors? Did they need help?

Countless questions ran through Bell's mind as he turned toward Lefiya.

"Go with them," she urged him. "I'll find your Captain and Miss Rider to explain."

Nodding his head in thanks, Bell followed after the staff member while Lefiya quickly ran off in search for the king and queen.

As he expected, Bell was led through the guarded double doors Ryuu had asked Mord about earlier. His head spun around, trying to take in the extravagant private suite filled with guards, beautiful women, and a single table where Ryuu and Syr resided along with three men. One of which was the owner that greeted them at the door. Was the girl that Ryuu and Syr wanted to save here as well? Or perhaps all of these girls had similar stories? Most of them certainly didn't look all too happy to be here. There were several stacks of chips on the table as well, with the one in front of Ryuu being dangerously small.

Mr. Cervantes looked surprised to see him here as the other two men started whispering to each other, recognizing Bell at a glance.

Syr then walked over to meet him with a soft smile.

"I'm very sorry, Mr. Cranel. Unfortunately, I have an appointment after this. Please allow me to cancel our dinner plans."

"Eh…uh…huh?"

Dinner plans? Did she want him to come eat at the pub again? Or was it some kind of deception to throw off the other guests. In that case, he supposed his natural confusion was okay here.

"I-is that so?" Bell asked, eyes darting back and forth from the other guests to the guards, particularly the human and cat person flanking the owner. For some reason they reminded him of Lunor and Chloe from the pub respectively. He couldn't imagine why. The men had nothing in common with the two young women aside from race and hair color. "Are you busy with something?"

In response to his question, she smiled and put her finger in front of her lips.

"A no-good game."

Did that mean they were trying to "buy" or "win" Syr through gambling? If that was the case, there was no way these people would be playing fair.

"Are you fine with that, Mr. Cranel? This VIP room is a place that even members of Ganesha Familia may not enter…so no one can come in. Even if something happens, no one can come in here, not even someone as gallant as you."

Bell's eyes shot wide open.

"I was really glad to be able to see you…Let's meet again if chance allows."

"…I understand."

"Finally, would it be okay to shake your hand?"

At her teary eyed request, Bell timidly clasped his hand around hers. As if to accept his warmth, Syr grasped his hand tightly. As this happened, Bell felt his back heat up, but he wasn't sure if it was out of embarrassment or not.

"Thank you…and farewell."

Rubbing her eyes, she turned away.

With that, two of the guards flanked Bell and led him out of the room.

Once he was out the guards closed the doors behind him.

"…Caster's not going to like this one bit…" Bell muttered as he hurried across the hall, following the tether to his Servants.

He didn't have to go far and he found Caster, Rider and Lefiya standing against the wall, waiting for him.

"Good, you have arrived," Caster said as he pushed himself off the wall. "Then let us make haste and leave. I want nothing to do with those two fools."

"Huh? But…"

"Did you not hear me? If they are so foolish as to fall for the enemy's trap then I shall not lift a finger to assist them. If you wish to aid in their endeavors, then do so alone with your own _abillity_."

Saying his piece, Caster returned to resting his back on the wall.

As expected, Caster knew what was going on even without Bell saying anything. But he couldn't just leave Syr and Ryuu on their own. But what could he do to create a distraction that would make the Ganesha Familia Guards mobilize and ignore what was going on inside?

He looked around to see what he could use but all he could see were the gambling tables with their guests sitting around them.

"…That's it!" Bell said as he ran toward a roulette table with Lefiya and Rider right behind him.

"Wait a minute, what are you planing to do?" Lefiya asked as Bell handed some cash to the dealer to exchange for some chips.

Bell's answer was a single word.

"Win."

He then placed all of his chips on 13.

"Win?" Lefiya repeated as the roulette wheel came to a stop right on top of Bell's number.

"13, Black."

"Bell?" Rider began as Bell received his winnings, only to place all of them on another number. "I don't think they'll allow you to give your winnings to…"

"I'm not planning on doing anything that," Bell replied as the ball came to a stop and he won yet again. "I'm just planning to win."

His declaration reached the dealer, who was looking rather nervous as Bell placed half of his total chips onto another number only to win yet again.

As Bell won one after another, a crowd started forming again and both Lefiya and Rider could only watch as Bell was surrounded by a mountain of chips as big as the one Caster had received.

And he was not the only one currently winning big within the casino.

X-x-X-x-X

Ryuu could only watch in surprise as Syr won hand after hand in the card game with the owner and his cohorts.

At first, Ryuu had been the one playing but she realized too late that it had been a trap. The owner was working with the other two players in the game and they had been using secret signals to work with each other to make her lose or win as little as possible.

However, before it became an irreversible loss, Syr stepped in and sent a message to Bell for assistance from the outside, whatever it was.

She then took over the game for Ryuu and with a slight game change and change to the rules, she began winning almost every hand she played.

"I've heard her eyes can see the smallest of tremors in a heart, laying it entirely bare."

In the shadowy room lit by Magic Stone lamps, Syr's slender fingers traced the outline of the cards she had been dealt.

Her eyes were cast down as she spoke and her voice seemed to have magically draw in the people listening.

"Of course, I don't have that goddess's eyes…"

Syr stopped and smiled at the other guests' eyes.

"I enjoy it, though. Watching people, that is. There are so many varieties and tons of things to find out…enough to make your eyes sparkle. It's a bit of a bad habit of mine, something like people watching I suppose. If you do it for long enough, you'll get a feeling that says 'This person is probably thinking this,' and the like."

Not only the other players, but every single person in the room were hanging onto her words. No one could say for sure whether or not she was bluffing, but the smallest drop of doubt was enough to shatter the still lake of confidence of the other players.

Standing behind her, Ryuu could barely contain the shock she felt. If what she said was true, then Syr was effectively saying she could to read her opponents' thoughts by just looking at their expressions, through the eyes. Announcing her hand, she could see if her opponents wavered just by looking. She raised if they did and drew cards or simply folded when they didn't.

In other words, it was equivalent to knowing her opponents' cards. This was far removed from the experience and strategy Ryuu had built up as an adventurer.

However, Ryuu can't help but remember the times that Syr's eyes seem to see right through into her heart. Without even asking about what was going on, she sometimes came bearing a smile and a solution while Ryuu was still struggling to figure out what to do. The idea to pose as a noble couple from the countryside had been her idea as well.

And then, the final hand.

Syr received a card and giggled to herself.

"I never thought it'd be so simple to borrow a bit of luck," she said to herself.

Both Syr and Terry Cervantes revealed their cards.

"Four-of-a-kind!"

Cervantes revealed the four kings he so miraculously drew from the deck but Syr remained unperturbed.

"Royal Flush."

Although all four kings had made their way into the owner's hand, Syr had drew the joker, allowing it to take the king's place in her hand.

"Hey, Dear?" Syr asked as she clumsily opened her purple fan in front of her face to hide her smile. "I guess this means…"

"Yes, Syr…this is your victory."

"And that means you'll listen to my husband's request then, right Mr Cervantes?"

X-x-X-x-X

Caster held a clear wine glass in front of his face. One filled with wine from his own treasury as the swill they served in the casino was hardly fit for drinking. His eyes peered through the glass toward the door to the VIP room.

Even though it was a solid wall separating them from the rest of the casino, it did not stop the King's eyes from seeing what was beyond the door.

He saw the elf woman demand the release of not just the girl but every single one of the women in the dwarf's collection only for the man to take exception to it. Rather violently at that.

The man's bodyguards swarmed the elf but she easily took them down, leaving only the brown-haired human and the black-haired cat person left. The staff then moved to grab the other waitress and the girl they came for, only for the rest of the women to revolt after a few words from the silver-haired waitress.

And then…

The doors burst open, sending out a sea of women and guests, each of them forcing their way through the room, knocking over other patrons as they tried to leave..

That was the signal the boy needed to act.

In a rather awful showing, complete with a fake shout of surprise, Bell spun around and knocked over his mountain of platinum-colored chips all over the floor. Then, like starving lions finding a lost lamb, the guests that had been watching the boy win over and over, pounced on the scattered chips.

Their value had reached a point where even millionaires would balk at the amount after all.

"Hey!" Bell shouted. "Those are mine!"

He then jumped into the melee, kicking and throwing away the would-be thieves as Rider pulled Lefiya to safety. Tables were overturned as the guests were sent flying through the air from the power of a Level 3 Adventurer rightfully fighting to keep his winnings. In an instant, the hall fell into chaos as people scrambled over each other to get away.

The Ganesha Familia guards who had just been about to head toward the chaos in the VIP room stopped and looked back and forth between that and the small riot surrounding Bell's winnings.

"Wh-what are you doing!?" A fat elf shouted at them while sweating profusely. "Hurry up and clear up the disorder in the hall!"

Royman Mardeel's shout was the deciding factor. The Ganesha Familia members were forced to prioritize the suppression of the main hall at the Head of the Guild's demand to desperately prevent Orario's reputation from falling.

The guards leapt into action immediately, pulling the people crawling on the ground away from Bell as two placed their arms around him to keep him from hitting anyone else. But that wasn't the only commotion happening. Several gods were also scrambling all over the ground as they tried picking up chips from other tables.

"I really feel the need to ask this again!" Rider shouted as she ran over to Caster, pulling along a flabbergasted and ruffled looking Lefiya. "_Are the gods really supposed to be this pathetic!?_"

Caster's only response for her was to simply chuckle as he sipped his drink. Perhaps it hadn't been such a terrible idea to wait and watch things play out after all. He wasn't one to ignore a free show, after all.

The three of them stood off to the side as they watched the chaos unfold. Several minutes later, a haggard looking Bell came walking ver to them, carrying an armful of multi-colored chips, a far cry from his mountain of winnings from earlier.

"…This was all I managed so save," Bell said. But far from looking upset at losing tens of millions, he looked rather satisfied with his performance.

"You should consider a joining a theatre troupe with such skill," Caster dryly told him, causing the boy to chuckle at the blatant sarcasm. "If you are done, then let us get moving. We have to return Virdis to her Familia before the night is over, after all."

"Yes."

"Well?" Rider asked Lefiya with a smile as the four started walking toward the chip exchange. "Did you enjoy yourself?"

"For the most part…I suppose so," Lefiya admitted. "Although I do not believe it's wise for anyone to go here alone."

"Ahaha…did you lose money?"

"No, I came out a little ahead…if you don't count the Quest Reward anyway…"

"Oh right. Technically this is a Quest from Bell to Loki Familia. Not a da-"

"Please don't finish that sentence! It's already embarrassing enough as it is!"

Bell let out another dry laugh at Lefiya's words causing her to wheel around toward him.

"D-don't take it the wrong way. I don't mean that it's embarrassing to be seen with you or anything! It's just…embarrassing that I didn't realize how it could look to others!"

"Is that so bad though?" Rider asked, making Lefiya wheel around toward her, completely red in the face. "Ahaha…sorry sorry."

"Moonlit Dawn and members of Hestia Familia, huh?"

A blue-haired woman came up to them as they neared the door.

"Umm…you're…Ganesha Familia's Captain, right?" Bell asked, somewhat recognizing the woman.

"Yes, " Shakti replied with a nod. "I hope the commotion didn't affect you too much."

"Well, I already cashed in most of my winnings so it was fine," Bell ignoring the way's Lefiya's eyes boggled at the back of his head.

"Most of the ones who jumped into the pile will most likely be banned from the Casino in the future," Shakti said as if hoping that that would be enough to satisfy Bell, who had had millions stolen during the chaos. "The Casino should see to that."

"It would be better if you apprehend the root cause of this mess," Caster said as he jerked his head in the direction of the VIP Room. "I'm sure you'll find your answers when the wind blows in from the rear entrance."

Shakti's eyebrow raised slightly as she nodded her head.

"I see," Shakti replied before tilting her head slightly with her eyes moving toward Lefiya for a moment, seemingly recognizing that she wasn't from Hestia Familia. "By the way, Hestia Familia wasn't planning on getting another Monster License were they?"

"Not at this time," Caster replied and she nodded her head in understanding.

"Well then, please have a pleasant night. All of you."

"Y-yes, you as well, Miss Varma!"

X-x-X-x-X

With that said, the four of them made their way out of the Casino after standing in line to cash out their chips. Which took quite a while due to the sheer amount that Caster had with him.

Once they were outside, Bell was constantly looking around, trying to find some sign of the two pub girls.

"Bell," Rider began, her tone chastising. "How can you be thinking of two other girls when you are escorting one right here."

"Like I said, it's fine!" Lefiya replied, turning red again at Rider's teasing.

"Ahaha, sorry sorry. Your reactions are just too adorable."

Lefiya looked like she wanted to say something to that but she simply turned away and muttered "Well, it's probably like that after all…"

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"No! It's nothing!" She denied quickly.

Then, as one, both Caster and Bell turned their heads toward the shadows of the buildings away from the Casino. There, a familiar elf wearing a tuxedo that suited her far too well stood.

Without waiting for anyone to say anything, Bell walked on over toward her.

"Miss Ryuu, did everything go okay?" he asked once he was in front of her. "Where's Syr?"

"She went to return the gown she borrowed," Ryuu replied. "And yes, everything went perfectly. Did you distract Ganesha Familia somehow? It sounded like a riot was happening."

"Well I gambled a bit and then knocked over my chips causing a lot of people to try and jump them," Bell admitted. "I then 'fought them off' to try and save my winnings but I lost quite a bit."

"…How much?"

Seeing that Ryuu didn't look like she would just accept a false answer, Bell decided to be honest…well, mostly.

"I uh…didn't really keep track," he admitted. "But…it was bigger than the first roulette table at least."

Ryuu's normally passive face fell open as she looked rather pale.

"…You lent us quite a bit as well…" she muttered.

"Ah…right…" Bell nodded, having completely forgotten about that. "Well, just consider that me funding your rescue mission. And don't worry about the losses, I did it myself after all."

"Still, I'm sorry that we got you and your Familia involved in my mess."

"Well, Caster was getting bored so we were about to leave anyway," Bell replied. "But…are you sure everything went well? You look like something's troubling you. Ah, if it's about the money, I already said it's fine."

"W-well…even if you say that…" Ryuu said. "Your Familia's spending a lot of money to keep those monsters on the surface, aren't you?"

"It's not like we're looking to find any more at the moment though."

They still haven't been contacted by Fels about the other Xenos after all. Bell wondered if they would be asking about Fia or not but maybe something happened to delay their meeting?

As he said this, Bell noticed Ryuu turning her head to look back at his group. Turning around to look for himself, he noticed she was particularly looking at Lefiya, who tilted her head to the side in confusion.

"Mr Cranel…I'm not very feminine, am I?" Ryuu suddenly asked him. The question seemed to surprise her as well as she suddenly turned back toward him with wide eyes.

For his part, Bell could only blink in confusion. Was she comparing herself to Lefiya? Or maybe to Syr as well? Certainly she had been forced to play as a man for the rescue operation but perhaps she wanted to wear a dress as well? Maybe she was unhappy at the missed opportunity?

But what should Bell say in this situation? What would his grandpa do in this situation?

_Praise her until she smiles!_

Ryuu opened her mouth again, probably to tell him to forget what she had just said but Bell wouldn't let her do that.

"Miss Ryuu, you're…strong, amazing, and good-looking enough that it makes me feel a bit jealous. But I think you're also kind, polite, and always holding your head high. You look out for us and are willing to give advice to me and Primo when we ask and, umm…while Syr and Lefiya are definitely cute…I…I…I also want to see what you look like in a gown someday."

Bell's words seem to be having an affect on her as she was staring at him, her blue eyes wide open.

"I think you'd easily be a match for both of them."

The complimenting words were forgein to him but he kept on thinking about the things Saber said to Lancer whenever they had the chance. He didn't have the guts to repeat those words so he tried to come up with things the best he could.

The unfamiliarity of the words seemed obvious to Ryuu as her eyes narrowed slightly despite her blush.

"Do you always say such things to women?"

"O-of course not! It's just that my gramps used to say that if I wanted to cheer a woman up, then I should praise her until she smiles! Ah, but what I said wasn't just flattery! I meant every word and…uwaaaaaa…!"

Desperately trying to explain himself, Bell had revealed his true feelings and dug his grave deeper.

As he writhed and clutched his head in embarrassment, Ryuu offered him a smile. One that gave off the impression that a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

"Thank you, Mr Cranel. For everything tonight."

"No…uh…no problem. Haha…"

X-x-X-x-X

Lefiya waved farewell to the carriage before heading into the Twilight Manor.

She greeted the guards on the night shift and entered the building, wondering if she should change before getting a very late meal, having worked up an appetite after all the commotion tonight.

However, a voice called out to her from a top the stairs.

"Oh, Lefiya! How did it go?"

Loki came thumping down the stairs with the question in the air.

"Did you wait up for me?" Lefiya asked and her goddess nodded.

"Of course! If something had gone wrong, I needed to be the first to hear about it. So? How was the gambling? Did they win anything?"

"Bell…won a bit…" Lefiya admitted, her voice shaking as she pulled out the receipt.

Loki plucked the parchment from her hands and took a glance.

"Let's see, let's see," she muttered. "How much did ya get? A few hundred thousand or some…thing…"

Loki's eyes shot wide open as she brought the receipt millimeters from her face.

"Um…feel free to use it to help with our finances?" Lefiya offered, knowing full well that they were deep in the red after the last expedition and they needed every valis they got in order to fight against Evilus.

"You're such a good girl!" Loki bawled as she wrapped her arms around Lefiya, only for the elf to deftly yank the goddess's arms off her when they started reaching a bit too low and flip her over her slender shoulders onto the floor. "Bufwah! Y-you've certainly…gotten stronger…"

"I'm not letting you do whatever you want all the time!" Lefiya shouted back. Now she was more tired than hungry. Leaving the still reeling Loki on the floor, Lefiya headed back up to her room, bringing an end to the chaotic night.

* * *

**Hestia Familia Status as of Now**

_**Bell Cranel**_

**Alias: **_Moonlit Dawn (Moon Eyed Rabbit)_

**Level 3**

**Strength**: F397**  
Defense**: F354**  
Dexterity**: G283**  
Agility**: E426**  
Magic**: C607

**Magic**:**  
Servant Summoning**: Summon a Heroic Spirit into one of Seven Servant Containers. Requires upkeep once servant is summoned.

_Let silver and steel be the essence.  
Let stone and the archduke of contracts be the foundation.  
Let rise a wall against the wind that shall fall.  
Let the four cardinal gates close.  
Let the three-forked road from the crown reaching unto the Kingdom rotate.  
Let it be filled. Again. Again. Again. Again.  
Let it be filled fivefold for every turn, simply breaking asunder with every filling.  
_

_My dreams form the body  
Your Spirit shall show me the path as I walk it by my own power  
And so I hereby swear,  
That I shall be all the good in the world  
That I shall defeat all the evil in the world.  
You seven souls who reside at the fate I wish to reach  
Come forth from the binding circle  
Oh Keeper of the Balance!_

**Firebolt**: Quick cast Magic

**Skills:**

######  
**Heroic Desire**: **Argonaut**: Charges an active action.

**Development Abilities**:  
**Luck H  
Mage H**

X-x-X-x-X

_**Emiya Shirou**_

**Level 1  
****Strength**: I51**  
Defense**: I61**  
Dexterity**: I90**  
Agility**: H113**  
Magic**: H180

**Magic**:**  
Reinforcement**: Strengthen oneself or objects with magic.**  
Projection**: Create temporary imperfect objects with the use of magic power. Quality of item jumps up when creating "swords." Can also alter objects slightly from their main form while retaining innate properties.

_Trace On.  
Judging the concept of creation.  
Hypothesizing the basic structure.  
Duplicating the composition material.  
Imitating the skill of its making.  
Sympathizing with the experience of its growth.  
Reproducing the accumulated years.  
Excelling every manufacturing process…_

**Unlimited Blade Works**: Project one's inner reality out into the world. Reduce Projection costs of "Swords" to zero when within inner reality. Can passively examine and understand the history and blueprint of any weapon on sight and recreate them.

_I am the bone of my sword  
Steel is my body and fire is my blood  
I have created over a thousand blades  
Unknown to death  
Nor known to life  
Have withstood pain to create many weapons  
Yet, these hands will never hold anything  
So as I pray, Unlimited Blade Works_

**Skills**:**  
Hawkeye**: While on a vantage point, can see and target opponents within a four kilometer range**  
Mind's Eye**: Using one's insight, one can calmly grasp the current battle situation and find victory.

X-x-X-x-X

_**Gilgamesh**_

**Level 1****  
Strength**: I12**  
Defense**: I1**  
Dexterity**: I9**  
Agility**: I5**  
Magic**: I50

**Magic**:  
**Melammu Dingir**: Long-range bombardment spell symbolizing a long forgotten kingdom.

_I permit you to ready your arrows!  
Show me how you would defend Uruk and its unrivaled fortune!  
It is my will that shall wash over the land!  
The King's Signal Cannon!  
Melammu Dingir!_

**Skills:  
Gate of Babylon**: The Treasury of the King is always accessible to him and able to connect to the treasury across space so that the tools within the vault are available to use. Can be deployed at will to retrieve items from within and magic wands can be fired directly from within the gate. Most weapons are currently sealed.**  
Territory Creation**: Creation of a Temple to draw in Magic Power is available.**  
The King of Heroes**: Release restraints on the Gate and draw out its full power.**  
Omniscient and Omnipotent Star: Sha Naqba Imuru**: Able to discern truth from lies and see through the eyes of all creation.

X-x-X-x-X

_**Liliruca Arde**_

**Level 2  
****Strength**: I10**  
Defense**: I0**  
Dexterity**: I17**  
Agility**: I65**  
Magic**: I87  
**  
Magic**:**  
Cinder Ella:** Shape-shifting magic. Target will take the envisioned shape at the time of the spell magic will Fail without a clear image. Imitation is recommended._  
_

_Trigger: Your scars are mine. My scars are mine  
Release: Stroke of Midnight's Bell_

**Skills:**  
**Artel Assist:** Activates when carried weight exceeds a certain level. Amount of assistance is proportional to weight carried.**  
King's Follower: Crownsguard**: Parameters increase when acting on orders from a leader. Strength and Dexterity increases when defending a leader.

**Development Ability:  
Abnormal Resistance I  
**

X-x-X-x-X

_**Sigurd**_

**Level 1****  
Strength**: I21**  
Defense**: I15**  
Dexterity**: I28**  
Agility**: I33**  
Magic**: I35

**Magic**:**  
Primeval Rune (Warrior)**: Quick cast spells through the use of runes carved onto a surface or drawn in the air.

**Skills**:  
**Dragonkind Modification**: Formation of a dragon core within self.

X-x-X-x-X

_**Jack**_

**Level 1****  
Strength**: I67**  
Defense**: I10**  
Dexterity**: I42**  
Agility**: I91**  
Magic**: I39

**Magic**:**  
The Mist: Darkened Misty Metropolis**: Create a poisonous mist that also interferes with the channeling of Mind and can prevent people from entering.

_This is the beginning of Hell  
We shall be the flame,  
We shall be the rain  
We shall be the power  
Shroud Us and Burn Us  
Let Us begin the Slaughter  
Darkened Misty Metropolis  
The Mist  
_

**Skills**:  
**Presence Concealment**: Completely hide one's presence and becomes almost impossible to be detected. Loses efficiency when preparing to attack **  
Murder in the Misty Night**: Erasesones presence completely when attacking from mist or fog.  
**Maria the Ripper**: If certain conditions are met, deal massive damage to the target.  
The time must be night.  
The target must be female.  
The weather must be misty.

X-x-X-x-X

_**Primo Libera**_

**Level 1****  
Strength**: I24**  
Defense**: I50**  
Dexterity**: I10**  
Agility**: I80**  
Magic**: G250

**Magic**:**  
Lumine Pleiades**: Wide range bombardment magic

_Glittering stars crossing the night sky.  
Hear my naïve prayer and guide these falling lights.  
Descend o starry tears!  
Blast away these hapless rejects!  
Lumine Pleiades!  
_

**Stardust Fall**: Wide area destruction magic.

_Oh stars that hang in the night sky  
I grasp you in these unworthy hands  
Tearing you down from the heavens you reside in  
I offer you these words in exchange for your majesty  
You who reign above the heavens themselves  
Rain down upon these earth, scatter these worthless beings  
Immortalize your grace within our souls!  
Stardust Fall!  
_

**Skills**:  
None

X-x-X-x-X

_**Emma Flores**_

**Level 1****  
Strength**: H101**  
Defense**: G205**  
Dexterity**: H128**  
Agility**: G202**  
Magic**: I39

**Magic**:**  
Épine Flétrie**: Curse. Debilitate Targets. Effective range depends on Mind. Effect increases depending on sacrifice.

_Rend my flesh, pierce their soul,  
Break the blessing and wither their strength!  
Épine Flétrie_

**Skills**:  
**Rein Amur – Beloved Blooming**: Causes a _Rhapsodia _among those with the same Falna for a short time.

X-x-X-x-X

_**Gina Gwen**_

**Level 2****  
Strength**: I0**  
Defense**: I0  
**Dexterity**: I0**  
Agility**: I0**  
Magic**: I0

**Magic**:  
**Outrage Ortigia**: Lightning enhancement magic. Effects increases with anger.

_Blazing sparks come forth  
Let the hunt commence, fueled by rage  
This one pays tribute to Penthesilea!  
Outrage Ortigia!  
_

**Skills**:  
(None)

**Development Ability  
Abnormal Resistance I  
**

X-x-X-x-X

_**Boudica**_

**Level 1****  
Strength: **I5**  
Defense: **I0**  
Dexterity: **I8**  
Agility: **I13**  
Magic: **I7  
**  
Magic**:  
**Chariot of Boudica**: Support magic used to create a barrier around user. Strengthens Defense and Strength of those within.

_I will protect those who cannot protect themselves  
Let these wheels that trampled my enemies now defend the defenseless  
My oath to the Goddess roars across the land  
Chariot of Unpromised Protection  
Chariot of Boudica  
_

**Skills**:  
**Battle Continuation**: Enables user to continue fighting regardless of wounds.**  
**

X-x-X-x-X

_**Brynhildr**_

**Level 1  
****Strength: **I5**  
Defense: **I10**  
Dexterity: **I15  
**Agility: **I10**  
Magic: **I37

**Magic:  
Primeval Rune: **

Quick cast spells through the use of runes carved onto a surface or drawn in the air.  
**  
Skills:  
Mana Burst (Flame):** Imbue strikes with the strength of flame  
**Hero's Bridesmaid:** Synchronize magical energy and give a bonus to parameters to targets of the same Falna.**  
**

X-x-X-x-X

_**Asterios**_

**Level 000****  
Strength**: 000**  
Defense**: 000**  
Dexterity**: 000 **  
Agility**: 000 **  
Magic**: 000

**Magic**:  
**Chaos Labyrinth**: Territory Sublimation Magic._  
_  
**Skills**:  
**Monstrous Strength:** Increases Strength in exchange for a monstrous appearance. Strength gain increases the more the monstrous the user becomes.  
**Natural Demon**: Massively increases Strength and Endurance when engaged in combat against multiple enemies. Increase relative to amount of enemies. Strength increases further against Humans.  
**Monstrum Union**: Hybrid. Neo Irregular. Status Bug. Anima Erosion.

X-x-X-x-X

_**Welf Crozzo**_

**Level 2  
****Strength**: I32  
**Defense**: I23  
**Dexterity**: I40  
**Agility**: I29  
**Magic**: I35

**Magic**:

**Will-O'-The-Wisp**: Anti-Magic Fire

_Blasphemous Burn!  
Will-o'-the-Wisp!  
_

**Skill**:  
**Blood of Crozzo**: Ability to Forge Magic Swords. Strength of Magic increased during production process

**Development Abilities**:  
**Blacksmith I**


	43. Upcoming Festival

**Chapter 43: Preparations**

It was late at night when Hestia finally dragged herself back into the Hearthstone Manor with Lancer, Gina and Emma walking with her as guards.

"Ugh, I can't wait to get to bed right away," Hestia groaned, swaying back and forth with several official looking documents in her hands. "But I gotta go over this with Caster first. At least I don't have to go to work tomorrow."

Or at all anymore really.

She had already gone to her old boss and formally resigned after paying back the money she owed for blowing up the grill when she first started working. The old woman was sad to see her go, and not just because people tended to buy more when she manned the stand just to get a chance to pet the goddess's head.

Hestia was also sad to bid goodbye to her job. She not only enjoyed the work, she also enjoyed the opportunity it gave her to meet and chat with all sorts of people. She also used the opportunity to try and get people to join the Familia once-upon-a-time. Though her only successes were Primo and Emma and they actually asked to join.

Well, there will be more opportunities once the inn gets up and running at least.

Bidding good night to her girls, who were also tired from the studying they had to do on top of guarding her at the new place, Hestia walked all the way up to the fourth floor and kicked open the door as her hands were full.

"Hey Gil, you still up?" Hestia called out.

"A Servant does not require sleep," came the natural reply from her Captain. "And even if I were asleep, I certainly would not be after that."

As usual, Caster was sitting behind his desk although he miraculously didn't have any documents in front of him…a grace that Hestia happily destroyed.

"All right, I've gone over more or less everything with Goibniu," she said as she slammed the documents in front of Caster.

Caster picked up the first sheet on the pile, glanced at it, then tossed it back on top with disinterest.

"Far be it for me to criticize the work of a God of the Forge and a Goddess of the Hearth," he said with a smirk.

"You seem pretty keen on criticizing everything else I do," Hestia pointed out as she sat down in front of him.

"I have invested nothing into this project of yours. I shan't suffer any losses should it fail."

"Mumumu…"

He had a point. This was entirely Hestia's venture. There was no point in getting him involved if he didn't want to. But…

"Can you at least give it a look over?" Hestia begged. "You have that Skill for it, right?"

"You should have more faith in your abilities, Goddess Hestia," Caster replied. "You'd involve me less."

"But it's a Goddess's duty to trouble her Familia with her whims!" Hestia pointed out and the look of exasperation he was giving her almost made her laugh. "Though if you're too tired to do so, I'll understand."

Putting aside her own nervousness in running her own business, she didn't want to overwork her Captain who was doing so much on his own.

Caster's response was to simply spin his chair around and refuse, just as she expected.

Well, it was probably best to stop relying on him for so much. Speaking of which.

"Well, putting aside me forcing my problems on you for a moment, you're not overworking yourself, right?" She asked, leaning forward slightly. "Like you're taking breaks properly, right?"

"I am not so foolish as to forget my health," Caster said and Hestia could swear that she heard a silent "again" in there somewhere. "I refuse to die from overwork. I take outings into the city purely for pleasure on occasion."

Hestia knew Caster well enough that he absolutely did not mean _that_ kind of pleasure. Well, not so long as it was Ishtar running that place anyway.

It made her wonder just what he did for fun. She certainly couldn't imagine him playing tag with children or something like that. Then again, if someone like Dionysus could, then maybe there was hope for someone like Caster too.

"Heh, did you actually make a friend out there?" Hestia asked with a smile to which Caster responded with a scoff.

"Do I look like someone who would carelessly make friends?"

"Considering you didn't answer with a simple yes or no…yes."

Hestia couldn't see his face but he became rather hilariously still at her words. But this wasn't something she could leave alone for any longer.

"King Gilgamesh," she said, trying to pull out as much of her godly authority without actually using her divine aura or anything godlike. "Do you actually enjoy being alone like this? Is making friends something you can't do no matter what?"

Caster was silent at her question.

For a moment, Hestia wondered if he was trying to formulate a response to get around lying but it was taking far too long for the normally sharp tongued Caster.

Feeling like she overstepped her boundaries and that she shouldn't bother him any further, Hestia picked up her stack of documents, bade her Child goodnight and headed for the door.

"…In all the world…" Caster suddenly spoke up, surprising Hestia so much that the documents nearly slipped out of her grip. She whirled around, one hand still on the doorknob as Caster continued. "…I have only one friend. And so that value will never change. For all of eternity."

It was such a quiet confession. One so abnormal and unexpected that Hestia wasn't sure that it had happened at all. Nevertheless, she supposed it was a sign of trust, one that must have made taken a tremendous amount of effort to say.

"…What, so you could make friends after all…" she replied softly.

Hestia didn't need to be a genius to know where said friend is now. Caster was a hero from eons past. That friend would have long since passed on by now…and from the sound of things, had passed on before even Caster did as well.

Hestia wanted to ask if said friend would feel happy that Caster that Caster placed so much value in their friendship that he would spend an eternity alone for it. However, she didn't know his friend, and some small part of her felt that such a person would have to be of similar mindset to be friends with someone like Caster. Or someone whose heart was great enough to be friends with someone like him.

Most likely the latter.

In which case, they would probably be heartbroken seeing their important friend all alone like this. Even a shut-in like Hestia had friends in Hephaistos and Takemikazuchi back in Tenkai.

And so, she quietly exited the office and closed the door before whispering to the empty hallway, "Goodnight, my lonely Captain."

X-x-X-x-X

"Hey, are we going to do anything special for Grand Day?"

It was a question Gina suddenly threw out the next morning.

"Grand Day?" Lancer repeated. "What is the significance of this day?"

"It's the day when Zeus Familia and Hera Familia took down Behemoth, one of the Three Grand Quests," Gina replied. "Though it happened before all of us mortals here were born I guess."

"And the Grand Quests are?"

"The three massive black monsters that the Dungeon spawned that roam around on the surface," Lily explained. "There was Leviathan, Behemoth, and the One-Eyed Black Dragon."

"Quite the mouthful," Archer muttered as Lily continued.

"Zeus and Hera defeated the first two already, with Leviathan's remains being used to block off an underwater entrance to the Dungeon and Behemoth's remains having turned a huge part of the continent into a massive desert of black ash. The One-Eyed Black Dragon is the only one of them still alive and it destroyed both Familias when they went after it."

"Did…did it kill all of the Adventurers?" Primo asked.

"No, but Lily heard they lost all their veterans so the Familias were more or less dead regardless. And so Zeus and Hera were forced out by Loki and Freya Familias, who took their place at the top of Orario."

"And the Guild did naught to protect the ones who have accomplished so much for them," Caster noted as his eyes met Hestia's. "You'd do well to remember that."

Hestia grunted in response.

"God Zeus and Goddess Hera, huh?" Bell muttered to himself. "I wish I could have met them. They must have been amazing."

"Nothing good would have come from you meeting Zeus, Bell!" Hestia shouted, thrusting her fork at him. "If you think Hermes is a lecher, then Zeus is a million times worse."

"Eh!?" Emma let out a shout in surprise. "You actually knew him, Goddess?"

"Why the heck do you sound so surprised?"

"Well…I mean…uh…we're talking about the Legendary Zeus right? And you…well…um…said you stayed in your temple all the time?"

Emma withered slightly under the glare that Hestia was throwing her way as if daring her to continue with her unflattering comments.

"We're from the same place in Tenkai," Hestia replied offhandedly. "Zeus is an old pervert that doesn't act his age and always drove Hera up the wall. That said, he loved you children a lot. Supposedly, he would sneak off to watch your ancestors live their lives and would record their stories. I'm pretty sure he kept has a 'god's eye account' of every legend and myth your ancestors passed down for the last few millennia."

Her description simply made Bell want to meet the old god even more. To hear the original Legends and Myth from someone who had a front row seat of them all was something he would give almost anything to listen. The gods approved version of Dungeon Oratoria, an anthology of the most famous myths, was out there but it was near impossible to find as the various mortal races preferred their "embellished" versions instead. But as was said, Zeus and Hera had been long since ousted from Orario once Loki and Freya came into power.

"I believe we have drifted a bit off topic," Lancer muttered before Gina spoke up again.

"Yeah, so, Grand Day, anything?" Gina asked again. "Like should we open a food stall or something?"

"By 'we' you mean me and Rider, right?" Archer asked as Rider giggled into her hand.

"No way, I'm going to be helping as well!" the little amazoness insisted. "I want to get better at cooking too!"

"Do you think you will be able to get your inn up and running in time for Grand Day, Lady Hestia?" Primo asked Hestia as Rider was patting Gina on the head with a loving smile on her face.

"Ngh…that depends on Goibniu," Hestia said. "We're remodeling most of the rooms after all. So it depends on how quickly his Smiths can work. I believe in them!"

"Does Lord Caster feel like there is something that needs to be done?" Lily asked Caster who hadn't said a word all morning.

"Tis a holiday, is it not?" Caster replied after a moment. "There is no reason to make any concrete plans. Let those who wish to work, work and those who play, play."

"Does that mean you plan to play on that day as well?" Saber asked and Caster only offered a chuckle in response.

But Grand Day was still days away.

As such, there was still the need for Adventurers to adventure.

"I believe it is time to combine the two Parties," Caster declared. "With Gwen now Level 2, it would be more prudent for Flores and Libera to gain their excelia by going beyond the Fifth Floor."

"Eeeeeehhh…you're going to let them go on without me?" Gina asked unhappily as Primo looked a bit worried.

"Were you not just wishing to run a concession stand with those two?" Caster asked, gesturing his chin toward Rider and Archer. "Find a way to entertain yourself until you are fully healed."

Gina could only respond by puffing her cheeks up at Caster before Assassin and Primo poked both of them, causing her to sputter weakly.

"Are you coming with us today, Saber?" Bell asked.

"My apologies, Master," Saber apologized while lowering his head. "But I have a previous appointment."

"Then…"

Bell turned to Lancer next but the woman shook her head.

"Sorry, Bell. Lancer's coming with me again," Hestia cut in.

Seeing as the usual "adult" Servants were all going to be busy, Bell and the others slowly turned their heads toward Caster.

"Hmm…looks like there is only one choice left, is there?" Caster mumbled. "Very well. I shall use the opportunity to exercise."

And just like that, the Hestia Familia Captain decided to move.

"I'm suddenly very glad I'm not going," Gina muttered to herself.

"And perhaps we shall take along one more."

Caster looked to the side with everyone following his gaze.

At the end of his gaze was a minotaur who was slowly nibbling on a sausage link dangling from his mouth, trying to make it last as long as possible after having already devoured two dozen of them on his lonesome while holding one above the harpy sitting next to him.

The two monsters suddenly noticed that all eyes were on them as they stared back in confusion.

X-x-X-x-X

"So, what were you hoping to do by running a concession stand, Gina?" Archer asked as he, Rider, and Gina sat at the dining table to talk about their future plans. With the others having left the manor, it was just the three of them plus Fia left at home. "It's not as though we're hurting for money or anything."

"Well…to be honest it's because I just kinda wanted to do something…" Gina admitted as she scratched her cheek shyly. "I still can't move my arm so I can't join the others in the Dungeon."

"Aww, are you feeling lonely?" Rider asked as she pulled the Amazon into a hug.

"I-I think 'stir-crazy' is a better word…" Gina mumbled.

"All right then, then we'll leave the decisions for the stand to you," Archer said with a smile. "First things first, location…well, I suppose that's already covered."

Before she left, Hestia said that, to save money, they could operate the stand in front of the inn. That way they'd have a proper storage area and a bigger kitchen if needed. The fact that it was located near the market district meant that there would be plenty of traffic around and there was enough space around the building that should a crowd swarm the stand, it would not get in the way of other people trying to pass by.

"Then what kind of food do you want to prepare?" Rider asked. "Something light for a snack? Or perhaps something heartier? Or maybe a dessert?"

"Or perhaps some jagumaru-kun?" Archer asked with a smirk.

"I'm pretty sure like half the concession stands in Orario will be selling those," Gina pointed out with a pout as Archer chuckled to himself.

X-x-X-x-X

"Hmm?"

"What is it, Miss Wallenstein?"

"I'm sorry, Teacher. I just felt as though I missed out on something."

"Is that so?"

"No, never mind. I'm ready to begin."

"Understood. Then, prepare yourself."

X-x-X-x-X

"Anyway, I wanna do something sweet and easy to carry around," Gina said. "Maybe a drink of some kind? Ah, but will we be able to get enough disposable cups?"

Archer's response to her question was to hold out a hand to the side and allow a light plastic cup to appear in his hand before it disappeared into wisps of light.

"Your magic is the very definition of 'disposable, isn't it?" Rider asked, sounding both impressed and perturbed. "No wonder both Caster and Welf aren't sure how to feel about it."

"Well, Caster aside, I do feel bad when I use it around Welf," Archer admitted. "That said, I don't know about doing drinks. Maybe as a side thing but I suspect most people will be carrying canteens with them. Hydration is important during festivals after all."

"Hmm, then do you know anything sweet that's quick and easy to make that's also eye-catching?" Gina asked. "Well, after that Cooking Show the two of you did, I think anything you make will draw the attention of moms and their kids.

"Then something to cater to that demographic…" Archer muttered as he turned toward Rider.

"Galettes…would probably take too much time to make, huh?" Rider asked after a moment. "I mean, if we can use the inn's kitchen then that would help but if it is up and running at that time then we can't expect to monopolize it."

"Right. It should probably be something that can be made using a portable fryer or grill."

"…Then, Jagamaru-kun?"

"Please no," Gina refused them once more. "I want something sweet, remember? But not anything that mixes savoriness and sweetness."

"The goddess will be sad if you refuse them so much," Rider said with a laugh.

"Something sweet, right," Archer muttered. "Tempura ice cream? Preparation might take some time but…it might be fine for the Cooking Show though. Chocolate dipped fruits are a staple for festivals but the initial costs…"

"Well it's a festival so we can probably get away with selling things at rip off prices," Gina said with a smile. "Though I don't think the goddess will be too happy about that."

"Though knowing her, it'd be best if we put a little effort in acquiring the ingredients for as cheap as possible," Rider said.

"Cheap ingredients, sweet…" Archer muttered to himself as he crossed his arms and tilted his head to the side in deep thought. "I got it."

"You do?" Gina asked. "What is it? What is it?"

"Well, I don't want to say anything yet if it doesn't work out," Archer said. "But I didn't see anything like it during Monsterphillia so the snack should be unique. Whether that's good or bad is something we'll have to see. The ingredients we can get cheap but we'd have to get them the day of or day before…"

"You're not talking about the honey cloud fruits, are you?" Gina asked.

"I am," Archer nodded. "It's juice is sweet enough to work and easy to relatively easy to harvest. It'd be cheaper than getting sugar some other way. Well, there's no telling if it'll work until we try it but we'd have to send the others on a Quest first."

"Then if that's a 'maybe,' we should think about a backup too, right?" Rider asked. "We don't want to put so much effort that they get tired just before the festivities. If it's a festival, then grilled meat and vegetable skewers would definitely go well…ah, but if you're set on sweets then we can try making some kind of sweet cream from all the milk Caster keeps buying."

"He does seem to be getting a lot of cow products," Gina muttered. "Did he sign some sort of sponsorship with Nunsun Familia even before you guys signed on to do the Cooking Show thing?"

"Who can say," Rider replied with a knowing smile while Archer rolled his eyes and shook his head. "He certainly doesn't look happy to be coming back with a new milk jug every so often. Maybe she's forcing it on him."

"Well, it helps with feeding Fia and Berserker so it's fine," Archer said with a shrug.

"About that…" came a voice from the window as Fia's tuff of red hair poked itself above the windowsill. "That 'tempura ice cream' thing sounds weird. Like, I know what ice cream is and what tempura is…but how do you mix them together? Won't it melt?"

"I've been wondering about that myself," Gina said. "It sounds really neat."

Archer looked from the two "young ones" and then toward Rider only to see that his fellow Servant was looking expectantly at him as well. Seeing as he had no way out, he stood up from the table with a sigh.

"Then I'll be using the pound cake you made this morning," Archer told her.

"Sure sure," Rider said as she stood up to help as needed. "I made it for Gina to eat anyway."

Fia and Gina followed the two Familia cooks toward the kitchen and sat at the counter as Archer took out cream, milk, sugar and some vanilla. Almost lazily, he measured out a few cups of the cream and milk and sugar.

He then took out the blender and poured the cream and sugar in first, mixing it together inside before slowly adding the milk and vanilla to it. Once it was blended enough that the sugar had dissolved, he poured the contents out into a container and placed it into the freezer.

"All right, we have to wait about half an hour for that to chill," he said as he washed his hands. "Why don't we use the time to make more pound cake?"

"Got it," Rider replied before turning to Gina. "Would you like to help?"

"Are you sure?" Gina asked, rubbing her injured arm.

"Of course. It's a simple recipe after all."

X-x-X-x-X

A bloodcurdling roar echoed in the room of the Dungeon before a massive explosion of rock, dust and dirt filled the air.

The dust cleared instantly as a three-meter tall monster burst through and smashed into the smaller monsters around him, scattering their corpses across the room.

A pair of silverbacks, monsters that had the appearance of apes with silver fur, rushed toward the massive monster only for one to be sliced in two by one of the massive axes the creature was wielding while the other had its head grasped by the minotaur's massive hand. The silverback let out a squeal of pain and fear before its head was smashed against the ground, splattering like an overripe tomato

"_Descend o starry tears! Blast away these hapless rejects!_"

And seated on the steel saddle strapped to his box was a little elf girl, swirling with magic energy.

"_Lumine Pleiades!_"

Beams of light blasted out from the saddle, shooting into the air to rip through the bat-like monsters that had converged above.

"We're done here!" Primo shouted as she looked around just in time to see Assassin slice off a hand of an orc, allowing Emma to shoot forward and stab her swords into its throat.

As the massive monster fell to the ground, blood gurgling out of its throat, the surroundings quieted down as Primo could take in the field of monster corpses with her Familia members scattered everywhere.

"And so?" Caster began, having not lifted a finger to help in anyway, allowing Lily to stand in front of him to fight the monsters that got close. "What have we confirmed with our trek down to the Eleventh Floor?"

"That uh…the monsters really, _really,_ don't like Berserker?" Emma offered as Lily returned her silver knife into its sheath in her sleeve before taking out a carving knife to get to work on the corpses.

The Party had encountered swarms of monsters on each Floor from the Sixth Floor down. Most of them charged blindly toward Berserker, as if wanting nothing more to tear him to shreds regardless of their own safety; even ignoring the Adventurers to do so. One al-miraj had jumped onto Welf, but that was only because it was trying to use him as a stepping stone to leap at Berserker. It was quickly cleaved in half by the rather irate Smith.

"So this is the part where a group of Infant Dragons comes after us too, right?" Welf asked before he, Lily, Assassin and Bell whirled toward one of the exits of the fog filled room they were in. But nothing else showed up. "Shame, I'd love a few Drop Items from them."

"Maybe Saber already ran into them on his way down first," Bell suggested as he returned his weapons into their sheaths. "Need any help, Lily?"

"Lily is sorry to have to ask, but if everyone can help drag the bodies into a pile, that will be great."

"There's like sixty bodies here, it's fine to ask for help," Emma said as Berserker dragged over two silverback corpses. "We need to hurry before another Party passes through after all."

"Umm…the bad bats kinda got disintegrated, sorry," Primo said sheepishly.

"Well, that's to be expected with Magic," Lily said with a shrug. As she and Assassin started digging into the corpses for the Magic Stones, she turned to Caster again. "Was this the reason Lord Caster wanted to bring along Berserker?"

"The harpy said that the other monsters in the Dungeon attacked it and its fellows even though they were all born of the Dungeon," Caster reminded them as he glanced over his shoulder. "It would appear that they consider Berserker on the same level as a Xenos."

"I hope no one else is getting caught up in these swarms though," Bell muttered. "It'd be like we're Pass Parading them."

"That is the risk of entering the Dungeon," Caster reminded him. "Do not concern yourself with others."

"How far are we going today?" Assassin asked Caster. "Can we just stay here? We like these Floors a lot."

Caster simply rolled his eyes as Welf pulled out a list that contained the amount of Drop Item Quests that they received as well as stuff for his own personal use.

"Let's see…" Welf muttered. "Hey, Lil'ly, where are the Drop Item bags?"

A large bag was flung at Welf's direction and he caught it without looking away from his list.

"…I think we're short a few of the hard armored's shells," Welf reported after going through the contents. "We did pretty much only get swarmed by imps and orcs back there."

"Lily suggests we head to the Middle Floors then," Lily spoke up. "Jack has the advantage in the fog but everyone else has a harder time fighting here. Those monsters still spawn on the Thirteenth Floor after all. But Lily is worried that it might be a bit too much for Miss Emma and Miss Primo right now."

"It…should be fine," Bell said slowly. "With all of us here, I don't think any normal monster would be much a problem."

Strictly speaking, going beyond the Tenth Floor wasn't recommended for any Level 1 without at least a B in their Status. However, that wasn't exactly a hard rule or anything, but the recommendation from the Guild and its Advisors, Eina included. But as Primo and Emma were in a party of multiple Level 2s and a Level 3, Eina felt that the danger would be marginal so long as they don't overdo it. Not to mention Emma already went all the way down to the Eighteenth Floor the other day, albeit only as a Supporter and had to be closely watched by Bell and Rider.

"Then Berserker," Bell said, turning toward his largest Servant. "Can we leave the patrol to you while we take a break and finish harvesting the Magic Stones?"

Berserker gave Bell a nod as he let Primo down so that she could run over to the others before the minotaur picked up his axes and started prowling the room through the fog.

"…Is that a good idea?" Welf asked.

"Why not? He does it at Home anyway, right?"

"Yeah but…what if he ends up running into another Party and they think he's a normal minotaur?"

"Ah."

At Welf's warning, Bell quickly ran after Berserker with the intent on joining him on the patrol.

Emma watched him as he disappeared into the fog, a small frown on her face.

"Something wrong, Emmy?" Welf asked as he walked over and handed her a canteen.

"Not really," Emma said as she accepted the drink. "It's just…Bell is leagues ahead of any of us, isn't he? Aside from the Servants of course."

"Well, to be fair, he did start before you, so that's obvious," Welf began after taking a sip from his own canteen to gather his thoughts. "That said, he is going super fast. Faster than the previous Record Holder. I just chalk it to finding that Holy Grail thing."

"I suppose so," Emma admitted with a nod. "It's just…I feel as though he's going to keep climbing and climbing while leaving the rest of us behind."

It wasn't just the Level 1s Bell would be leaving behind. If his growth continued at such blinding speed, he would soon leave Welf and Lily behind as well as he would need to go even deeper into the Dungeon in order to gain the necessary excelia for someone of his Level. Which meant going down into the Deep Floors, somewhere where only the Servants would survive following him.

Welf opened his mouth to say something to that but someone else spoke up first.

"It is only natural for the boy to grow as he chases his dreams."

Caster strode up to him, his blood red eyes locked on them both while at the same time seeing beyond the two mortals.

"Mankind must always strive forward to reach their impossible dreams," Caster dictated. "To do so is to progress. To strive. To live. Ones dreams are always moving. To stop and wait for even a second will only prove fatal and see them slip out of one's grasp forever."

It was no secret to what Bell's dreams were. There were several living representations of them living beside them within Hestia Familia alone after all. Not to mention that said desire was also literally engraved onto his back and soul.

"If you wish to stand beside him, then continue to strive forward. Find a more far reaching than simply being reunited with your sister. A dream that sets the fire in your soul alight. Lest you waste your time wallowing in mediocracy."

"See, that would have been moving if you left out the last part," Welf felt the need to say as Caster simply scoffed and walked away. "That said, he's not wrong…as usual. Do you have some goal you want to reach besides finding your sister?"

"A goal?"

"Yeah. Like there's Bell wanting to be a hero, me wanting to make a weapon on par with the gods, and Primo wanting to be a mage on the level of Nine Hells. I'm sure Gina and Lil'ly have their own goals and inspirations too. So, what about you? It doesn't need to be anything grand. Just…a reason that you'd want to stay in Hestia Familia after finding your sister or something I guess."

"Oh," Emma's response was barely audible. "Did…did I give off the impression that I'd leave after finding Sophia?"

"Well…no…" Welf began, drawing out the last word. "But you said that the entire reason for coming to Orario was to look for her and that you weren't really planning on joining a Familia in the first place, right? Not to say I don't want you to stay or anything, cuz it'd be super lonely without you and Primo would definitely be sad. But that said…you shouldn't feel like you need to stay either. If you want to leave to be with your sister, I'm sure everyone will understand."

The Smith then left Emma to her thoughts as Lily was calling out for him. As she watched him go, Emma's hand went for the pendant hanging from her neck.

What did she want from this Familia? At first it was just something to help her find Sophia, but now things were different. She did want to stay with them all so long as nothing on Sophia's side would prevent it. She was watching a new heroic myth being written after all.

Even so…

"If you were in Orario, you should have seen me, right?" She whispered to no one. "I'm right here…so why haven't you found me yet?"

But of course, the whispers to no one reached no one at all.

X-x-X-x-X

As Hestia's children worked hard at home and in the Dungeon, the goddess herself was busy overlooking the construction efforts of her new inn with Lancer by her side. Goibniu's smiths were already beginning the prep work such as building scaffoldings along the outside wall of the building and removing the outer barred wall around the property. The assigned leader of the smiths, a half-dwarf by the name of Marco Powell, was also currently going over the plans with Hestia in a tent located on the yard of the house.

"So what do you think?" Hestia asked the red-haired woman. "Do you think we can finish by Grand Day?"

"Hmm, it's cutting it a bit close but we should be able to make it," Marco replied. "But, it would be like one, or two days beforehand. Would you be able to fill the rooms in that time?"

"Oh, I'm not worried. There's always some losers that forget to book an inn until the last minute after all. I'll get my money's worth from them."

"Ahaha…I suppose so."

The Smith wasn't able to refute that logic as she simply let out a dry chuckle in response.

"Besides, so long as the restaurant portion of the inn is up and running, that's all we need to make money for Grand Day."

"Should we focus on the kitchen area first then?"

"Hmm…I do want to train the employees there first and foremost so I'd love it if that gets done as soon as possible. But I'd rather you work on the employee housing area instead."

Thankfully, not much work needed to be done there. As the kitchens had already been fitted to feed over a hundred people, it was already more than enough for what Hestia needed. All she added were a few more sinks and dish washers to accommodate the turnaround time of customers rather than live-in Adventurers.

Nevertheless, the employee housing area was the most important part. Her workers needed a place to sleep after all!

"Oh and don't worry about lunch," Hestia said as she hoisted a basket onto the table. "It's not much but Rider and Archer made some sandwiches for you all."

With the promise of a tasty and, above all else, free lunch waiting for them, Marco pushed her fellow smiths to work even harder.

"Will we simply be watching over the Goibniu Familia as they work today?" Lancer asked as Hestia leaned back in her chair.

"Nope," she replied as she pulled out a flyer from her bag and handed it over to Lancer.

It was an advertisement seeking employees to work at the inn. It was offering quite the decent wage and was also offering housing opportunities for anyone that needed it. Men and women were both welcome to apply but Hestia made it clear that there was no promise of actually joining the Familia and receiving her blessing. Anyone using the interview as a way to try and join the Familia would get their ass booted to the curb by Lancer.

"There are plenty of people out there who either can't join a Familia to become an Adventurer or drop out after being unable to make a living out of it," Hestia said. "I mean, honestly, going underground for hours on end to fight for your life on your own to barely scrape by if you didn't join a veteran Familia? Not too many people can deal with that after all. I'm still ashamed of myself for forcing Bell to do that for the first two weeks."

"That is true…" Lancer agreed with the goddess's words. "It takes a strong body and an even stronger will to make a living like this."

"So there are plenty of people who are stuck living on the streets after being cast out of their Familia or are unable to find permanent shelter after moving here to look for one. If this place can work as a stopgap for them to find their bearings then I want to give them that opportunity. If they want to stay on permanently then all the better. Heck, maybe we can welcome a new Familia member eventually too."

"As expected of the hearth," Lancer said with a smile as she clapped her hands together. "You are certain to draw people together."

"So long as they are right and upstanding people," Hestia said as she leaned back and looked out the tent toward the working Smiths. "Hey, Lancer?"

"Yes?"

"Is there anything you want?" Hestia asked. "Out of everyone of 'you,' you're the one that really hasn't made their wants known for your time in Orario. Is there something you're hoping to get out of all of this?"

For Archer and Caster, the two of them seem to be using this lease on life as a vacation or a break. Saber seemed eager to train Bell into a hero. Rider was content with taking care of the home and the younger kids rather than going on Adventures. And Assassin and Berserker were just happy to be here, under the sun and away from the dark.

"I…am perfectly content with how things are right now," Lancer replied after a thought. "All I ever wanted…was to see _that_ person again. Although the urge to take his life still exists, it is enough for me right now. The two of us here, working together to protect our Master; it is like a dream to me."

"If only that curse wasn't around, huh?"

"It is an intricate part of my legend, just as your divinity is a part of you, Lady Hestia. It is not something either of us can shed so easily."

"I wish it wasn't true though…"

As Hestia let out a sigh, Lancer let out a small giggle into her hand before looking to the side.

"I believe someone is wandering outside the property."

"Is it someone looking for a job interview?" Hestia wondered aloud as she stepped out of the tent to take a look for herself.

There she saw a woman with long brown hair and green eyes. She seemed to be a Cows, a rarely seen race in Orario, with the horns, ears and tail to go with it. The woman was walking back and forth near the gate didn't look like an Adventurer nor did she carry herself like one. Well, not that that meant anything considering there were Adventurers as adorable as Bell and Primo walking around too.

Still, there was no harm in calling out to her.

"Hey, Miss Cows!" Hestia called out, causing the woman to jump and wheel around toward Hestia. "Were you here for an interview?"

"A-ah, yes!" The Cows replied as she quickly straightened out her sweater top and skirt. "Umm…are you the Goddess Hestia?"

"That's right. If you're here for an interview then come on in. Don't mind the noise."

Hestia welcomed her first potential employee in with a big smile while leading her toward the tent.

After clearing away the reconstruction plans, she had the woman sit across from her while Lancer served her some tea.

"Now then, let's get started with your name."

"Yes! My name is Iris Bennet," the woman said.

"Then Iris, were you born in Orario or did you move here?"

"Umm…I moved here looking for work but it hasn't been going well."

"Are you affiliated with any other Familia?"

"No…I am not…though not for a lack of trying."

"Did you want to be an Adventurer then?"

"That is my dream but…I don't have any way of making that happen yet."

So a woman who came to Orario to become an Adventurer, failed, and is now looking for work to sustain herself. Frankly, it was exactly the type of person Hestia was hoping to find and to find one as her first employee made Hestia wonder if someone was conspiring against her using Iris as a pawn. Then again, she found Bell as her first Child which made her fame skyrocket practically overnight so she may just be lucky in that regard.

Well, either way, this interview was sure to be a lucrative one in any case.

X-x-X-x-X

_CLANG  
_  
Ais had lost count of the amount of times the clash of metal against metal echoed in her ears. Each time their blades connected, every bone and joint in her hands felt like they were going to disintegrate.

Her teacher, the one known as Sigurd going under the name Saber, was a Legend, one who wanted her to surmount him. But each time they clashed, the distance between them became clearer and clearer. One as wide as the distance between the earth and the stars and the sky.

For he was a true Spirit. For he was a true Hero.

He had said that this training session was to push her to her limit so he could properly set the bar for future sessions.

And yet she had completely underestimated just what that entailed.

_BANG  
_  
The next clash sent her sliding across the ground of the Eighteenth Floor of the Dungeon, only stopping when she smashed into a tree.

"_TEMPEST!_"

She didn't give herself any time to get her bearings and instead used her Ariel to blow herself away from the tree, flinging herself to the side as the green blade sliced right through the bark as if it was nothing more than butter.

As the tree slowly slid off its trunk, the Hero spun around and kicked the wood straight at her.

Seeing it as the distraction that it was, she braced herself on the ground and smashed straight through the wood, meeting the charging Hero and locking blades once more.

Saber's face was completely hidden behind a full mask and the green lenses provided no insight to his thoughts. It was as if she was fighting against a living statue of ice…or at least something inhuman. The warm and and kind smile, easily seen through the half mask he always wore was nowhere to be found. There was only a warrior that bested a dragon without the use of a Falna left in front of her.

"…You still hesitate…" Saber said as he forced her blade up and threw a kick at her stomach. Her wind softened the blow but she was forced to allow it to throw her back to gain some distance. "Are you…frightened…? No, the word is too strong. Are you _wary_ about fighting other humans?"

"I…I'm not sure…"

"It is nothing to be ashamed of," Saber said as he took a relaxed stance, giving Ais the opportunity to catch her breath. "In a perfect world, humanity would not need to fight itself when the Dungeon provides such a convenient outlet for their aggression and a natural enemy. But…what you hope to defeat is not human, but this…Creature, correct?"

"How do you know about them…?" Ais spoke up for the first time since their training resumed.

"Your blade seeks to cut down only monsters," Saber said as he looked up toward the crystal ceiling of the Under Resort. "I have heard of the existence of these…beings from my Captain, who heard it from another source that I am not aware of. Unfortunate souls who have had their humanity stripped from them by an unknown being and have had a Magic Stone inserted into their body. Now they seek to destroy this city. Once that has happened, they are no longer human. You must not see them as such. It is one thing if they try to resist these dark temptations and remain human, but your enemies have cast that aside for one reason or another. They are a threat to humanity. And must be put down…for their own sake as much as every life in Orario."

He then turned back to face her.

"That is why…we must remove your hesitation."

Saber inserted his sword into the ground in front of him before placing a hand over his heart.

_Ba-thump. Ba-thump. Ba-thump.  
_  
The mechanical beating of a heart seemed to echo in Ais's ears. She wasn't sure if it was her own or not but she quickly got back up to her feet, her body groaning in protest as she got into a defensive stance.

The beating heart was quickly growing faster and with it, the sparks of lightning surging around Saber's body.

"You must bring forth everything you have…even that dark flame of yours."

And then…

"Or you will die."

All at once, her blood turned to ice even as an intense heat erupted in front of her.

"…! _TEMPEST!_"

Lightning exploded in all directions as Ais threw everything she had to create a shield of wind in front of her. It was as if a star had been born right in front of her. No. It wasn't anything so brilliant or beautiful. Not in her eyes at least.

It was as though a the Spirit had become a Dragon right before her eyes without changing anything of its physical form.

"_Dragon core set. That life, I shall devour it._"

And then the dragon was upon her. Its green blade cut straight through her wind and blew her away in a single strike.

"_Your flame is dangerous and seeks to consume you whole_," the dragon roared, its voice distorted even further beyond its mask. "_You must not let it. You must control its raging fury. Unleash its wrath upon the foe in front of you._"

It did not even give her the chance to land on the ground as it pounced upon her once more.

"_It is not a person! Nor a hero! Nor a spirit! It is just a dragon! Devour it before it devours you!_"

His blade, now clad in explosive green energy, slashed down toward her.

"…GRRAAAAAAHHHH!"

With a scream of exertion and rage, she deflected the blade as it smashed into the Dungeon floor.

"_Push forward! Break through your limits! Overcome the myth in front of you! Show me your heroic resolve!_"

A sword bathed in green light clashed against one wreathed in green wind.

"_Take that rage and use it to achieve what is important to you! Your enemies are nothing more than stones on the path to your dream!_"

Light and wind mixed together and erupted, scattering the two powers all across the floor. The dragon in front of her would not stop her. Neither will the massive shadow covering the city. She would overcome them both and take back everything that was lost to her.

"_But never forget what it is you fight for. What it is that binds you to this world. Those bonds are what keep your soul sane. Your reason to live and press forward._"

"_TEMPEST!_"

With another roar, her wind exploded with all of her fury as the dragon leaped back. Her wind shielded her like hundreds of blades slicing across the air and ground, carving trenches in the dirt by her feet. Like a spinning buzzsaw, she charged forward toward the dragon as it gathered its energy into its blade once more. Seeing this, she condensed her wind into a single point.

"_LIL RAFAGA!_"

And then…a quiet voice spoke out.

_"Gram._"

Wind and light clashed once more. The wind condensed, pushed, snapped and lashed out against the all encompassing light. Her body took a step forward even as her body cried out in agony, as her bones snapped backwards in response. She refused to back away from the dragon. Both the one right in front of her and the one standing at the end of her path.

And yet…the light did not budge. It's overwhelming yet tranquil fury was more powerful than even the Monster Rex Udaeus.

And so…

The wind lost.

The next thing she knew, Ais was on her back, staring up at the crystal lights of the Eighteenth Floor.

"Good morning."

A calm voice greeted her and she turned her head to see Saber, sitting on the dirt with his back against a tree. The mask was gone, exposing his entire face, and his sword had returned to its shimmering red color. A quick look around revealed a scarred forest with several monster corpses and body parts scattered here and there. She must have been unconscious for some time.

"My apologies," the man said, looking rather bashful. "I may have pushed you a bit too far. Is your body all right?"

Ais sat up and apart from feeling rather tired, her body felt fine and she didn't seem to be in any sort pain. Which was rather strange because she could have sworn she felt her fingers bending backwards from the sheer power of the Spirit. That and her gauntlets and breastplate have both been blow to pieces with bloodstained tears running along her tunic as well. However, she felt no traces of wounds even as she ran her finger across the tears.

"An elixir?" She guessed but Saber shook his head.

"I do not have such a valuable healing item with me," he replied. "Only a few high potions. I am not as adept in healing as my wife, but I can supplement my skills using potions."

Ais nodded her head in understanding. Although they haven't been able to see it in its entirety, Lancer had been able to heal Gina to the point that she was almost completely healthy when Ais saw her the other day.

But there was something she needed to say.

"You…really are a dragon."

"I said as much during the previous session," Saber acknowledged. "I am what I am. Use me as you see fit. Either as a stepping stone or a lift in your fight against your foes."

Ais shook her head as she forced her unsteady legs to stand.

"I will have you as a teacher," she said. "And…a friend?"

Saber's eyes widened in surprise at her words and for a moment, she was afraid that she had been a bit too forward. However, the hero…no, the man simply chuckled appreciatively.

"I thank you for your kind words," Saber replied as he stood up as well. "But it is getting rather late. We best return to the surface."

No sooner did he say that did the crystal lights of the Eighteenth Floor dimmed, signaling the start of the floor's "night" which correlated with the time on the surface.

"…Was I asleep for that long?" Ais asked, surprised at herself.

"No. It couldn't have been more than an hour at most," Saber said. "You must have lost track of time during the training. Still to keep up with me for several hours deserves its compliments. The blessings of the gods cannot be understated. As expected of a Level 6. I can only wonder how far the Level 7 can go."

"At the very least, Ottarl is stronger than the level of power you were using before unleashing the dragon."

She only ever had one one-sided serious fight with the man but even she could tell that much.

A flame of hunger burned within Saber's eyes at her words. The possibility of a challenge in this world. For some reason, seeing that flame irked Ais. Was it because it meant she wasn't enough of a challenge?

Was this the secret to Bell's growth? The sheer desire to prove himself to Saber and the other Spirits? To be someone who can stand on the same stage as them?

She didn't know the boy very well but even she could see how much he idolized the older members of his Familia. The Spirits in turn, seemed to adore their "Master." Even Argonaut was quick to show how much he worried about injuring Bell's body even though he one-sidedly took it for himself for a few hours.

"That is indeed something to look forward to," Saber said, snapping Ais out of her reverie. "But a selfish clash with Freya Familia will only bring trouble to the Goddess Hestia. Especially considering her Familia has already been attacked by an outsider already."

Outsider.

That golden haired boy with unbelievable power in Melen.

Ais had no doubt that the boy was a Spirit as well, one that was probably related in some way to the one called Caster. However their method of attack was different. The boy seemed to crystalize his magic into blades and flung them at sheer speeds toward his enemies not unlike Archer while Caster's magic took the form of wands and staves. The fact that he paid no attention to Archer or Saber proximity to his attack during that fight made Ais believe that they were most likely two separate people but ones closely related to each other.

Then again, there was the possibility that the Spirit was simply confident that Saber and Archer would be able to survive such an attack. One that was simply a barrage of powerful blades with no special quality.

Clashing against a modicum of Saber's power firsthand and witnessing Archer's in the Deep Floors allowed Ais to easily make that deduction.

And if the boy really was Caster disguising his form, it was easy to deduce why he attacked Freya Familia.

The minotaur that Bell fought.

Considering Ottarl was blocking Archer and Ais's path yet gave up as soon as one of them slipped past, it was rather easy to figure out that he was the one that sent the minotaur after Bell for some reason.

It was a simple retaliation.

But Saber was not a part of the Familia at that point in time so he most likely didn't know about that if no one told him about it.

But it was not something Ais could stick her nose into. Not so long as she was part of Loki Familia and she did not want to drag Finn and the others into a possible war between Spirits and Freya Familia.

But…

"Umm, you have heard about Grand Day, right?" Ais asked as they began to make their way back up to the Surface.

"It is a day of festivities to celebrate the triumphs of Zeus and Hera over Behemoth, correct?" Saber asked.

"Yes. On the day before the actual day, Grand Day Eve, there is to be an exhibition match that Loki Familia is holding."

"Ohh, that sounds like it will be a joy to watch."

It probably wouldn't as the Guild Captain, Royman Mardeel, made it absolutely clear that Loki Familia wasn't to go overboard for fear of scaring off the delegates of other countries who had been invited to watch the exhibition.

But there was a small part in Ais that wanted to enjoy herself there instead of just putting on a boring show. So…

"Ottarl will also be taking part in it," she said and she saw Saber freeze for the smallest of moments in the middle of his step. "Although he will most likely be forced to take it easy as well."

Ais wasn't sure what exactly she was hoping to do by telling Saber this. Maybe she wanted him to join the exhibition as well but it was unlikely for the Guild to accept a change in the program at this point in time. Maybe Saber could crash the festivities in a disguise but that sort of attitude was a complete contrast to the professional demeanor that he carried himself.

However…

"…An exhibition, huh?"

Saber seemed rather interested in the idea.

X-x-X-x-X

"Welcome back!"

Bell and the others returned rather late today but Gina was there at the door to welcome them all home with a big smile. Bell had been worried that Gina might have been upset at being left behind while everyone else went into the Dungeon, but the big eager smile she was showing told him that she had a very productive day of her own.

"Come on, come on!" She said, grabbing Welf by the hand as she dragged him inside. "We got dinner already ready!"

"Whoa there, easy now," Welf said with a chuckle as they all funneled in.

It looked as though Hestia, Lancer and Saber weren't home yet though. Archer and Rider were busy setting the table while Fia was laid out on the couch, a wing over her stomach with a rather goofy smile on her face. It looked as though she ate first, and was very content with her meal.

Berserker proceeded to materialize by her side as he gently lifted the harpy up and carried her outside, seeing as she was too lazy to move.

Seeing that just made Bell realize just how hungry he was and his anticipation for dinner grew. The moment he stepped through the doors, a pleasant aroma wrapped itself around them. Bell, Assassin, Primo and Lily immediately quickened their pace to head into the dining room where Archer and Rider were setting the table.

"Hmm? Are Saber, Lancer and the goddess not back yet?" Bell asked as he, Emma and Caster stepped in after the others.

"Doesn't seem like it," Archer replied. "Well, I doubt that anything bad happened. You'd know right away after all. Anyway, wash up before you sit down."

""Kaaay!""

Primo and Assassin rushed toward the sink as Rider set down a sizzling iron hot plate ladened with a mound of rice in the center with black pepper sprinkled over it and some kind of dark butter in the middle. The rice mound was surrounded by smoked meat and vegetables that were slowly being cooked by the hot plate they were resting on.

"So that's why you wanted those plates the other day," Welf said as he leaned in close for a whiff. "Oh man, that smells great."

However, Rider quickly pulled him back.

"Now now, that's Lily's," she said before placing down a plate with much larger portions in front of him. "This is yours."

"Love ya, Mom."

Rider simply chuckled as she patted Welf on the back as she went back to the kitchen area to fill up more hot plates. Once everyone had one placed in front of them, dinner began as they had no idea when the other three would return.

As their Master, Bell could still feel Lancer and Saber's presences but it didn't feel like they were moving any closer to the manor, meaning that both the two Servants were still preoccupied with their errands. Saber with something in the Dungeon while Lancer was assisting Hestia.

As they ate, Bell noticed that Gina was looking a bit antsy. She kept stealing glances at everyone's plates as well as toward the fridge. She also hadn't said a word about the dinner. Was it not what she was so eager about?

Gina fidgeted throughout the entire dinner and once the last of the meat and rice were gone, she immediately jumped up and ran toward the fridge.

"Gina…" Rider began with a wry smile but the amazoness simply smiled back as she pulled out what looked to be small balls of bread in food wrap.

"Hee hee! Sorry Rider, but dessert is the best part of the meal after all!"

"Be that as it may, you're not using the oil pot alone with only one arm," Archer said

"Fiiiine. Not like a little hot oil is gonna hurt me at Level 2 anyway…"

"What is it, what is it?" Assassin asked as she and Primo followed Rider and Archer into the kitchen area.

"Hee hee hee, just watch! These are ice cream wrapped in pound cake that we left frozen for a bit. But first…"

With Rider's help, Gina unwrapped the balls as Archer heated up the pot of oil sitting on the stove. Gina then mixed together a cup of flour and an egg into a bowl while Rider poured a cup of water into it in small increments at a time. Once the batter was done, Gina picked up the breaded ice cream balls and dipped them into it and set them to the side.

Archer then scooped one of them up in a ladle before dunking it into the oil.

"Wait…isn't that ice cream?" Primo asked as the batter sizzled in the oil. "Won't it melt?"

"Not if we take it out…now."

Expertly fishing the now golden ball out, Archer set it on a new plate as Gina drizzled some melted chocolate and sprinkled some sugar over it.

"Ta-dah!" She said as presented the dessert to Primo and Assassin. "Fried ice cream!"

"H-how decadent…" Primo muttered as she and Assassin lowered their faces to the edge of the counter to gaze at the ice cream as close as possible. She then asked again, "But wouldn't the ice cream have melted though?"

To answer her, Rider took a spoon and cleaved the ball in half, revealing the still firm ice cream that was only a little bit runny due to the heat. She then used to spoon to carry one half up to Assassin who happily snapped it up before using another spoon to hand over to Primo.

"Sweet!" Primo gasped. "Are you thinking of doing this for the food stand?"

"Well, we'll need to see how long they can keep but hopefully!" Gina replied with a big smile on her face.

As this was happening, Archer prepared several more of the fried ice cream and handed it out to the rest of the Familia.

"What do you think, Bell?" Archer asked. "Not too sweet for you?"

"Yeah, it's fine," Bell replied with a nod. "But you don't need to go out of your way for that…"

"No, when making something to sell, you should consider that adults may have similar tastes. We can't count on all of our customers being only women or children."

"Well, selling ice cream would mean that most of them will be in any case," Welf pointed out.

"It's Miss Gina that's proposing it after all," Lily said.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

As Gina ran over to complain and smack Lily in protest, Caster stood up from the dining table before Archer could serve him the dessert.

"What, don't want any?" Archer asked.

"Deliver ten of them up to my office later," Caster replied. "There are a few things that need my immediate attention."

"Even though you put them off to go galloping in the Dungeon?" Rider pointed out.

"And thus, the reason for its urgency," Caster said with an amused huff.

"Well, we need to make some to leave for the goddess anyway."

"I do not appreciate the insinuation that I am being given the goddess's leftovers."

Rider's mature response was to stick her tongue at him.

Glancing out into the backyard, Bell watched Berserker hold the fried ice cream curiously between his fingers before Fia's mouth closed around the treat, snatching it away. Berserker's response was to close his massive hand around the harpy's face causing her to flail around haplessly as she apologized before Archer handed the monstrous Servant another one.

Bell then turned to the one member of his Familia who hadn't said anything ever since they left the Dungeon.

"Emma? Are you all right?"

The girl was staring rather blankly at her empty dinner plate and hadn't touched her dessert yet. However, Bell's words seemed to jolt her out of her stupor.

"Ah, sorry," Emma said, trying to force out a fake smile that was obvious to even Bell. "I was just thinking about some things. Nothing important."

Bell's disbelief must have been readily apparent on his face as she quickly winced after turning to him.

"…No good?" She asked weakly.

"No good," Bell confirmed. "Is it about your sister?"

The rather pained looking face she made confirmed his question. She then stood up and walked out into the backyard. Bell wondered if that had been the wrong thing to ask before deciding to head out after her.

He followed her as she walked around the building back to the front yard, stopping at the base of the tree, the same spot where they had their chat before the "Argonaut Incident" as Lily liked to call it.

"Emma?" Bell called out again. However, he didn't know what to say. It was clearly obvious that Sophia, her sister, was weighing heavily on her mind. If he had to guess, the reason may be because that there had been no contact from Sophia's end. Thanks to the War Game, Hestia Familia and its members are well known throughout Orario. If Sophia was in the city, she would no doubt have seen them then.

Then that meant Emma must be wondering why she hadn't made any moves to reconnect.

Yeah, this wasn't something his grandpa's tips are going to help with.

But as Bell tried to come up with something to break the silence, it was Emma who spoke first.

"There could be any number of reasons, I know," Emma began vaguely, not that Bell needed her to clarify what she was talking about. "She could have left the city. She could just not be allowed to by her god. She could…just not want to…"

Or she could already left this world…

But Bell wasn't nearly stupid enough to voice a thought that no doubt haunted Emma every day since she lost contact with her sister.

"She definitely wants to," Bell decided to say. "There's probably a good reason that she can't. Like…maybe she's with a Familia that travels a lot like Hermes Familia. Maybe she's doing something that doesn't let her easily stop and write."

"Or maybe she's in some kind of trouble and doesn't want to drag her sister into it."

Bell flinched at Emma's words. That thought had come to mind but Bell didn't want to say it out loud either.

Considering that the Guild doesn't have any information about a Sophia Flores, Sophia either used a pseudonym when registering with the Guild, was a noncombatant member of a Familia or she didn't become an Adventurer in the first place. That led to the possibility that Sophia tried to become an Adventurer and failed and was now too ashamed to meet her younger sister who more or less became famous overnight.

"I-in any case, there are too many possibilities to worry about," Bell said, quickly shaking the thoughts out of his head. "If she's in trouble then Caster will find out before long and then you can give her a piece of your mind."

"Just me?" Emma asked, finally turning around to look at Bell, allowing him to see the small smile on her face.

"Of course, everyone will pitch in and help," Bell answered with a smile of his own.

"Thank's Bell. You're right. I'll place my trust in the Captain. Until then, I'll think long and hard about where we stand with each other and my future."

"Huh? What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing at all, 'my hero.'"

"Come on, don't tease me like that," Bell said, a blush forming on his face as Emma giggled into her hand.

"Oh, but I'm not," she said, taking a step closer to Bell. "After all, what did you do during my first day in the Dungeon?"

Bell blinked once. Then twice.

And then his gaze fell back down toward Emma's pink face, illuminated by the beautiful moon above.

"Hey Bell?" She began, hands behind her back as she leaned slightly closer to him. "Do you think it's wrong to have a fated meeting in the Dungeon?"

It was a question Bell had asked himself ever since he first arrived in Orario. His answer came to him the instant he gazed upon the red-cloaked back of his hero.

"No. It isn't wrong."

As the two of them shared a laugh, a pair of red eyes watched them with an impassive gaze from above. The eyes slowly turned away from them toward the wall they were standing beside and watched as a shadowy figure quickly disappeared into the dark of night.


	44. Festival of Joy

**Chapter 44: Grand Day Eve**

"Ugh…I'm so tired…" Hestia said as she and Lancer saw off the last of Goibniu's Familia and locked up the building to make their way home. "Everyone's probably asleep by now. Wanna hit up a bar before we head home, Lancer?"

"Very well, Lady Hestia," Lancer replied. "If only to make sure you are able to make it home in one piece."

"Oh come on, I have yet to come stumbling home like a dead drunk!"

"Then I shall make sure you do not drink yourself into a stupor like the night before our trip to Melen."

Hestia could only grumble as they passed by a guard patrol wearing the Ganesha Familia Emblem. A male cat people and a female human walking by with a hellhound between them.

"That sight's getting more and more common around here," Hestia said with a proud smile on her face. "Good work, Lancer."

"It is the ingenuity of a goddess to use my magic in such a way," Lancer deflected the praise as easily as she smiled, but she smiled, nonetheless.

As Hestia thrust her chest out in pride, a voice called out to them.

"My, so all of this was your idea, Hestia?"

A woman…no, a goddess stepped out from the side road, flanked at the side by a golden-haired woman wielding a trident. The goddess herself was wearing a long flowing dress of thin near transparent silks that exposed her stomach with green flowers adorning it.

"Would you mind if I hear more about it over a drink as well?"

"Dia!"

Hestia called out the name cheerfully as she rushed forward, and the two-goddess embraced each other as long-time friends.

"Were you always in Orario?" Hestia asked. "Or did you just get here? I haven't heard anything about you at all."

"I travel the here and there alongside my Children," the goddess Dia replied. "I do decide to come to Orario once every so often just to see how things change. And my, oh my, have I heard that things were changing. Ganesha Familia openly walking alongside monsters in the streets? And then I hear your name being regaled all across the four winds."

"Ahaha…"

It was one thing to hear the other gods and mortals praise her but hearing it from one of her friends that she hadn't seen in a while made her a bit embarrassed.

"Well, let's not waste time talking about it out here," Dia said as she gestured to Hestia to follow. "Shall we?"

"No problem!" Hestia said cheerfully. "Come on Lancer."

"You too, Orianna."

"As you say, Goddess."

"Understood!"

And so, two goddesses, flanked by two female knights, headed down the street.

X-x-X-x-X

Dia had led Hestia to a rather nice bar. It wasn't as crowded as the Hostess usually was at night but there were a lot more women here than the regular burly Adventurers she often saw.

"I see…" Hestia said as she and Dia shared a table while their escort made small talk at the bar counter. "You mainly travel around, looking for people who also want to travel or become Adventurers and then you come to Orario and see if anyone is willing to take in any of your Children who want to make a living here instead."

"Yes," Dia replied. "You might say that I'm a 'traveling Adventurer salesman' but I care for all any Child who enters my Familia. I simply wish to give them an advantage before they come here to make their dreams come true."

"Yeah, a lot of children come here with nothing more than the clothes on their backs," Hestia acknowledged. "My Bell was the same, but I took him in anyway."

"The Moonlit Dawn, right?" Dia asked with a smile as Hestia slammed her forehead against the table with a sob. "Well, I won't say that I do not understand your feelings. I had the…let's say unfortunate honor of being around for Denatus when Orianna hit Level 2."

"Oh?" Hestia asked. "And what sort of suffering did those assholes inflict on you?"

"Purekiki," Dia answered flatly, her empty green eyes growing even more dead as she said the Alias. "The Pure-hearted Knight Princess."

Hestia's heart nearly shattered for her friend's sake.

"'Thankfully,' it was the 'best' out of four options," Dia said as she took a long swig of her drink. "Naturally, Orianna wears that name with pride."

"My Bell is the same," Hestia said as she thumped her head on the table again. "And then I have to sit through the same torture again next month. I have to fight for three more of my Children too…"

"I would love to be your ally in that battlefield, but I plan to be long gone before then. Therefore, you're on your own."

"Traaaaiiitoooooor…"

"We may be friends Hestia, but I will put mine and my own first."

And Hestia could accept that.

"So how long do you plan on staying anyway?" Hestia asked, shifting the topic away from her future hell.

"That depends on how long it takes for my new Adventurers to Convert a new Familia," Dia replied. "I have quite a few of them this year and a few of them also have some Rare Skills so I don't think it will be that long. Not a month long in any case. I do plan on sticking around for Grand Day at the very least though."

"What do you do if you can't…uh, 'offload' all of them, as you say?"

"Well, that depends on them. Some stick with me to try and build up their…portfolio a bit more. Though I have had a few children decide to leave and try their luck here without me. Some do just use the Familia as a way to get to Orario in the first place. Traveling on the road is dangerous without being accompanied by Children with our Blessing after all."

"Doesn't it get lonely saying goodbye all the time like that?"

"It does," Dia admitted. "But the way I see it, I am raising them up in the hopes they find good homes in the future. It's like a traveling orphanage of sorts. And it's not like I say farewell to everyone. Orianna, for example, has stuck with me for years now. I have six other Children that make up the core of my Familia as well."

"I see…"

It sounded more like a portable version of the School in the Education district of Orario than a traveling orphanage. Well, she supposed everyone had their own idea on how to run their Familia while in Gekai.

"Well, enough about me for now," Dia decided. "Now what about you? I heard your Children gave Apollo's quite the pounding."

"Ugh, can we not?" Hestia asked with fake frown. "I've almost wiped my memory of that dunce."

Wiped everything that didn't bring her sheer joy just by recalling it anyway. The memory of him begging for mercy after Emma ko'd his Captain being one of them.

"Very well. Then, how about something fun? Has any new wine hit the market lately? I heard Soma's turned things around a bit."

"He's still not selling the good stuff though," Hestia said. "I did come across a jug of his rejected stuff if you want to share some."

"My…I'll take you up on that offer should the opportunity arise."

It was in the nature of gods to love a good drink, but certain gods who presided over that domain like Dionysus and Soma absolutely love it. Dia, of course, was also part of that group, although hers was a more tertiary role.

That said, she probably shouldn't invite Dia over to the Manor. Dia loved collecting wine bottles, cups and goblets, it came with the territory after all. And friends or not, Hestia had no intention of showing off the Holy Grail to her. Well, it'll be an excuse to invite Dia to stay in the inn once it's done.

"Oh by the way," Dia suddenly shifted gears as she refilled Hestia's cup for her without being prompted. "I ran into Artemis a few months back."

"Really? How is she?"

"Doing rather well for herself. She has about two dozen Children in her Familia. All women of course."

Hestia immediately turned her head to the side. Not because she had anything to be ashamed of, of course, but because she thought she saw something move on the wall. There was absolutely no reason for Dia to stare at her with such judgmental eyes.

"S-So does that mean Artemis is just traveling around Gekai then?" Hestia asked.

"Yes," Dia said, before finally letting Hestia off. "She goes around hunting monsters that bother villages in the countryside alongside her Familia. When we separated, she said she was planning on checking out some rumors of some monster sealed in some temple of old or something like that."

Sounds like Artemis was having some Adventures of her own.

"Adventuring with your Children, huh…" Hestia muttered. "I do sometimes wish I can go down into the Dungeon with Bell and the others but…ya know?"

"I do," Dia replied with an understanding nod. "Then again, even if the Dungeon didn't hate us, the two of us would be dead weight after a certain point. We're not like Artemis or Ares after all. Do you see either of us picking up a sword and actually being able to use it?"

If she was honest with herself, Hestia felt like she'd probably get tired just trying to pick up something like Welf or Saber's swords, never mind walking for hours on end while carrying them. Just because the Falna was made using the god's blood didn't mean that the gods had the blessing too after all. Artemis and Takemikazuchi were some of the few who could probably hold her own versus Level 1 or 2 Adventurers if needed.

"But we kinda drifted off the main topic that I wanted to ask you about," Dia said. "What is it with these new monsters running around the city?"

"Well…it's a long story, so prepare yourself."

"Understood. Waitress! Two more pitchers please!"

It was going to be a long night.

Hestia was sure Bell and the others will understand. She was catching up with a friend after all.

X-x-X-x-X

In the end, it was almost dawn by the time Lancer carried Hestia back to the manor on her back. The Servant had assured her the following morning that Hestia hadn't blabbed anything that she shouldn't have and had kept the conversation on the surface level.

The days slowly trickled by as Grand Day drew ever closer.

And then…

X-x-X-x-X

"HEALING! ONE! HUNDRED! PERCENT!"

""Ooohhhh…""

In the Hearthstone Manor's dining room, Gina was standing on one of the chairs, both arms stretched up toward the ceiling, showing off her newly healed arm while Primo and Assassin clapped their hands below her. All that was left of Gina's injury were the lighter patches of scar tissue on her arm where the monster's teeth had stabbed through.

"That's great Gina," Welf said as he popped up behind her and grabbed her by the wrists, pulling her up off the chair like a cat. "But no standing on the chairs."

"Eeeehh, isn't it fine? It's not like I wear shoes after all."

"Yeah. We're going to be fixing that too."

"But I dun wanna!"

"And what's gonna happen when you step on broken glass or something sharp in the dungeon?"

"All right, settle down everyone," Rider said as she clapped her hands. "Once breakfast is over, I have a Quest to hand out."

"A Quest?" Bell repeated.

"Yes. Ingredient hunting in the Dungeon."

"Not those sweet ass honey cloud things?" Welf grumbled while Bell grimaced. They were small red fruits that looked like gourds and tasted like balls of cotton dipped in honey. When Bell had tried one several weeks ago, the sheer sweetness of it was enough to make him vomit and he never wanted to another one.

"Oh, for the sweet that you planned to make to go with the Fried Ice Cream?" Gina asked as she turned toward Archer.

"Yeah," Archer replied with a nod. "We can probably do without them but it's better this way if we want to focus on our profit margins. Plus, it gives Primo a reason to go down to the Eighteenth Floor as well. She's the only one that hasn't yet after all."

"T-there's no need to be so considerate…" Primo interjected.

"Come on, it'll be fine," Emma assured her. "The view is amazing. You'd never believe that something like exists underground, let alone in the Dungeon."

"Don't think about it too much, Miss Primo," Lily added. "Adventurers should go on an Adventure after all."

"If you all say so…"

"Speaking of food," Hestia spoke up from her end of the table. "I need either Archer or Rider to come with me today. I need your help with the final preparations for the inn's opening!"

"You're cutting it pretty close, aren't you?" Archer asked, eyebrow raised. "Weren't you planning on opening tomorrow?"

"Don't remind me!" Hestia shouted, slapping her hands on the table twice. "I'm already losing my hair over this."

"Maybe it would be a good idea to delay the opening a bit?" Lancer suggested.

"Nope. Already got a few bookings and I want to treat Dia a bit after all."

"Dia?" Bell asked.

"Another goddess, Master. A friend of Lady Hestia."

"Then, I'll head to the inn with you, Goddess Hestia," Rider said as she turned to Archer. "Can I leave the stand preparations to you then, Archer?"

"Feel free to take care of everything at the inn so I don't have to," Archer said, making Rider roll her eyes.

"Then let us confirm the day's Dungeon Exploration team," Caster said, calling the Familia to order. "Saber…have you finished your outside errands?"

"Yes," Saber reported with a nod. "There will be nothing preventing me from joining the Party now."

"Then do so. As the objective is to harvest the Dungeon fruit, there is no need to bring along Berserker, lest you all wish to be hounded by monsters at every turn."

"Monsters…annoying," Berserker chipped in his own comment from outside. "Don't like them."

"Will Lancer be joining us in the Dungeon too?" Emma asked, causing Lancer and Saber to share a glance.

"As much as I would love to, I believe it is best if I do not," Lancer replied. "There is no need to risk any accidents so close to the festival."

"Indeed," Saber agreed with a nod. "That is why we shall hurry down, gather what we need, and leave as soon as we are done."

"Then Lily will pack light and leave behind any common Magic Stones and Drop Items," Lily said.

With the Party decided, everyone finished up breakfast and got their equipment in order with Gina reaching the front door first.

"All right guys!" she shouted back up the stairs. "I'm gonna head out first!"

She then threw the door open and froze at the sight of someone standing right at their doorstep.

"Morning, Little Gina!" God Hermes greeted her with his trademark cheerful smile with a disgruntled Asfi beside him. "Nice day isn't it?"

Gina stared at her former god for about a beat. Then two.

Then the door was slammed shut with her back against it for good measure.

"No slamming doors!" Hestia shouted as she poked her head out of the kitchen. "Is someone out there?"

"No one!" Gina called back as there was a knock on the door. "No one is out there!"

"Come on, don't be like that," Hestia said as she pulled Gina away from the door and opened it up herself in spite of Gina's protest.

"Mornin' Hestia!"

"Hermes?" Hestia asked in surprise before looking between her fellow god and his Captain toward the front gate. "Did you two pick my lock!?"

"Nonsense, we would never stoop that low. We went over the wall-grk!"

"That doesn't make it better you idiot!" Hestia shouted as her twin tails found themselves wrapped around Hermes's neck. "Now tell me what you want, and I'll strangle you!"

"D-don't you mean 'before?'" Hermes asked, his voice withering under the mystical force of the tiny goddess's mystical power that did not make use of her divine authority.

"I know what I said!"

"Umm…Lady Hestia?" Asfi began. "While I understand your frustrations and apologize for Lord Hermes's behavior, can you at least hear him out before you continue?"

With a growl, Hestia's hair released Hermes, allowing the god to stagger back while rubbing his throat.

"So?" Hestia asked. "Why are you here?"

"Well, I'm going around asking the more well-known Familia to see if any female Adventurers wanted to take part in a contest. I already got a few members from Loki and Dionysus to join and even Freya. You were next on the list."

"And what exactly does this contest entail?" Hestia asked.

"The most popular Female Adventurer in Orario of course," Hermes replied. "Naturally we all have our favorites and while Asfi is sure to win, she can't enter since I'm lending her to the Guild to help take care of the exhibition. Even Loki's Riveria is joining."

"…"

"It's super suspicious, Lady Hestia," Gina not so subtly whispered into Hestia's ear.

"Come on, Little Gina," Hermes began, a pained expression on his face.

"Shut up."

"Gina…" Asfi began but Gina turned her head away from her.

"Don't talk to me."

Both God and Captain shared a glance but couldn't say anything.

Hestia turned to look at her Child before holding a hand out to Hermes.

"Let's see the info," Hestia said. "I'll show it to my girls and if they wanna sign up on their own, I'll let them."

"Splendid!" Hermes cheered, bouncing back without missing a beat as he fished out a flyer for Hestia. "Just have anyone interested come here tomorrow. Oh, and be sure to have them dress nicely."

As Hermes and Asfi left the grounds, Hestia turned toward Gina with a frown.

"You know he's up to something dumb, right?" The Amazoness asked her goddess.

"Yeah well, when is he ever not?" Hestia replied.

X-x-X-x-X

"Morning, Syr!"

Ever since Syr reminded Bell that rainy day before the War Game, Bell had made it a point to stop by the Hostess before going into the Dungeon. And as usual, the grey-haired girl was sweeping the front of the pub.

"Good morning, Bell," Syr returned the greeting with a cheerful smile before her expression turned uncertain. "And everyone else too. Are you going to the Dungeon today as well? Even though Grand Day is coming soon?"

"Yes, we're planning on harvesting some of the fruits that can be found in the Dungeon for our food stand during the festival."

"Oh, you're doing one too?" Syr asked as she quickly stepped back in the doorway and picked up a wrapped lunchbox that had been resting on the table closest to the door. "The pub is planning to do a small one as well. Since you said that you were picking fruits, does that mean you are also doing sweets?"

"We're doing one or two different ones, I think," Bell replied as he gestured back to his Party who were a few steps back chatting amongst each other with baskets on their backs. "Gina's put herself in charge of it, so I don't really know all the details. I do know that the stand is going to be in front of the goddess's inn though."

"The Hearth's Chime, right? Then, how about we trade snacks tomorrow?"

"W-well, I'll have to ask but I'm not particularly against the idea."

"Then, be sure to try and make one yourself for me, all right?"

Well, it looked pretty simple to make like most of Archer's recipes so there was no problem there.

With that promise, Bell bid goodbye to Syr and returned to the others.

"Is it really necessary to keep on getting lunches from Miss Syr?" Lily asked as the Party made its way from the Hostess and Syr's waving form. "It's not like they are better than Miss Rider and Master Archer's lunches, right?"

"W-well, it makes her happy, so…" Bell replied, unable to deny any of it.

"Then, if I made you one as well, would you also take it?" Emma asked with a smile.

"I uh…probably wouldn't be able to eat everything or dinner afterwards though…"

"Jeez, Vice Captain," Gina began with a pout. "It's fine not to be honest and just say 'Yes,' you know?"

"But it'd be a shame if any food were to go to waste," Bell replied.

"Exactly," Lily agreed. "Just because Lily and everyone no longer has to worry about money thanks to Lord Caster doesn't mean we can just leave uneaten food around!"

"Uwaah, the former poor brigade's team up attack! Well, not like I don't get it…"

"Well, having a lot of money that we don't have to worry about it is great and all, but we shouldn't overly rely on His Royalness for every little thing," Welf pointed out. "Not like we're getting any more funds for supplies ever since I joined up after all."

"Back to earning our daily keep in the Dungeon like other Familia then," Emma said as she pumped her arms with a smile.

"I wonder if the goddess's inn will be profitable," Primo suddenly brought up.

"I'm sure she'll be fine," Bell replied loyally. "She said she planned on having Archer and Rider 'guest cook' to draw in customers every now and again after all."

"I wonder if that will be enough though? I mean, their food is really, really good, but is it enough to draw in customers?"

"Thanks to the War Game, I think they'll draw in customers just by their names alone," Gina reminded her. "I mean, people are already lining up just to stay at _Goddess Hestia's_ inn after all. It's hard to see since we're the subject of it all, but our Familia's super popular you know?"

"Well…I suppose a lot of old ladies have been trying to give me peaches for some reason…goddesses too."

"Those ladies give candies to Us instead," Assassin chimed in.

"Lily has also been getting extra groceries as a bonus every now and again," Lily added with a smile. "Everyone should continue exploiting Hestia Familia's Fame for as long as possible."

"I think we'll burn up a lot of people's goodwill if we overdo it though," Emma muttered with a wry smile.

"All right, all right, we can worry about getting freebies later," Welf said, taking charge. "Let's head into the Dungeon before we miss out on the entire day."

With a cheer of agreement from the young girl trio, Hestia Familia hurried toward Babel Tower and descended into the Dungeon once more.

X-x-X-x-X

"Hestia? Are you here?"

"Take! Come in, come in! I would have gone to meet you, but I can't get away from here right now."

"That's fine. My Children and I were taking the day off today anyway."

As the majority of her Children entered the Dungeon, Hestia was meeting Takemikazuchi and his Familia at her inn. Or rather…half of them?

"Huh? Didn't you have six Children in your Familia?" Hestia asked as she looked at the purple garbed Adventurers

"Ahh…actually, I sent them back to the Far East," Takemikazuchi replied. "We made a lot betting on you guys during the War Game and I needed to make sure the money made it back home, so I entrusted it to them. All of my Children are Level 2 so I trust them to make it back safely."

"I see…well, that makes things a bit more simpler then," Hestia said as she clapped her hands together while Takemikazuchi and his Familia simply looked confused. "I had a question for you. How much are you paying in rent for your townhouse? Utilities included."

Takemikazuchi told her before asking, "Why the sudden question? Thinking about how much to charge for your inn?"

"The thing is, I have a bit of space in my Home after the renovations, remember? I was wondering if you and your Familia would like to move in."

"Into your Home?"

"That's right. I already cleared it with my Captain, and he agrees. You'd be paying the same amount as you do now for your current place, utilities and the like included, and you'd be able to use all of the same facilities as us."

"That's…really generous," Takemikazuchi began. "But what do you get from this?"

"Another source of income for one," Hestia pointed out immediately. "But mostly I was hoping for a…I don't want to cement it as an Alliance right off the bat but maybe a collaboration between us?"

"A collaboration, Lady Hestia?" the sole remaining male of Takemikazuchi's Familia repeated. "What do you mean?"

"Well, not to brag or anything, but my Bell's growth is stupid fast compared to everyone else in my Familia." Hestia reminded them. "Sooner or later, he's going to have to leave everyone else behind to go deeper into the Dungeon if he wants to get any half-decent excelia. For my newer members, Emma and Primo, I'd hope you three would be able to take them along with you. It'd be fine if you use them as Supporters if not frontline fighters."

"Emma would be the one who threw that bottle at Phoebus Apollo, right?" Ouka asked. "And Primo is the Elf Mage?"

"That's right. I have to look after everyone equally after all, so I'd like you and your Familia's cooperation in this matter. If need be, I can lower the rent if you agree."

"I see…so that's what you're after," Takemikazuchi muttered as he turned to look over his shoulder at the three standing behind him. "What do you think, Ouka?"

"How would we split the drops if we do take them on as Supporters?" Ouka asked after a moment's thought.

"Honestly, I'm more after the excelia than the money so we'd be fine with as little as ten percent," Hestia answered.

"Would we be taking them along immediately?"

"No, not yet. Right now, they can just handle the Middle Floors so both of our Familias can combine into a larger party and split the drops fifty-fifty."

"I see."

"Umm…" the girl with her bangs over her eye, Chigusa, spoke up next. "I apologize if this sounds insulting, Lady Hestia…but what about the rest of your Familia? Do you not also have six other Level 1s?"

"Ahhh…well, they have the equipment, prior training, and Skills to handle the deeper floors with Bell," Hestia replied. "I know it's suspicious, but they are Level 1. I'm not hiding their Levels, okay?"

"N-no, I wasn't insinuating such a thing…"

"Don't worry about it. Even I can see how strange it is, and I'm the one who gave them their Blessing!"

Of course, it wasn't as though her Blessing really did anything for the Servants outside of inscribing their abilities into an easy to read skill sheet.

As Chigusa's question was finished, everyone then turned toward the final member of Takemikazuchi's Familia.

"Do you have any questions, Mikoto?" Takemikazuchi asked.

"Yes!" the long black-haired woman nodded resolutely. "Lady Hestia! Does that mean we can use the baths as well?"

"Y-yeah, sure…" Hestia replied to the young woman's eagerness. "There are showers on each floor of the building you'd be staying in but if you wanna use the bath in the main building, you're free to do so. Just pay attention to the different bathing times for men and women. I will not have a lame love comedy gag in my baths!"

There was enough of that floating around Saber and Lancer at every waking moment of the day. If only there were a few between Bell and Hestia herself at least!

"Come to think of it…what are your Children doing at this time?" Takemikazuchi asked. "I saw Miss Rider helping out in the kitchens earlier but…"

"Oh, Bell's leading most of the others into the Dungeon's Eighteenth Floor to pick fruits or something. It's probably pretty boring work but we need them for tomorrow."

X-x-X-x-X

"KYAAAAAAAHHH!"

Primo ran across the crystal laden field, arms filled with the gourd-like honey cloud fruits as she was being chased by a pair of monstrous bug bears that had been lured by the sweet smell of the fruits.

"Primo!" Bell shouted as a black flash shot toward the elf girl. "Jack, help her!"

"Stop bullying Our friend!"

Assassin appeared on the back of one of the monsters, knives pressed against its neck. Then, in a flash, the knives were removed, and the monster's neck exploded in a geyser of blood.

Seconds later, Bell was next to the other bugbear, a long sword in his hands. With a slash, he cleaved the legs on the bearlike monster's left side, causing it to fall to the ground before Assassin leaped over his head and stabbed her knives into the beast's skull.

"Primo!" Emma called out as she ran to the elf's side. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yes…" Primo sobbed, still clinging onto the fruits in her hands.

"And what did Miss Primo learn today?" Lily asked as she popped out from behind Emma.

"…Not to wander too far away when picking fruits?" Primo asked.

"And?"

"…And to pay attention to monsters instead of snacking on the fruits…"

"Good," Lily said with a nod of approval as Emma took out a handkerchief to wipe the fruit juices as well as the tears from Primo's face.

"Still, a lot of bugbears are hanging around here, huh?" Gina said as she, Welf and Saber also gathered together. "Guess they got attracted to all the honey cloud we're gathering."

"Indeed," Saber agreed. "And no matter how many we try to clear, more are simply coming in from the Nineteenth Floor."

"Best we get going anyway," Welf said, tabbing the flat end of his sword on his shoulder. "Grand Day might not be until the day after tomorrow, but people are still gonna be celebrating tomorrow either way."

"Yeah, you're probably right. Archer said we didn't need to go overboard with them, and three baskets is probably enough. There's almost like a hundred of them already. My hands are all sticky too."

"Umm…it's probably a bit late to ask this but don't you think tapping your sword on your shoulder like that is dangerous, Welf?" Emma asked.

"Nah, it's totally fine," Welf assured her as he ran a finger along the blade. "There's no edge on this side, see?"

"In any case," Lily cut in. "If there is nothing else, Lily agrees to pack up and leave the Dungeon."

No one had any objections to that so they gathered their things and made for the surface.

"I know we don't have the time, but I kinda wanted to see what Rivira was like," Primo admitted as they made their way past the Wall of Sorrows that hid the Monster Rex Goliath behind it.

"There's always next time," Bell reminded her. Next time being their next expedition into the Dungeon "Granted, I've never been there myself either."

"There's no reason to unless you wanna pay for things at ten times markup at the _least_," Gina said. "You're also more likely to be robbed if you're not careful there. Some Adventurers live here full time because they'd get in big trouble with the Guild if they're found on the surface."

"Then why would anyone want to go there?" Emma asked.

"Because it's pay out the eyes for a roof over your head or stay out in the forest with the monsters," Welf explained, causing Emma to make a rather displeased face. "Once we're ready to hit the Nineteenth Floors and below, it's either go there or camp out and make Saber or another Servant stay up all night cleaning up monsters."

"I would not object in doing so," Saber replied dutifully. "We do not need sleep after all."

"Yeah, but I'd feel bad about that," Bell said for what must have been the hundredth time by now as he waited for the usual reply.

"You are the Master. I am the Servant. It is my duty, and my desire, to assist in any way possible with your growth. Allowing you to be rested for the battles ahead is one of our most important duties."

As a Familia Executive, Bell should be prepared to make use all of his Familias strengths, he knew this. However, he still didn't feel comfortable ordering them to stay up for hours on end while everyone else slept. It wasn't fair even though there was zero downsides for it.

He had to be better.

When they reached the surface, the Party decided to show their face at the Guild to cash in the few Magic Stones they did end up collecting and the Drop Items that Welf had no use for.

As soon as they entered the building, they spotted Eina talking to several of her co-workers behind their usual counters.

"They all look rather haggard," Emma pointed out. "Did something happen?"

"Probably Guild stuff," Gina said with a shrug. "Grand Day is in two days and a bunch of ambassadors and nobles and stuff are coming to Orario to visit. So, they're all probably super busy."

"Hey, what's that?" Primo suddenly pointed off to a roped off section at the side of the Guild.

Behind the ropes were two mannequins displaying several items carefully protected by glass. Interested, the party wandered over and saw various items laid out by the Guild.

"Oh, these are items from the past," Gina said as they squeezed pass the crowd. "Things like journals and diaries and other things of people that lived during the time when Zeus and Hera Familias took down Behemoth. The real treat is that!"

Gina pointed out the mannequins seated in the center of the exhibit.

The mannequins wore two different sets of equipment, ones said to have been worn by heroes during their battle against the mighty Behemoth. A male armor of white and red with a shining bracelet on its right arm that the hero used to cast lightning. Female robes of violet and gold with a beautiful white veil that amplified the heroine's song throughout the battlefield.

With this equipment, the two heroes led the armies of the two legendary gods drove back the Black Beast and slayed it, removing one of the dark shadows cast over the land.

"Well, would you look at that…" Welf muttered in awe.

"Waahaaaa!" Bell's reaction was much more enthusiastic. "Look at that shiny armor! I'd love a chance to wear legendary equipment like that some time!"

"Why not just ask the Captain for one?" Emma asked with a sly smile.

"Well…I'd like to live afterwards too, haha…"

"Then, Saber's equipment?"

"I would not be disinclined to allow it," Saber replied. "But I fear it would not fit you until you hit your next growth spurt."

"I'm not that small…I'm taller than all the girls at least."

"That isn't saying much when Lily is a pallum and everyone but Miss Emma is younger than you are, Bell," Lily joined in on the teasing.

"In any case, this doesn't seem like it's the actual thing," Welf said, pointing to the sign in front of it. "It says it's a replica."

"Huh?"

Bell turned to look at the sign in front of the mannequins and sure enough, the words "REPLICA' were written in large text.

"Aww…"

"Well, it would've been pretty amazing if equipment from that era was still around in perfect condition like this," Primo pointed out. "Still, I'd love to try wearing that robe too."

"Give me time and I think I can scrounge up something by Grand Day," Welf said with a smile.

"N-no, there's no need for that! You should be rested for the festivals too!"

"Well, at least they're still super cool," Bell said as Primo nodded her head in agreement.

Taking in the armor, Bell tried to burn it into his mind as he pictured himself wearing it while leading his Servants into battle against a Legendary Monster like Behemoth.

"Hee hee hee…"

"And we lost him," Welf said with a shake of his head and a wry smile and a laugh that was shared with the rest of the Party.

"Hmm? Miss Eina?"

Primo looked off to the side and mentioned their Advisor's name, causing everyone else to turn as well.

"Ah, Bell!" Eina called out as she stopped right in front of him. "Perfect timing! It's a bit late but, are you particularly busy tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow?" Bell repeated and Eina nodded. "During Grand Day Eve you mean? Well, I don't have any particular plans outside of walking around with my Familia."

"Then do you mind if the Guild borrows you for a few hours during the afternoon tomorrow?" Eina asked. "You'll be properly compensated of course."

She then looked to the side and saw the exhibit.

"Were you looking at the exhibit?"

"Y-yes. I was just thinking that it'd be nice to try wearing the armor…even if it's just a replica."

"Then, would you like to?"

"Huh?"

X-x-X-x-X

"Welcome back," Archer greeted the Party as they entered the building. "You all made good time. I just got things ready for…is there a reason Bell has that dumb smile on his face?"

"Huh? I do?" Bell asked as he rocked his body back and forth as he was holding a large case in his arms. "I can't help it~"

"The Guild gave him a Quest," Emma said with a smile. "The Guild Captain is going to be taking care of an ambassador for a bit tomorrow and part of the package is to show him the replicas of some legendary armors worn by the captains of Zeus and Hera Familias back during the Grand Quest. But the ambassador said that he'd like to see someone wearing them so the Guild was quickly searching for famous Adventurers who would be able to fit into the armor and Bell happened to fit the criteria."

"I see…" Archer nodded with a small smile of his own. "No wonder you're pleased. Well, not like I don't understand the feeling. Are you going to be out all day?"

"Ah, no I'm not," Bell replied. "It'll only be during the exhibition at the Coliseum. After that I'll be free to do whatever I want after as long as the ambassador doesn't need me for something else."

"I see. Was it only Bell who got a replica?"

"Yes…" Emma answered again, looking rather disappointed. "Apparently it was too small for me…"

As she said this, both Gina and Primo walked passed her and into the kitchen with identical blank expressions on their faces.

"…I see," Archer said even though he didn't understand it, nor did he want to. "In any case…the honey cloud?"

"Right here, Master Archer," Lily said as she placed the large baskets down by the counter. She then looked up to see a strange machine sitting on the counter. "And what is this?"

"You'll see," Archer said with a rather uncharacteristically large smile. "I am especially proud of this creation."

"You made this?" Welf asked as he looked over the machine. "I'm no good with the complicated stuff. It looks like a bowl on a box…wait is this a hot plate in the middle?"

"Yes and don't get too close since it's on and…well, just watch."

Archer bent down below the stove and took out a small pot to put on top of the stove.

"The first step is to get as much juice from the honey cloud as we can," Archer said as he picked up two of the fruits, removed the stems, and placed it into a bowl. "The easiest way to do so is to simply mash it in a pot."

"Oh oh, me me!"

"We want to do it!"

Gina and Assassin immediately volunteered to do so with Primo slowly raising her hand afterward. With a wry smile, Archer stepped to the side and allowed the three girls to crowd around the bowl. With Primo holding the bowl steady, Gina and Assassin grabbed a large potato masher and proceeded to mash the fruits with gleeful reckless abandon. Thankfully, they were still careful enough to not spill it everywhere.

"Good job," Archer said as he took the bowl from them. "Once that is done, we pour it into a pot and let it boil at a high temperature until the juice reaches the hard crack stage."

"And that is?" Emma asked.

"About 150 degrees Celsius."

Everyone watched as the juice began to boil rather dangerously, making the girls take big step back. Once Archer decided it was ready, he projected a heat proof thin dish and poured the juice over it.

"Now we let it cool down and see if it hardens properly."

After a few minutes, the boiling juice cooled down enough to the point that they could see it was now a solid.

"I think we can probably eat that as it is," Gina said as she gingerly reached toward it, only for her hand to be slapped away by Archer.

"Come now, you can wait a bit longer," he said as he broke the thin candy-like substance into small pieces and placed a couple of shards into the center of the machine. "Now we turn it on and…hoh."

Before their eyes, small tiny threads started floating up from the machine. Archer quickly picked up a small stirring stick and held it over the machine.

"""Waaaah!"""

Gina and friends let out a gasp of awe as Archer spun the stick around above the machine, allowing the white threads to wrap and build up around it, forming a cloud-like shape over it.

"What is this, what is this!?" Primo asked as she bounced around Archer. "It's like a cloud!"

Once the last of threads were caught on the stick, it had formed enough to be the size of Bell's head.

"Hmm, not as big as I'd like…" Archer said as he glanced at the baskets filled with honey cloud fruits. "We might need to make another run. I'll handle that myself at night."

He then turned around and found the three girls staring up at him with starstruck eyes.

With a chuckle, Archer carefully pulled at the threads, allowing the cloud to stretch out slightly before the chunk tore off, making it look like a tuff of cotton.

He then placed it into his own mouth to the protest of the girls.

"Hey!"

"That's not fair!"

"We wanted it first!"

"I have to see if it's edible first," Archer countered before nodding in satisfaction. "All right, there doesn't seem to be any problems. So, you three can-"

Before he could finish, Assassin snatched the stick from Archer and the three of them quickly pulled out tuffs of the cotton-like candy and began happily eating it for themselves.

"Well?" Emma asked them. But their squeals of joy was all the answer she needed.

Archer placed a few more shards into the machine and whipped up four more smaller sticks for the others.

"Hmm…it's still kinda sweet but it's not so much that I can't eat it," Bell said while Emma had her hand over her mouth and was bouncing on her feet in sheer delight.

"Yeah," Welf agreed. "It's like edible cobwebs or something. This'll definitely sell on sheer novelty alone and then kids will beg their moms to buy fifths."

"Lily questions if it is a good idea to feed children so much sugar," Lily said, taking bites straight from the stick instead of tearing it off. "How much does Miss Gina plan on selling them for?"

"Sell?" Gina asked. "Forget selling it! Let's eat it all for ourselves!"

Her response came in the form of Archer thwacking her on the back of the head.

"I'm not sure even the gods' blessing can keep your teeth from going rotten if you do that," Archer said with a sigh. "Come to think of it…where did Saber go?"

"He said he had to discuss a few things with Lancer," Emma said, finally calming down enough to speak.

"…They're not thinking of doing that Female Adventurer popularity contest thing are they?" Welf asked. "Lancer doesn't seem like the type and I don't think Saber would be happy with people ogling her."

"I'm pretty sure that's the default state of things for, both men and women."

Welf simply nodded his head in agreement.

"So what is everyone planning to do tomorrow then?" Bell asked once he finished off the candy. "We didn't really make any plans after all…well, I'm stuck doing the Guild stuff."

"Lord Caster is having Lily accompany him on errands again so Lily will be busy," Lily replied.

"Since you're going to be busy Bell, I was thinking of helping out the goddess at the inn," Emma admitted. "Opening day is a big undertaking so another helping hand."

"Since everyone else is busy, that just leaves us to check out the sights," Welf said to Primo and Jack. "Let's go have enough fun for everyone else."

"Yay!" Assassin cheered.

"S-shouldn't we help out somewhere too?" Primo asked as she turned toward Gina.

"Hmm? I think we're fine," the amazoness replied. "I'll have Archer and Rider with me. The only thing that we'll probably have to worry about is the crowd. Course if you want to help out, I'd love it, but there's no reason you have to feel like you have to. This is a festival after all and only crazy people, greedy people, or people who want to promote themselves will work during a time like this."

"Then which one do you fall in?" Welf asked.

"The first and last one," Gina shamelessly replied.

"Well, my job shouldn't start until late afternoon, so I'll be hanging out with you guys as well," Bell reminded them. "Let's all gather at the Goddess's inn first before splitting off. Or so I'd like to say…"

Bell then turned toward the backyard where Assassin was sharing the cotton candy with Berserker and Fia.

"Ooohhh…right…" Welf nodded his head in understanding. "What _are_ we going to do about them?"

"Berserker can dematerialize so he wouldn't be much of a problem…" Archer said. "Fia though…"

"Well…there's nothing to say that we _can't_ leave them alone," Lily said but her face says that she definitely didn't think it was a good idea.

"Then why not take her with you?"

Everyone turned to see Lancer and Saber enter the kitchen.

"What do you mean?" Bell asked Lancer.

"While I believe it should be fine for Fia to walk around so long as she is with someone from Hestia Familia due to being a Tamed Monster registered with Ganesha Familia and the Guild, I can simply disguise her as I did when we first smuggled her into the city."

"Ahh…come to think of it…" Welf muttered as he stroke his chin at the memory.

"That is why, I would be grateful if you took her along with you, Mr. Welf," Lancer said. "She has been stuck at Home for weeks now and it would be nice for her to see more of what the surface world has to offer her."

"…If you think you can make it so that she won't be spotted then sure, I'm down for it," Welf accepted the Servant's request without hesitation.

"Of course," Lancer replied with a smile before turning toward the window. "Fia, may I have a moment of your time?"

"Hmm? What is it?" The harpy asked as she slipped through the window and walked over toward the Servant.

"We're just going to put a…little glamor on you if you will," Lancer replied as several runes were traced in the air.

X-x-X-x-X

"Going back and forth from the inn and the Home may prove a problem…" Hestia muttered as she and Rider entered through the front gate.

Hestia hadn't been able to get an answer from Takemikazuchi today and the god had asked to think it over for a bit and he'd give her an answer after Grand Day.

"Will you be moving into a room in the inn then?" Rider asked innocently.

"Like heck I am! I'm not leaving my Bell all alone! Besides, I'm sure Ansel can handle things while I'm gone."

Ansel being a hume bunny that Hestia had assigned as the inn's assistant manager. He had prior experience in management before and he was also a skilled chef in spite of his young age. Said hume bunny also had a rather cute look to him that one could mistake him for a girl and had white hair and deep red eyes, reminding Rider of a certain child she and the goddess adored.

The café served simple meals, like soups and sandwiches, and desserts that could be eaten quickly in the small patio area in front of it or taken to-go. The desserts made for the café were also available for the main dining hall, which was a buffet style hall that had several rows of different foods ready to be eaten. Hestia even went the distance and had a separate room service menu as well. The cows, Iris Bennet, was in charge of the café area while also answering to Ansel, who had the entire cooking department of ten cooks and four waitstaff under his purview. Including Ansel himself as the head chef, that was fifteen people.

Apart from them there were also three employees handling reception, five to handle the housekeeping, and two guards for a total of twenty-five employees to run the entire inn.

Quite frankly, Rider thought it was a bit much for a hotel of forty rooms and ten suites, but Hestia said she was planning for the future, whatever that meant.

They certainly had enough uniforms for them at least. Although each employee could adjust their uniforms as they saw fit, the base parts were a white and blue shirt or top with blue pants or skirt. There was also an option for a white and blue one-piece for the women. Well, it was less of a uniform and more of a dress code. The only thing Hestia insisted on was that each employee had to wear at least two silver bell shaped accessories on their person with a blue ribbon across their chest like Hestia. For both men and women.

At the very least, the bell accessories weren't actually bells that rang with each step.

Ansel and the other male employee simply wore theirs like a sash that went from their shoulders to their waist while the women wore theirs like Hestia did, at the goddess's insistence.

"These are the symbols of my love!" She had said and there was no denying the goddess of what she wanted.

Well it wasn't any of Rider's concern either way.

As they entered the main building proper, they could hear and smell dinner getting underway.

"Hey! We're home!" Hestia shouted as she burst into the kitchen and froze.

Curious, Rider poked her head in as well and saw an unfamiliar person sitting between Lancer and Primo. An elf girl with waist-long red hair that was being fed by Lancer.

"Wait…you're not an elf," Hestia suddenly said as her eyes popped out of her head. "Fia!?"

"Aww, you figured it out," the red-haired "elf" said with a pout.

"I should have suspected that the glamor would fail before a goddess," Lancer said with a regretful smile.

"Don't beat yourself up over it, Lancer," Hestia said as she walked over to her end of the table between Bell and Assassin. "Although disguises and the like don't work very well on us gods, it did fool me for a bit. It's just that I didn't think you guys would invite an elf I had never seen before over and Fia's lived here long enough that I'd know her when I'd see her."

"Were you trying to find a way for Fia to join in with the festivities?" Rider asked as she took her seat.

"Yes. Do you believe it will work against other gods, Lady Hestia?"

"Mmm…that depends on the god in question, but I think it'll be fine. That being said, since Fia's cute, she might draw a different kind of attention instead…and how do her wings work with that glamor?"

"They are still there. Just invisible. We may have to have her wear a cloak with wide sleeves instead."

Judging from the look on her face, Fia did not look all too happy about her wings being constricted in such a way.

"Well, either way you have my blessing to take her out for fun," Hestia decided. "Berserker can follow you guys around invisible too, right?"

"Yeah, so long as the big guy doesn't see something that makes him lose it, it should be fun," Welf said. "I'll take up the job babysitting."

""Hey!""

Fia and Primo immediately protested Welf's words.

"Huh? Does that mean you're not going along, Bell?" Hestia asked.

"I'll join them for the early part but I'm taking a job with the Guild later in the afternoon," Bell replied.

"And Emma?"

"I was wondering if you needed any extra hands for opening-" Emma began only for Hestia to cut her off with a massive, "YES WE DO! PLEASE AND THANK YOU!"

"Ah, yes…understood."

And with that, the plans were finalized, and the night ended.

X-x-X-x-X

_This is a story from the not-so-distant past._

_This is the newest, and the greatest, legend of them all._

_In ancient times, a great beast emerged from the bottom of the earth, and wrought destruction upon the land. Its huge body was like the night, its howls were like the storm. The earth split, the seas howled, and the skies torn asunder.  
O despair, brought by the coal-black wind._

_O terrible and fearsome beast._

_Eternal darkness fell upon us and the voices crying out for salvation were silenced by the starless night. Then two gods arrived from the promised land._

_One a brave god wearing a shining bracelet, the other a beautiful goddess in white robes. Thunder roared and the queen's voice echoed._

_The armies of the gods fought back against the fearsome foe. Behold, the shining bracelet splits the darkness. Behold the white robe washes away the night._

_When the children's swords found their mark, the black beast was reduced to ash. The darkness was driven away, and light returned to the world._

_O Orario, ye promised land. City of heroes that raises up the stars. Our swords have shattered a fervent wish. O gods, let us never forget the names of our two saviors._

_Thy name was Zeus._

_Thy name was Hera._

_Praise the world which they have won for us and inherit the hope that they have entrusted us. It is the newest myth, a new heroic tale. A great day which brought hope to the world. And that day is…_

"…tomorrow!" Eina Tulle's lovely voice echoed through the city through the use of the Guild's broadcast system. "Ladies and gentlemen today is Grand Day Eve! The day when we celebrate the peaceful world those two gods granted us, and the town where heroes are born…and a day where joy is had by all!"

A loud cheer accompanied the end of the speech, signaling the start of Grand Day Eve. And with it, an influx of guests piling into The Hearth's Chime Inn.

Two guards stood at the sides of the door into the inn. A large cat person and a stout dwarf. Both of them were former Third-Class Adventurers and had received Hestia's blessing upon being hired to guard the inn but had already retired from diving into the Dungeon for their own reasons.

"Please don't push and keep moving forward!" Emma called out as she directed the long line of guests into the inn while wearing the white and blue uniform. "Also, please be sure to have your reservation card out before you enter so you can be directed to your rooms immediately! If you have one!"

As was planned, Hestia Familia had gathered at the inn before setting off on their own plans. However, with the guests numbering almost a hundred waiting outside the doors, they all did their part to chip in with handling the line.

"Please don't mistake the cloud candy and fried cream line for the line to get into the inn and vice versa!" Bell said, wearing a white and gray colored uniform, as he directed a mother and her children to the proper line. "Pay attention to the arrows on the ground! Blue goes to the stand, white goes into the inn! Ah uh…yes…I'll sign that later but please don't block the lines!"

"You know…I bet if we brought out Berserker we can get people to listen rather easily," Welf muttered as he kept an eye out for anyone trying to cut into the line.

"Lily thinks that would just scare them all away," Lily replied.

Hestia herself was standing at the doors between the two guards, whole-heartedly thanking every guest who entered her inn's grand opening.

"Dia! You made it!" The goddess greeted another goddess that was being followed by a mid-sized Familia.

"Considering I changed my reservations to stay here until my duties are done, is that really a surprise?" The other goddess asked with a smile.

"Yeah yeah, come on in. Let's chat a bit later."

Bell watched as the assorted humans and demihumans of the Dia Familia funneled inside with one of them, a human girl, turning back to look in Emma's direction before disappearing inside.

"What was that about?" He wondered.

Within the hour, all of the guests were checked in and have either gone back out into the city to take part in the festival, gone into the dining area or café, or just remained in their rooms releasing Bell and the others from their impromptu duties.

"Now that that is over with, let us be off, Arde," Caster said from his seat at the outdoor café, having not lifted a single finger to help out, with the disguised Fia sitting across from him.

"Ah, yes!" Lily said as she hurried off after him.

"Still gonna help out here, Emmy?" Welf asked.

"Yes," Emma replied. "After that chaos, I think I'll stay back to make sure things keep running smoothly…"

"Oh no you're not," Hestia said, popping up from behind her, causing the girl to jump. Their goddess then thrust her finger at Emma's nose. "Sure, it was crazy at opening, but half the guests are out, so things are much more manageable now. Besides, what kind of goddess would I be if I kept my child at home to work when there's a festival going on?"

"But I…"

"You're going out and having fun, goddess's order!" Hestia said. "And don't worry about me. I'll be catching up with my friend here so all of you go out and have fun as well."

"Nothing we can do about that, Emmy," Welf said, leaning against shoulder with a smirk. "Goddess's orders."

"So it seems," Emma replied with a resigned smile of her own. "Come to think of it, Saber and Lancer never showed up here."

"Ehh, they're probably using this opportunity to go on a date for the first time in probably forever," Welf said with a shrug. "We'll probably see them if we follow the blood and tears."

"Well, let's leave them be in any case," Bell said. "First off, let's get some snacks and then try to find Syr's stand."

Bell led Welf, Emma, Primo, Assassin and Fia to Gina's sweet stand that was located just in front of the inn's property. Gina, Archer and Rider were working in three separate stands. Archer was on the left machine, spinning the cloud candy and handing them out to starstruck children. Rider was on the right, fishing out the fried cream and sprinkling chocolate and sugar over them before placing them in a group to be given out. And in the middle was Gina, taking orders, payment and handing out the request item.

And in front of the stand was a massive line of at least four dozen people.

"…I know they're good but is it really worth lining up like this for?" Fia asked.

"It's because we're famous!" Gina replied, turning around to answer with her hands on her hips. "And it's because Archer's creations are all unique after all. One extra big one, Archer!"

"Got it," Archer replied with a nod as he took one of the sticks used to spin the candy around and placed it over the machine, allowing the threads to wrap around it…and around and around…until it was twice the size of Gina's head.

"You know…it'd be neat if they were multi-colored, huh?" Primo asked.

"For another time," Archer replied. "We don't have the materials so white is all we got."

"At the very least if we can make blue ones to go with Lady Hestia's theme it would be nice," Rider chipped in.

"Well, can we get five candies and fried creams to trade with Syr's stand?" Bell asked and Gina made a face.

"The Hostess is doing a stand too right?" Gina asked. "I wonder what they're selling. Bring me something back, okay!"

"Unless it's those yucky cookies," Assassin replied.

"Jack…please don't say that in front of Syr," Bell begged.

"All right, here you go," Archer said as he handed Bell and Emma each a large tray with shoulder straps that were holding the cloud candy and fried creams respectively.

"Umm…this is?" Emma asked.

"If you're going to walk around then you can do some advertising!" Gina said, giving her a thumbs up. "We're going to be making a killing! Besides, you said you wanted to help out, right?"

Bell and Emma gave each other a look before the boy shrugged his shoulders, causing the girl to sigh in response.

"Fine…" Emma replied as she and Bell pulled the straps around their shoulders.

"Good, you look like proper salespeople now," Archer said with a happy nod.

"We're Adventurers though…" Bell muttered softly as Welf let out a hearty laugh at their situation.

"So, we need to save a few for Miss Flover and her friends, right?" Primo asked. "How many people were there again?"

"Well we don't know if they're all running the stand to begin with," Welf reminded her. "But…most likely she has the other waitresses helping her and there were one…two…five of them I think?"

"Then let's try to keep at least three of each snack then."

With that decided, the Party headed into the city.

Orario as a city was always bustling with life. Adventurers, gods, and civilians alike were always rushing around, living their lives as they saw fit. With Grand Day Eve, the city became even livelier than usual, even more than it did during Monsterphillia. The gods always loved to party, and they especially loved dragging their mortal children into it.

Vendors and shop stalls were packed on each side of Orario's main streets and people crowded around them just as much as they did Gina's candy stand. And of course, being a rather mobile stand, Bell and Emma had several people come up to them to buy one of their treats after which they directed the other customers to go buy more from the actual stand.

"Huh, isn't that Miss Ersuisu?" Primo asked, pointing at a stand where the chienthrope was talking to a human girl that Bell had seen once before.

"That's…Dea Saint, isn't it?" Welf asked as they drew closer to the stand out of curiosity.

They could overhear Naza speaking rather incredulously as she pointed to a rather fancy looking potion bottle with a gaudy sticker on it.

"What is the meaning of this 'Special Grand Day Potion,' Amid?" Naza asked.

"As you can see…'" Amid replied, although her voice was rather strained and weak as if she did not like where the direction that the conversation was heading with her eyes turning away from Naza. "It's our…Special Grand Day Potion…"

"Don't look away from me, Amid," the chienthrope said, moving the bottle back into Amid's line of sight. "The contents aren't any different from a normal potion, right?"

"What are you, stupid?" A loud voice came to Amid's rescue in the form of the Familia's god, Dian Cecht. "Are those eyes of yours broken or something? Can't you see the special label on the bottle?"

"And just for that…you're charging double the regular cost? Are you trying to scam people?"

"No one's scamming anyone! It's clearly labeled after all. It's a special potion for Grand Day!"

"And that's…how it is…" Amid said, still unable to look at Naza. "We'll…probably throw in a few freebies as well."

"Ain't it a good deal?" Dian Cecht asked as he laughed off the glare Naza was throwing his way.

"…That damn old geezer…" Naza growled as she walked off back to where Miach was standing with Daphne and Cassandra. "Let's spread rumors of the potion being nothing but pigs' blood."

"That wouldn't really accomplish much, Naza," Miach said. "We'd probably get in trouble instead."

"Besides, it's not as if Dea Saint can disobey her god," Daphne said. "I really feel for her…"

"Ah…" Cassandra was the first to notice them. "It's Hestia Familia…"

Daphne whirled around immediately in their direction as her eyes darted back and forth as if looking for someone. However, she quickly calmed down after not finding what she was looking for.

"Good afternoon, Bell and friends," Miach said with a smile. "That's a lot of stuff you are carrying. What are they?"

"Good afternoon, Lord Miach," Bell greeted the god back. "They're sweets our Familia are selling by the Hearth's Chime. Cloud Candy made from honey cloud fruit from the Dungeon and fried sweet cream made from milk and sugar."

"And they're being sold at a special Grand Day price as well," Emma chimed in with a smile causing Naza to roll her eyes with a sigh.

"Let's see…" Daphne said as she looked at the signs hanging from the trays. "Cloud Candy is two hundred valis a piece and fried cream is one hundred? A bit pricey isn't it? Well, not really if the candy is made from honey cloud I suppose. I'll take one."

"Then, I'd like to try the cream," Cassandra said.

"Of course! Thank you for your purchase~"

Miach and Naza also bought one item each and the Miach Familia left rather satisfied.

"Another satisfied customer," Emma said with a smile.

"Well, going around eating good food is the best part of a festival after all," Bell said as they continued down the street. "Hmm?"

There was another commotion going on down the street.

"You morons ain't never gonna get me to eat that! Lemme go!"

It was Mord…and the older man was frantically running away from someone. He was moving so fast that he didn't even notice Bell and the others.

"That was…Mister Latro, wasn't it?" Emma asked as they watched the older Adventurer disappear into the crowd. "What was he running from?"

"Ahh…" Bell turned and saw several familiar faces from the stand that Mord retreated from and he already had a bad feeling about it.

"Aww, he ran away, meow!" Anya muttered. "And here I thought he'd be easy prey."

Working at the stand were the Hostess of Fertility waitresses, including Syr. If Mord had ran away from them while absolutely refusing to eat whatever it was they were selling…then that didn't bode well for Bell and the others.

"It's yucky food after all…" Assassin muttered, already aware of where this was going even though Bell didn't want to admit.

"Jack…promise me you won't say that in front of Syr."

"…"

"Jack."

"…We promise."

"Meow? A new victim!" Chloe said as she waved her hand toward them. "Hey boy, over here!"

"Bell!" Syr said as she leaned out of the stand with a smile. "You're just in time!"

"G-good afternoon…" Bell said as he led the others toward the stand, trying and no doubt failing to keep his worries from showing on his face. "We're here to exchange snacks…"

"Hmm? What's this cloud-like thing?" Lunor asked. "'Cloud Candy?'"

"It's a candy made from the honey cloud fruit from the Dungeon!" Emma replied.

"Honey cloud, meow?" Anya repeated. "I haven't eaten that in forever!"

"Wait just a moment," Welf said. "What exactly are you guys selling here? Everything's completely black!"

Indeed. Looking around, all Bell could see was…black. Everything in the stand was black. From what Bell supposed was black meat on black rice in a black bowl to black liquid in a pitcher to…

Assassin opened her mouth and Bell immediately slapped his hand over her mouth to keep her from saying anything about the black cookies in a black bag tied with a black ribbon.

"They're packed full of protein, or so I'm told…" Ryuu said blankly.

"M-Miss Lyon…" Primo muttered.

"Can I try this…Behemoth Rice Bowl?" Fia asked, completely unaware of the hell she was getting in to.

"Of course!" Syr said happily as she handed the bowl into Primo's hands.

Primo looked down into the mound of ash and then at Fia who had her mouth open expectantly.

"I feel like I'm about to do something extremely bad…" Primo said as she picked up the spoon and dug into the black rice and meat, only for the shape to crumble on contact.

She then looked at Ryuu only for Ryuu to stare back and say, "They're packed full of protein, or so I'm told…"

"Miss Lyon is broken…" Primo muttered as she carefully put the spoon into Fia's mouth.

Fia chewed for a long time as everyone stared at her and waited. Once she finished swallowing, Fia simply opened up her mouth again, prompting Primo to feed her another spoonful.

"W-well?" Lunor asked.

"I've had worse," came the harpy's blunt review.

Bell wondered what Fia had eaten before that tasted worse than what was basically spoonfuls of ash. Then again…her diet before probably only consisted of other monsters' Magic Stones…and monster bodies turned into ash when their stones were removed after all.

"Like, can you all at least explain why everything's pitch black?" Welf asked. "You didn't just burn everything did you?"

"Of course not!" Anya said. "It's a theme! A theme! Can't you tell from the name?"

"Well…we probably didn't need _everything_ to be pitch black," Lunor admitted.

"It doesn't even look like food to be honest," Chloe admitted as well. "Even I wouldn't purrchase it."

"W-well…would you guys like some sweets as thanks for the meal?" Emma asked. "We don't need it to be a one-to-one trade."

"No need to be shy," Syr said innocently. "We still have a lot of inventory leftover after all. How about some cookies?"

"Oh nononono, we couldn't…_eighteen hundred valis for a bag of cookies!?_"

"And I thought charging two hundred was already too much for the candy…" Bell muttered.

"Screw it, we're bailing," Welf said as he grabbed Primo and Fia under his arms. "Bell! Emmy! Leave what we came for and run!"

"B-but what about Miss Lyon?"

"She's already done for! Run!"

"It's been nice seeing you, Syr but we gotta go!"

"Bye Bell, thanks for the sweets!"

X-x-X-x-X

"…"

"…"

"…?"

Back at the inn, Gina was looking back and forth between the two Servants as they stared incredulously at the group of children in front of stand being led by a blonde haired boy.

"Hello," the boy said in a melodious sounding voice that made Gina's heart skip a beat. "Can we have ten orders of each item?"

"…What on earth on you doing?" Rider asked, causing the boy to tilt his head to the side in confusion.

"Hmm? Ordering for my playmates."

Rider stared at the boy again for a minute before turning toward Archer, seeking help. However, the man simply closed his eyes and offered no answers.

"Umm, Rider?" Gina spoke up. "The ice creams? He's already paid and all."

Rider then turned to look at Gina before pressing her palm against her own face, letting out a long sigh in the process.

"I can't even say anything when you do it so shamelessly either…"

"Rider?"

"No…never mind, Gina," Rider quickly said before putting her business smile back on. "Ten fried creams, coming right up!"

"Yes, thank you very much," the boy said.

Behind him were a rather assorted bunch of children, all around Gina's age and younger. Humans, amazons, and animal people were all mixed together and chatting happily with each other as they all wore similarly worn clothing, aside from the golden haired boy who was wearing rather expensive looking white and gold Far-Eastern style robe over a purple tunic and brown trousers and the werewolf girl standing beside him, fidgeting in a servant uniform.

If Gina had to guess, it was some noble kid hanging around orphans and throwing his money around so they could enjoy the festival as well. On one hand, that was nice.

On the other hand, damn rich bastards.

"_Oh wait, I could technically count in that group too now, can't I?_" Gina thought to herself. "_At least, so long as the Captain's footing the bill for half of everything._"

Once the treats were done, Gina happily handed them to the kids that lined up far better than even the adults that had come earlier with the blonde boy and his servant not taking any for themselves, with them looking rather satisfied at the happy smiles of the other children instead. If only she could understand why both Archer and Rider were looking completely gob smacked at the sight in front of them. Did they know the boy?

The smirk he gave them returned seemed to confirm it…it looked rather familiar too.

Oh, that was it! The blonde hair and red eyes reminded her of the Captain. Except there was no way someone with a golden stick up his butt would be playing around with kids like this. The tiny werewolf girl was trying her best not to meet Gina's eyes though. Was she shy?

One of the kids didn't have any such problems though.

"Hey, can I ask something?" A brown-haired boy said as he came up to Gina with bits of cream around his mouth. "Are you an Adventurer?"

"Yep," Gina said proudly as she placed her gloved hand over her chest. "I'm Level 2!"

And wasn't that so much fun to say out loud? After a year and a few months of being stuck at Level 1, she had reached Level 2 practically immediately after joining Hestia Familia. Granted it was because she took part in a War Game but all she really did was not die to a giant plant and train with Spirits. Guess the Falna acted different when you were surrounded by Spirits and Heroes.

"Can I join?" The brown-haired boy asked, causing the other kids to look at him in surprise. "You look younger than me so being a kid isn't a problem, right?"

"I uh…that's not really up to me," Gina replied, poking her fingers together as she looked over her shoulder toward the inn. "Only our goddess gets to choose who joins."

And Gina doubted Caster would be happy to let him join either.

"It's not just about age, Lai," the blonde boy said, placing a hand on Lai's shoulder. "You have to consider experience too. From the information the Guild had, Gina Gwen was part of Hermes Familia before converting so she had prior experience. Besides, she's an amazon and you're a human. Even without a god's blessing, she could probably throw you down the street if she wanted even if you're bigger and older."

Lai grumbled at that. Considering that there was also an amazon in the group of kids they were in, it was probably something he was already familiar with.

"So what you're saying then is that I should ask the God Hermes to join his Familia instead!"

""No.""

Both Gina and the blonde boy spoke at the same time.

"Nothing good will come from it," Gina continued.

On the other hand, the boy said "Hermes Familia is a traveling Familia which means they leave Orario for weeks on end. While I can't stop you from joining, you have to know that if you do join, you could spend months or even years without seeing the others again. You may not even return to Orario altogether."

That was true. The Hermes Familia had a lot more members than what was currently in Orario. They had multiple bases with Hermes preferring to stay in Orario often to coordinate everything and everyone. There were some members Gina had only met once and never saw again as they were traveling to different countries and the like. Not that Gina had said this to anyone in Hestia Familia though.

"I hate that you keep using the others to guilt me like this," Lai said with another grumble.

"As long as it works then I will keep on doing so," the boy said with a laugh as he patted Fai on the back. "I won't be around all the time after all, so only you can keep charge."

"We're doomed then," a half-elf said from the group causing a good amount of laughter from the others as Lai scowled.

Once that was done, the kids threw away any trash they had in the nearby bin and went off into the city. Once they were gone, Rider suddenly started pounding her head against the pole of the food stand while Archer started massaging his eyes with his hand, leaving Gina to just glance back and forth between them in confusion.

X-x-X-x-X

"Hey Bell, are you good on time?" Emma asked as the Party continued checking out the food stands in the city.

"Hmm…I probably have an hour before I head to the Guild," Bell said as he tapped the case on his back containing the armor. "We can probably check out a few more things."

They had already sold all their inventory and the trays had been properly disposed of and were now leisurely enjoying the festival. Unfortunately, many of the stands were also doing a special "Grand Day" price for their wares so they didn't spend much on anything. Rather, Hestia Familia's sweets made from Dungeon Fruits were actually the cheapest things Bell had seen all day, and those had cost as much as a decent dinner with Gina's up-charge.

"Mmm? Hey Mommy?" Assassin suddenly tugged on Bell's sleeve. "What's that?"

Bell and the others stopped and turned to see a large crowd of people, mostly men, standing in front of a large stage.

"Ahh…is this that thing Lord Hermes was talking about?" Welf asked. "That Female Adventurer contest thing?"

"Lady Riveria is supposed to be taking part, right?" Primo asked, eyes sparkling. "Can we stop and watch?"

"Well, looks like watching's free so I'm down," Welf said as he turned to Bell.

"Well, I don't think there's anything else happening right now so why not?"

The Party mingled in with the crowd, which was already starting to get restless.

"What's the damn hold up!?" An Adventurer near the front shouted. "Hurry up and bring out the babes!"

"Ah, yes…it's one of _these_ huh?" Emma asked, looking rather nonplussed at it all.

"One of these?" Primo repeated only to be cut off as someone stepped out onto the stage.

"Greetings!" A god wearing an elephant mask shouted. "I am Ganesha! And I shall be your MC for today!"

"Huh? Isn't that the god who's helping us?" Fia asked as the crowd jeered at the god.

"Indeed, I, Ganesha, am still popular as always," Ganesha said as he took in the jeers and dodged a fruit thrown at him without missing a beat. "Let us change this contest to be the Ganesha Contest instead!"

"Get the hell off the stage!"  
"Who the fuck wants a contest like that!?"

"More wondrous cheers! Ganehsa's popularity is number one! How frightening!"

"…Are we going to be okay?" Fia asked blankly as she turned her head up to Bell, who had no words to comfort her with.

"Ganesha," a voluptuous goddess began as she stepped onto the stage. "Perhaps it's time to stop fooling around and get started?"

"Oh, what a good point my fellow deity, Demeter!" Ganesha said. "Then I, Ganesha, shall stand in the corner so my popularity does not overshadow our contestants!"

"Hey…Bell? Bell?"

"I'm sorry Fia…I don't know what to say…"

"You can't even do this right, geez," Demeter said with a sigh before turning a motherly smile toward the crowd. "Now then, the rules of this contest are simple. Several beautiful ladies will be making an appearance on stage dressed in outfits prepared by various deities. Your job, as the audience, will be to decide which one is the most beautiful. The winner will be decided by the one who receives the most cheers. So please do your best to support the one you like the most, okay?"

The crowd exploded in cheers around them as Primo looked scandalized.

"A beauty contest!?" Primo shouted. "I didn't hear anything about this! How can they put Lady Riveria in a shameless contest like this!?"

"It's probably her goddess that put her up to it," Bell replied, remembering everything he heard about the Goddess Loki from Lefiya.

"What do you mean 'shameless contest!?'" A nearby Adventurer demanded. "What else can this be but a gift from the gods themselves!"

"What else can be better than having so many beauties in one place!?" Another one added. "All hail Grand Day! Grand Day forever!"

"He's actually crying…" Welf muttered incredulously.

"I guess it's too late to leave, huh?" Emma asked.

"Too many people…" Assassin agreed as she was squished up between Bell and Emma.

"Ah, sorry Jack!"

"But…I wonder who got forced into this and who would volunteer to do this," Bell said.

X-x-X-x-X

"You lot need to get more fired up!" The goddess Loki said to three of her girls in front of her. "You can't win a beauty contest if you ain't got the energy!"

"What's the point of getting fired up for a beauty contest?" Tione asked, wearing a set of purple dancing clothes with a long blue veil on her head. "It's not like the Captain's here anyway."

"You ain't gonna win if you ain't got the proper motivation! I may lose out on other things but I ain't gonna lose out at having my girls be number one! And I ain't gonna have any of you lose to anyone."

"Quite a few people don't seem like they wanna be here either though."

"And that's their loss!" Loki said. "If you show off the energy you need then you'll definitely beat her! You need to show the world that my collection of cuties is the best in the entire world or else Loki Familia's done for!"

"We've really fallen rather low then, haven't we?" Tione asked with a sigh.

"This is so lame though," Tiona pouted. "I wanna get this over with and check out Archer's food stand."

They weren't the only ones unhappy with their situation, however. Hiding behind the amazon twins dressed in amazon apparel similar to Tione's usual outfit was a rather red-faced Lefiya.

"Ugh…this is the worst…" she cried as she hugged her bare shoulders to try and cover up all the skin she was showing. "Embarrassing…so embarrassing…this is the worst. I don't like this…I don't like this…I don't like this…I don't like this…"

"Come on, stop with that loser talk!" Loki shouted as someone walked up behind her.

"Things seem a bit noisy over here, Loki," the god Dionysus greeted them with a smile.

"And what are you doing here, Dionysus? The dullard contest is the other way."

"If there is to be a beauty contest, it is my duty as a god to come and judge them for myself."

"Uh huh, sure, whatever," Loki replied, not buying it for a second. "I'm gonna go make sure my secret weapon's all ready to go."

"Well doesn't that sound exciting," Dionysus said with a laugh as Loki left the waiting room.

As she did, those in the waiting room could hear a loud cheer outside, signaling the start of the contest.

"Oh dear, it's already started…" Dionysus muttered before turning toward the crouching elf in the corner of the room. "Lefiya Virdis, may I have a moment of your time?"

"Y-yes?" Lefiya asked as she stood up. "What is it?"

Despite being a god of another Familia, Lefiya was rather acquainted with Dionysus due to being friends with the Captain of his Familia, another elf by the name of Filvis Challia.

"I just need your assistance with something."

X-x-X-x-X

The contest had started with a bang as several beautiful Adventurers had come out on stage wearing clothing that enhanced their already high-level beauty.

However, due to being in the presence of so many cute girls and beautiful women at home each day, Bell couldn't really get into it. Oh, he certainly appreciated the sight as much as the next man, but right now he was more worried if he would be able to get out of the crowd and make it to the Guild for his job than at the sight on stage.

"And now, a quick word from out special judge!" Ganesha announced as the latest contestant stepped off stage. "The chairman of our contest who made this event possible! Hermes!"

"It's probably a good thing Gina isn't here, huh?" Emma asked as the amazon's former god stepped onto the stage with his usual smile.

"Thank you for the introduction," Hermes said. "Although I am the one who organized this contest so we can see all you wonderful ladies, please remember one important thing. It's not being the 'best' flower that matters, but rather being the 'special' one."

"The special one, huh?" Emma asked as she turned to Bell who was too busy paying attention to Hermes.

"That being said, there is no question that this event is quite vulgar," Hermes admitted with a solemn face only to quickly throw it away as he shouted at the top of his lungs, "BUT I WANT TO SEE SOME BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS! ISN'T THAT RIGHT, MEN!?"

Most of the men in the crowd roared in agreement, causing Primo and Fia to cover their ears in pain.

"Let's keep on cheering! For our special flowers!"

"""FOR OUR FLOWERS!"""

"Is this how we men are supposed to be like?" Welf couldn't help but wonder. "Or is it the influence of the gods? Does Caster have a point after all?"

"What was that?" Bell called out as his ears were ringing. "I can't quite hear you!"

"All right, that wraps up the speech from Hermes," Demeter said. "Let's welcome our next contestant…"

"Uh…just a moment!" The goddess Loki shouted as she poked her head from the side. "She'll be out in a bit…"

"Goddess Loki…" Primo muttered.

"Since it's her, it's probably Nine Hells," Welf said, causing Primo to stiffen. "Ain't that nice, Primo?"

"I-it's not nice at all!" Primo denied as the amazon twins pushed Riveria out onto the stage. "Ah!"

The High Elf was wearing a long flowing white gown with golden trimmings. The gown clung tightly to her slim body and complemented the queen's elegance…even if the woman herself did not appear all too happy about being on stage.

The crowd burst into cheers, men and women alike, with the elves in attendance being particularly loud, showing their reverence for their future queen.

"Hahahaha! I've got this in the bag!" Loki said with a laugh, earning a glare from Riveria. "The elf vote is mine!"

"So this was what you had planned…what a surprise."

The God Dionysus stepped out as well.

"What are you doing up here? Weren't you here to watch?"

"No, I decided to join in on the fun," came the god's reply. "It took a while to convince her but Lefiya Virdis has done a good job."

"Don't you shanghai my girls into helping you out!" Loki shot back. "And what the heck are you up to?"

"Certainly, Nine Hell is quite elegant, on par with any goddess even. But it is not as though her reign will last forever."

"And who the heck could overthrow my Riveria?"

"I'll show you…come out, my child of the new era!"

And out popped an elf, one being pushed by another elf rather familiar to Hestia Familia.

""HAH!?""

Both Bell and Primo let out a shout in surprise to see Lefiya walk out clothes only an amazon would wear while pushing out a black-haired elf in a purple dress with pink folds and white frills, topped off with a giant pink bow.

Their shouts were quite loud, to the point that Lefiya froze on the stage and her eyes fell on the two of them.

"Lefiya!?"

Being seen by one of her male friends and her student must have been a bit much because her face immediately turned red as she quickly spun on her heel and vacated the stage, abandoning the other elf as she out called her name.

"…"

"…"

Both Bell and Primo were at a loss for words.

"I didn't think she was the type to wear something like that…" Emma muttered.

"N-no, it must be the Goddess Loki's doing!" Primo insisted.

The black-haired elf, realizing that she had no choice but to move forward without support, shyly moved toward the center of the stage.

"F-Filvis Challia…" she introduced herself in a quiet voice as Fia tilted her head to the side. "Dionysus Familia…umm…"

"Wait…isn't that Maenadas?" An Adventurer asked his friend. "The Banshee? Was she always like that?"

"No way…she was colder and more aloof. I kinda like it…"

"Y-yeah…you got a point."

"Embarrassment, is it?" Hermes commented on stage as the crowd started murmuring. "The greatest accessory a girl can adorn herself with. Not bad, Dionysus."

Eventually, all the contestants had their turn and it was time for the crowd to vote for their favorite girl. Strangely, or perhaps not that strangely, Lefiya did not reappear on stage even though her name had been called out.

However, as typical of Adventurers or people in general, not everyone was agreeing on their fellows' choices.

Just beside Bell's group, there was an elf arguing with a human between Riveria and Filvis respectively.

"I think it's time to go," Emma said quietly, looking a bit worried as the arguments became a bit physical with people shoving each other and grabbing each other by the collars.

"I don't know if that's possible…" Bell said as he and Welf tried to keep the girls between them as the crowd got more and more rowdy. "I mean, I could probably force us out, but it might spark a riot…"

"It's probably going to spark a riot as people argue over Lady Riveria and Miss Challia anyway!" Primo said, clinging onto Emma.

"Shouldn't you do something, Ganesha?" Demeter asked with worry.

"I am merely the MC!" Ganesha replied. "Hermes is the organizer…"

"Hermes just snuck out a moment ago."

"HERMEEEEEES!"

"Things are really gonna get crazy," Welf said, stopping someone's elbow from flying in his face. "Just grit your teeth and let's get out of here, Bell!"

"B-but…"

"Oh? Is that you, Master?"

"Huh?"

Carefully pushing his way through the crowd to their position was Saber of all people. He wasn't wearing his mask or his usual equipment but rather a well-cut black suit and tie that made him stand out amongst the rest of the crowd.

"Saber!? Why are you here?"

"Yeah, weren't you on a date with Lancer?" Emma asked as Saber placed a hand on Welf's shoulder and pulled himself closer to them.

"I am here to see my love on stage of course," Saber replied.

"Your love…wait, _Lancer_ was taking part in this!?" Emma asked. "But her name hasn't been called out among the contestants?"

"Well…there is a reason for that…"

"Umm…is it too late to enter?"

A small wave of energy swept through the crowd as everyone turned as one toward the stage to see another woman walk over.

The woman's long hair had been tied up into a long braid that was draped down in front of her right shoulder and was wearing a soft black top and a long flowing white skirt. Her white skin seemed to shine as it reflected the spotlight above her and she and seemed more like a beautiful statue on display.

"If not…may this Lancer of Hestia Familia take her turn on stage?"

X-x-X-x-X

"_Is this really something I should be doing?" the woman wondered as she waited just outside of the waiting area, unsure if she should be entering._

_"There is no reason why you should not," the goddess replied with a beautiful smile. "Your beauty is second to none."_

_"But…was this not a task asked of you, Lady Goddess?"_

_"I'm not going to be the one to clean up after Hermes's mess," the goddess replied, her beautiful face twisting into a slight frown. "Besides, there's no point in me entering this contest. I would take away all the hard work and enjoyment the other girls have put into this…and there's no enjoyment entering a contest that you will win without a doubt, right?"_

_"But…"_

_"And it's not as though you are that against it, correct? You are free, both in will and ability, to refuse my request, and such a thing delights me far more than you can imagine. Yet there is something that makes you unable to completely refuse me, isn't there?"_

_"No, there is not."_

_"Ah yes. It is not that you are agreeing with my request…it is simply because my request is the same as 'his' is it not?"_

_"…"_

_"Fufufu, I believe I know what that one is planning. Since it is coming from your end, I will not stop you, but I will step in if it gets out of hand."_

_"I am afraid I do not know what you are referring to."_

_"You do not know, but you suspect, yes? It is something any decent man would want. But enough about that. Right now, we are talking about you."_

_"…"_

_"Stand on that stage and show Orario that you are special. That you are special in a way that no one else could ever be. An immaterial flower that none can ever hold, save for one. That even though your beauty can capture the hearts of any man, that the one your heart longs for is none of them."_

_"My Lady Goddess…please do not live your life through me."_

_The goddess could not help but titter at that._

_"My…you certainly are sharp. My apologies. Ahh, I really wish I could have you. Both of you."_

_"You are too kind…but the two of us have responsibilities that we cannot abandon."_

_"Indeed, and I would willingly, happily even, give the two of you up to see your responsibilities grow and blossom into something wonderful."_

X-x-X-x-X

Rather than a loud chaotic cheer, the crowd greeted the newcomer Lancer with suppressed awe. All eyes were transfixed as she carefully ran her hand down her braid to make sure no stray strands had gotten loose. Lancer was beautiful. A beauty that could steal men's eyes as easily as any Goddess of Love and was as obvious to any person who laid eyes on her. It's times like this that Bell is reminded that she was not a true mortal, but a Spirit, one that could easily step into the realm of the gods as she directed a calm and loving smile toward Bell and the others. It was times like this that Bell was worried that their true nature would leak out…

"…Is it too late?" Lancer asked again, tilting her head to the side.

"IT'S NOT TOO LATE!" The crowd shouted back at her with enough force to cause her hair to sway slightly.

Lancer then glanced toward Ganesha and Demeter, silently asking for their permission as well.

"Of course you can," Demeter replied with a smile. "And thank you for your attendance."

"It is a pleasure to see you again out of a business environment, Miss Lancer!" Ganesha added and Lancer nodded with a smile.

"What the heck! Where did you come from?" Loki demanded as she walked up to Lancer.

"I was waiting in the back street," Lancer replied as she gave the crowd a small wave and a smile, causing them to cheer. "I did not intend to take part, but a goddess asked me to fill in for her."

"A goddess? Who?"

Lancer did not answer as she made her way to the end of the line under the gaze of the crowd and most of the other contestants.

"Now then, let's go through down the list of contestants once more!" Ganesha shouted. "Remember to cheer for contestant you like the most!"

Demeter held her hand over each contestant to which various members of the crowd gave either a polite applause or a hearty cheer. The elves in the crowd really exploded when Demeter held her hand over Riveria, Primo included, causing the High Elf to flush slightly. Filvis on the other hand, got quite a lot of cheers from a group of burly male human Adventurers, the gap between her embarrassment and her usual cold mask being enough to win them over.

But when Demeter's hand was raised over Lancer, a massive roar erupted from the man standing right next to Bell. Saber's cheer was like a dragon's roar that drowned out the rest of the crowd that cheered for his wife. The roar had knocked aside the people standing beside Bell's Party but for the Party themselves, they were completely unaffected by it for some reason. Bell did not notice, but Saber had traced runes on the members of Hestia Familia to protect them from his roar as soon as he met up with them. Thus, while it was still rather loud, it did not affect them as much as the unfortunate members of the crowd around them.

Despite the uncharacteristic roar however, Saber simply pushed his glasses back up his nose and folded his hands behind his back as usual without a hint of embarrassment. Lancer, on the other hand, seemed embarrassed enough for both of them.

"Geez, can you be any louder?" Welf asked, digging a finger into his ear. "I don't think Lady Hestia heard you back at the inn."

"I could, but I would no doubt cause injuries," Saber said without missing a beat. "Perhaps I should. Such a cheer is nowhere near enough to express my love."

"No no no, I think that was more than enough for the rest of us," Emma said quickly with a smile as she tugged on Saber's arm. "I swear I saw those windows shake."

"Nevertheless, it is the contestant with the loudest cheer that wins, is it not?" Saber asked as he turned his attention back to the stage.

"It doesn't count if you're the only one cheering!" Loki shouted back at him.

"That technically isn't part of the rules," Hermes said as he popped back out on stage. "But if anyone else wants to cheer for Miss Lancer, then by all means."

"O-ohoooowaaa!" Bell shouted at the top of his lungs, promoting Fia to do the same. Spurred on by the two's cheers, several other members of the crowd began cheering and applauding as well. Men and women of all races joined in to cheer on Lancer's beauty.

"Well, I suppose that answers that," Hermes said as Loki stamped her foot in rage.

"Hey Bell," Welf said as Saber made his way to the stage to take Lancer's hand. "You all right on time?"

"Huh? Ahh!"

Bell glanced at one of the bell towers in the distance and saw that he was nearly late.

"Oh no, oh no!" Bell said as he pushed his way through the crowd that was a bit more spread out since Saber's roar. "Sorry guys, but I gotta go!"

"Bye, Mister Cranel!"

"Good luck, Bell!"

"See ya!"

Primo, Emma and Fia bade him goodbye as Bell sprinted down the street with all of his might, dodging and weaving his way through the crowd with a few people calling out to him by his alias to which he gave a simple greeting back.

He did not stop running until he slid right through the Guild doors.

"Miss Eina! Am I late!?" Bell said as he looked around only to see Eina coming up to him wearing a blue outfit that made her look like a storytelling bard of old, complete with a feathered cap.

"Nope, you're just in time," she said with a smile. "You have the outfit, right?"

"Yes," Bell said as he tapped the case on his back.

"Then please follow me. You need to get changed before the ambassador gets here."

"Yes!"

Eina took him to one of the small meeting rooms that he often had meetings with Eina in and quickly changed into the replica hero armor. Even if it was just a replica, the breastplate was still in very high quality. But of course, the replica bracelet was what really made this outfit stand out, having supposedly belonged to one of the Captains of the legendary Zeus Familia that slew the mighty Behemoth.

"Hee hee…" Bell couldn't help but giggle in glee. "It feels like I'm one step closer to Archer…well, at least I look the part anyway."

"_Well, that ain't too far from the truth._"

"Huh?"

Bell quickly spun around at the sound of an unknown voice but there was no one else in the room with him.

"Just my imagination?"

"Bell?" Eina's voice came from the door as she knocked on it. "Are you decent?"

"Ah, yes!" Bell called back as he stuffed his clothes into the case and headed back out.

"My, don't you look just dashing," Eina said with a smile as she looked him over.

"Ahaha…thank you."

"Now all that's left is to wait for the other person."

"Oh, you found someone?"

"Excuse me."

No sooner did Bell ask that did he hear the clacking of boots walking across the floor.

"I've put it on," a very familiar elf said as she walked up to them, wearing the robe Bell had seen on display the other day next to the armor. "I don't know if I'm worthy enough to wear this, but I hope to live up to your expectations."

"Lefiya!?" Bell shouted.

"Bell!?" Lefiya shouted back. "You're the one wearing the other half?"

"The two of you are both famous enough to catch the attention of the ambassador and are the right size for the equipment," Eina explained. "The Chief will be by with the ambassador in a few minutes so please be on your best behavior."

"Y-yes," Bell replied with a nod as Eina left the two of them alone.

The two Adventurers stood awkwardly next to each other with Bell unsure of what to say.

"Umm…Lefiya?" Bell began, working up the courage to speak. "About that contest."

"Forget it."

"Yes?"

"Forget you ever saw me in that outfit!" Lefiya demanded as she stepped up to his face with tears in her eyes. "Wipe it from your memory this instant and never speak of it again or I will kill you and then myself!"

"Y-yes!"

Bell could only agree in the face of certain death exuding from the elf's eyes.

"Ahhh…I can't believe Primo saw me like that…" Lefiya said as she buried her face in her hands. "All the dignity I've built up…gone in an instant…"

"W-well…it's not like you chose to wear it, right?" Bell asked.

"Do you think I would!?"

"N-no ma'am!"

"Then don't ask stupid questions!"

Bell could only flinch away as Lefiya turned her embarrassed face away from him.

However, as the minutes ticked by, there was still no sign of the Guild Head or any ambassador.

"What's taking them so long?" Lefiya muttered under her breath.

Bell was wondering that himself as it was getting more and more awkward just standing here with Lefiya without talking. He had to come up with a topic that wouldn't make her mad again.

"Umm…Lefiya?" Bell began.

"Yes?"

"Who was that elf that was with you?" Bell asked, recalling the embarrassed black-haired elf that Lefiya had pushed on stage. "Filvis…something?"

"You never heard of her?" Lefiya asked in slight surprise.

"I'm sorry. I only paid attention to High Class Adventurers of the larger Familia," Bell admitted. "She's a member of Dionysus Familia?"

"Yes, she's their Captain and one of my important friends," Lefiya said with a smile. "She also teaches me things on occasion and helped me master Concurrent Chanting. She's also Level 3."

"Wow…she sounds like a pretty amazing person."

"You better believe she is!"

Lefiya threw out her chest in pride of her friend only to suddenly freeze in place.

"And I went and left her alone on the stage!" She shrieked in realization, grasping her head in horror.

"_You're no good at small talk, are you?_"

Bell swatted the voice in his head away.

A few minutes later, the head of the Guild, Royman Mardeel, finally and thankfully came by with the ambassador to pick them up.

The ambassador was an older gentleman wearing rather expensive looking robes from some desert country that Bell wasn't too familiar with. However, the ambassador was familiar with both Bell and Lefiya and was absolutely delighted to see two famous Adventurers dressed up in the regalia of legends.

He even asked to shake Bell's hand, which made him feel a bit embarrassed.

After the meet and greet, the two of them were made to accompany the ambassador to the coliseum where an exhibition was to be held between several of Orario's top Adventurers.

"This exhibition sounds amazing…" Bell said as he stood behind the Guild Head and ambassador with Lefiya. "I can't wait to watch."

"Well, it's basically just a farce though," Lefiya replied in a quiet voice so the two in front of them couldn't hear.

"Huh, is that so?"

"Yes…this is more or less a play to show off Orario's strength to ambassadors like him. There are probably a few more less important ones spread out through the audience so they can't fight for real. It's a show the Guild puts on every year or so."

"Huh…that's a bit disappointing…" Bell admitted before shaking slightly. "But…these High-Class Adventurers really settle for just that?"

"Uhh…hmm…"

Lefiya wasn't sure of that herself.

"Will things really go as planned?" Bell wondered softly.

X-x-X-x-X

The exhibition began calmly enough.

Bell watched as several First-Class Adventurers took to the arena and clashed blades with one another. He spotted several of Loki Familia's elite on the field. Braver (Finn Deimne), Vanagrand (Bete Loga), Elgram (Gareth Landrock), and of course, Sword Princess (Ais Wallenstein). Not only that but Ganesha Familia's Ankusha (Shakti Varma), Hermes Familia's Perseus (Asfi Al Andromeda) and even Freya Familia's King (Ottarl) were there.

They were all clashing blades with each other but…

"They really aren't going all out, huh?" Bell muttered.

"Like I said, it's just a show," Lefiya repeated.

Bell wasn't exactly sure how his Servants stacked up against First Class Adventurers but right now, the participants were moving much, much slower than Saber did when he was training Bell.

"Well, I was running around a lot before this job so I'm happy for the time off," Bell said with a shrug.

"Come to think of it, you and your Familia were all wearing the same colors," Lefiya noted. "Did your Goddess institute a new dress code?"

"Oh, nothing like that. We were just helping out at her new inn that just opened up. The colors are part of the uniform."

"I see…are you going to be balancing between work and the Dungeon?"

"Ah, no. It was only for today's opening. Most of us pitched in to help since it looked like our goddess was tearing her hair out over it."

"Most?"

"Well, Saber and Lancer were out together and we didn't want to get in the way of that and Caster didn't want anything to do with the inn."

"Does he not approve of it?"

"Nothing like that. He just doesn't want to do any more work."

"Well, I can see that…from the sound of things you don't really need the extra money, do you?" Lefiya asked.

"Well, our goddess doesn't want to do nothing while we go into the Dungeon every day," Bell said, feeling that he shouldn't mention the debt that Caster was holding over Hestia.

"Huh?"

All of a sudden, Bell could feel something drawing close at high speeds. Like a shooting star streaking across the heavens toward his position.

"What's wrong?" Lefiya asked as Bell stared across the coliseum and up toward the opening.

"There's…someone there?" Bell began.

Standing on the edge of the circular open roof. From this distance, Bell could make out a black willowy cloak with a hood that completely covered their head. All that could be seen under the hood was a black shadow with no trace of a person underneath. The cloak also obscured the entirety of their body aside from the black longsword in their hand.

With a great leap, the figure leaped off of his perch and landed right in the middle of the arena.

All of the participants stopped fighting and turned toward the newcomer as their gaze slowly swept across them…stopping only when their eyes fell upon Ottarl.

Then, to the shock of every single person in the coliseum, they raised their sword up and pointed it at the boaz.

Ottarl's eyes widened ever so slightly as he turned his back to his previous opponent to take in the newcomer. Then, the unknown placed a hand to his chest and pressed down on it.

A wave of power and energy burst out from the figure in the center of the coliseum, blasting through the stands like a powerful wind while a heavy weight pressed down upon all of them. It was a feeling Bell remembered rather well. It was the same feeling of dread he felt when he first laid eyes on the Black Goliath. And he could feel the unknown's sheer power all the way up in the stands…

"W-what is this?" Lefiya asked, rushing to the edge of the stands, ignoring the collapsed ambassador and Guild Head. "What is going on!?"

Bell quickly followed Lefiya to the edge, confused as well although for a completely different reason.

"_WHY IS HE HERE!?_" Bell screamed in his head.

Although the disguise was foolproof, there was no masking the connection Bell had with the figure.

Down on the grounds, the participants had been blasted away by the sheer force exuding from the cloaked figure. The only ones still on their feet were the Level 6s of Loki Familia and Ottarl himself.

Locking eyes with Orario's strongest Adventurer, the cloaked figure took several steps back until he was at the same distance from the wall as Ottarl was. A distance of fifty meters stood between the two swordsmen as Loki Familia's elite could only watch, unable to move from the pressure the two were exuding. Finn and Gareth were watching the proceedings with trepidation while Vanagrand was gnashing his teeth in rage. Ais was alone in watching the scene calmly.

And then…

"UUUUOOOOOOOOOHHH!"

As if to match his opponent's opening move, Ottarl let out a huge roar as his body underwent a slight transformation. His muscles bulked up and steam rose from his massive form. And then…

Bell couldn't see it.

One moment the two swordsmen were facing each other down…and then they clashed in the center of the arena. The ground gave away to the bone-shattering impact of their weapons, kicking up the solid stone beneath their feet before the noise even reached Bell and Lefiya's ears.

And then the two of them clashed. Again. And again. And again.

Each strike was beyond Bell's ability to see. Their arms and legs were moving far faster than Bell's Level 3 eyes could perceive.

The two black blades were swung with strength beyond what any mortal should have hoped to achieve. And yet there were two of them, seemingly equally matched standing before the world today.

Each swing caught no flesh. Only air and the opposing steel.

While it seemed that the two warriors had not moved from their point of their initial clash, the sight of the destroyed ground being sent flying and the valleys being carved into the stone recorded the tale of their bouts.

Ten? Twenty? Thirty? How many seconds have passed since the clash? How many bouts had happened within those seconds unseen by Bell or Lefiya or anyone in the stands? Could the Level 6s below them see them?

And yet, Bell knew. Bell knew that both of them could go even further beyond the level they were showing right now. The excitement running through their bodies was felt clear as day thanks to his bond with the cloaked figure.

_BANG!_

The battle came to a slight stop as both warriors had managed to catch the other's blade in their hand.

"That enough, Ottarl!"

A clear and crisp voice cut through the torrent of violence in an instant.

The moment the first word was said, both warriors had separated and turned toward the direction of the voice.

A beautiful goddess adorned in a formfitting white dress was walking across the destroyed earth toward the larger of the two warriors.

"Lady Freya," Ottarl said the name of his goddess as he lowered his head.

"Really now, didn't I tell you that you couldn't play without permission?" Freya said as if she was scolding an unruly child. "And you…it's not polite to interrupt an official event for your own selfishness."

The cloaked figure also lowered their head in shame, heeding the words of the goddess.

Freya simply shook her head with a sigh.

"Run along now, your fun is over."

The figure nodded his head as he drove his sword into the ground. He and Ottarl locked gazes one last time before he turned on his heel, disappearing into light. The sword remained for a moment longer before disappearing into wisp of blue light as well.

"He…left?" Lefiya muttered, unable to believe her own eyes. "Just like that?"

"S-seems like it," Bell nodded. "It looks as though he came to fight Ottarl so once the Goddess Freya told him to stand down, he saw no point in continuing…"

"Right…"

"Umm…for now…what do we do about this?" Bell asked as he gestured toward the unconscious officials.

"Ah!" Lefiya let out a scream as if she had only just remembered them. "Mister Ambassador! Mister Royman! Are you okay!?"

X-x-X-x-X

Thankfully the two men woke up no worse for the wear, but the ambassador had to be escorted back to his hotel room by some guild officials. Royman had gone to yell at the participants for being unable to stop the intruder from escaping after dismissing Lefiya and Bell from their posts.

The two of bid goodbye to one another as Lefiya went down to meet up with the rest of her Familia while Bell headed on back to the Hearthstone Manor.

It was getting late and Bell was a bit too tired to look around the rest of the festival.

Just as he was about to unlock the gate, someone called out to him.

"Hey Boy, one moment."

Bell turned around and his breath got caught in his throat.

Walking up to him was a woman that was wearing rather little in the way of clothing. A purple band around her chest that somehow held back the two mounds of paradise on her chest on par with Hestia's, with little else covering her torso as her arms and stomach were exposed for all to see. Her long legs were covered with a thin easily seen-through fabric that gave Bell a complete view of her legs, thighs and crotch; the last of which being covered properly by a tiny white fabric.

It didn't take a genius to figure that the woman was an amazon and Bell could only hope that Gina wouldn't grow up to end up wearing such a thing.

She was also rather tall, one of the tallest woman Bell had seen since coming to Orario, being even taller than Rider was.

"Y-yes?" Bell said, unable to keep the pitch of his voice from rising unnaturally.

"You're the Moonlit Dawn, right," the woman asked. "Of Hestia Familia, right?"

"T-that's right…how can I help you?"

"I got a letter here for your Captain," the woman said. "Make sure he gets it, okay?"

Before Bell could even ask where said letter was, the woman reached into her cleavage and pulled it out before holding it out to Bell, who was unsure if he should touch it.

"Oh come now, it's not going to burn you," the woman said with a laugh as she took his hand and placed the letter in it. "Maybe I'll see you around when you're older."

"Huh?"

Before Bell could say anything else, the woman walked away without another word.

Bell stared after her until she disappeared into the darkness.

Once she was gone, he turned to look at the envelope.

There was a faint smell of perfume coming from the white parchment and he could see an emblem on the wax seal keeping it shut.

A naked woman's body hidden by a veil…the symbol of prostitutes.

_Ishtar Familia_.

"Uh oh."

"_Indeed,_" the mysterious voice decided that this was the time to appear again."_We need to get rid of it and pretend it never existed before…ah crap._"

"Bell?"

Bell whirled around, hiding the envelope behind his back as he did. Standing behind him were Lily and Caster, the latter of which was actually smiling, openly showing that he had thoroughly enjoyed himself today.

"You're back first?" Lily asked.

"Ah, yes," Bell replied with a nod. "There was a commotion at the Coliseum so I the job ended a bit early."

"Quite…the rumors of such even reached us on the other end of the city," Caster said with a laugh. "And did you enjoy the special performance?"

"I was too worried to really take it in…" Bell admitted.

"Humph, there is no need to take things so seriously," Caster said with a slight chuckle. "That one is not so careless as to-"

Caster froze mid-sentence as his nostrils flared and his red eyes shone dangerously under the night sky.

"…What is this?" He asked so quietly and dangerously that both Lily and Bell flinched under his glare. "Why do I smell the stench of Ishtar upon you."

"I…uh…this was given to me to give to you just now…"

Seeing as he lost his chance to hide or destroy the letter, Bell had no choice but to offer it to Caster.

If looks could kill, and Bell wasn't one hundred percent sure Caster didn't have a way to kill with his eyes, the envelope may have erupted into flames, taking Bell's arm with it.

Caster plucked the offending parchment from Bell's hand and held it in front of his face, his eyes boring into the wax seal on the back.

"I do believe…" Caster said as Lily and Bell took several steps away from him. "This is what is meant by 'killing the mood.'"

The envelope was crushed in his hand as the king's rage made itself known throughout the land.


	45. Festival of Horrors

**Chapter 45: Day of Returns**

Night had fallen on Orario, yet the sound of festivities and people merry making had not yet died out. Orario was a city that never slept, and that description was especially true during a festival.

Caster paid no attention to it as he drummed a finger on his desk. Lying on top of it was a crumbled letter. Its contents were filled with nothing but empty platitudes and flowery language, the worst of which being a promise of a "private meeting" with the Goddess Ishtar herself.

The mere thought of being alone with the goddess sickened him to the point of vomiting.

It was clear as day what the goddess's plans were for him. She would attempt to seduce him, as she no doubt had many a god and mortal and steal his power for her own desires.

Such insolence should have him cut a bloody swath through the pleasure quarter and personally remove her head from her shoulders. No, he would even draw out the greatest of his treasures, no questions asked, like he would have done against those Egos had Ishtar been amongst their numbers during his dream on the moon.

But that was not what Caster truly wanted.

He did not just want her dead. No…that would be too easy. _Too simple_ for the likes of her.

No, Caster would ruin her. He would dismantle her empire, brick by brick. Mongrel by mongrel.

He would have her see everything she built, everything she had, be reduced to nothing. He would have her see every one of her followers fall or abandon her. He would see her powerless beneath his foot before he crushed her with everything he had.

But not yet.

The seeds he had sowed had not yet bore fruit.

He poured over all the information he had collected ever since he was summoned to this era. Every bit of it had been prepared for his war against Ishtar. He knew what she was after, who her allies were, who her pawns were, and the amount of forces that was arrayed against him.

It all came down to that renard woman. She was the cornerstone of Ishtar's power and arrogance in this world. Remove her, and everything will come crashing down. The question was how and when.

There was a ritual to trap a renard's soul into a special stone that could be found in the Far East. That was what he had foreseen and what the information he had gathered pointed to. The renard was special in that she was how Ishtar's forces could boast a power greater than what their Level would have one believe. A slave that had no choice but to obey her masters. A miserable existence that did not wish to accept her fate yet made no move to change it, nor to ask anyone to change it for her.

What was the point in saving someone like that? That did not have even the courage to cry out to be saved? Nor the courage to accept their own fate?

There was no point in helping someone with no agency of their own. Such an existence cannot even be called living. No, it was a mercy to kill her if she could not even beg for a hero. At the very least, her soul would remain her own.

But…what if he were to let the ritual be completed? What if he were to let Ishtar hold the stone of power in her hands…and for him to then destroy or remove it from her? To have her come so close to "victory" only for it to slip out of her grasp. Would not the frustration and despair it would bring to her would in turn give him the greatest pleasure even greater than a thousand climaxes?

Yes…should the situation remain unchanged, that should be how he should go about this.

First, he would have the War God dance. He would use him to begin the stage by riling up the Pleasure Quarter in search of his children's long-lost companion. He would also have the Trickster Goddess expedite her investigations into Evilus. So long as Ishtar was a member, then they shared a common enemy but only so long as that. Once she was gone, he would pay no more attention to them. But for now, that thing in the false Dungeon needed to be taken care of and he will allow the Goddess's Familia to be the bait to draw them out.

A knock suddenly came from his door.

"Lord Caster?" Lily's voice called out. "Are you awake? It's almost time for the meeting…"

Caster wheeled around to see that the sun was up.

What a failure!

**He had spent the entire night thinking of nothing but Ishtar!**

The war had only just begun, and he already lost the first battle!

His hand lashed out and slammed itself against his desk, causing Lily to squeak in surprise.

"L-Lily will go on ahead then!"

And with that, the pallum scampered away.

He could hear the rest of the Familia exit the building as well.

It was Grand Day after all, a day of festivities. And here he was, thinking about a damned goddess.

Just one more thing he would take pleasure in avenging.

It would be some time before Caster felt that it was time to get going. He was already fashionably late anyhow. As he was about to draw out the candies from his treasury, a wave of uneasiness washed over him. Spinning around, he turned toward the glass doors leading to the balcony and flung them open, allowing him a perfect view of city…and the black spires of wind extending to the heavens above.

The day of festivities had ended as chaos descended upon Orario.

X-x-X-x-X

"W-what is that?" Primo screamed as Emma held onto her to keep her from being blown away by a massive pillar of black wind that was tearing its way down the street, blasting through lamps, benches, and even buildings.

"Don't stay in its path!" Welf shouted, grabbing Gina and Fia, and pulling pulling to his side. "Grab onto the shorties and hold onto something!"

"Hey! I resent that!" Fia shouted back at him as she clung onto his chest.

"I…I have to get to the inn!" Hestia said as Bell held onto her and Assassin. "I need to make sure everyone is okay!"

"Master! Your orders!" Saber shouted as he and Lancer pressed down on Emma's shoulders to keep her steady while Rider helped Welf and Gina and Archer stuck close to Bell.

"Kuh…" Bell let out a grunt as he glanced around as regular people were screaming and running around. "We need to help them! Rider, Lancer…please take the goddess to the inn! Saber…follow that tornado in front of us and try to help anyone in its path!"

"""Understood!"""

The Servants responded as one before moving. Lancer lifted Hestia up into her arms before she and Rider leaped onto the rooftops, carrying a screaming goddess with them while Saber immediately sped down the street after the black wind.

"And us?" Emma asked as the mortal members plus Fia turned to him.

"Fia, I need you to fly around and lead us to where people need help," Bell said as the harpy nodded.

Fia then turned toward Emma with her "arms" outstretched allowing the human girl to pull her cloak off, removing the glamor and exposing the harpy's red feathers to the world alongside her blue tunic with the Hestia Familia emblem on it.

"And…Berserker!"

Berserker's giant form materialized behind Primo before kneeling down to get closer to eye level with Bell and the others.

"We'll need you in case we need to move aside some of the rubble since Lily's not here," Bell said as Berserker acknowledged his order with a grunt.

Archer then held his hand out, forming the steel "backpack" to allow Primo to ride in. Berserker then picked her up and allowed her to climb as he stood up to his full height.

"Archer, please try to find Lily," Bell said, turning to his first Servant. "She said she was meeting some kids earlier…and you're our best shot at finding her."

"Got it," Archer said as he projected Welf's Great sword, Gina's daggers, and Emma's twin swords for them. "Sorry about this Welf."

"Hey, I ain't going to complain during an emergency," Welf said as they picked up their equipment.

Archer nodded before turning to Assassin.

"Make sure your Mommy doesn't do anything dumb, okay?"

"Okay!" Assassin said, giving Archer a salute before the taller Servant dematerialized to move through the city unmolested.

"Then let's get a move on," Welf said as Fia took to the sky and the rest of Hestia Familia followed after her.

"If the wind is too much, don't push yourself!" Emma called out after Fia.

"This is nothing!" Fia called back, her face mask obscuring her voice from anyone without Hestia's Falna.

X-x-X-x-X

"Hurry! Get the citizens to safety!"

Ganesha stood to the front, directing his Familia as they led a crowd down the street toward the Guild.

"Send out the hellhounds!" Shakti called out. "Search for anyone trapped!"

A group of Ganesha Familia Adventurers rushed toward the rubble, directing over a dozen hellhounds bearing the emblem depicting an elephant that ran back and forth across the street.

One of them stopped by a collapsed building and started digging for a moment before letting out a series of barks before howling.

Its Tamer ran over and carefully lifted a bit of the rubble and met eyes with a bloody elf that was covering the body of an amazon child.

"Shakti!" The Tamer called out. "We found two people!"

"Silverback team!"

A pair of Silverbacks ran forward, spurned on by a pair of Tamers. The hellhound and his Tamer stepped back as the large gorilla monsters grabbed the side of the roof and carefully lifted it up above their heads, allowing the Tamers to rush in and help the pair out.

"Next we need to-" Shakti began before one of her subordinates let out a scream.

"It's coming this way!"

"Scatter! Scatter!"

"The citizens haven't evacuated yet!"

"We can't move all the injured!"

"Nooooo! Help! Someone help!"

Seeing no other choice, Shakti moved forward herself. Taking her spear, she charged the black twister and thrust her weapon toward it…only for it to bounce helplessly off the wind.

"Shakti!" Ganesha shouted as he watched his Level 5 Captain be sent flying. However, she easily landed on her feet without any problems. "Are you all right?"

"This is no ordinary twister," Shakti replied. "It's like striking a wall of iron…one that is actively deflecting my attacks…but!"

With another roar, she struck the twister again, forcing it to change course.

"Like I thought…" the woman muttered. "It moves like it has a mind of its own!"

"Ah!"

Shakti turned when her god let out a sound of surprise and saw several more twisters moving toward their position.

"How…how many twisters are in this city!?"

X-x-X-x-X

"_FIREBOLT!_"

A flash of red lightning streaked through the air and crashed into the twister that was trying to smash its way through a building.

The magic impacted the black wind, but the effect was close to non-existent. However, it did cause it to change direction.

"Uh oh," Bell muttered as the wind charged toward him instead.

"It's going after Bell!" Emma called out.

"What the heck?" Welf shouted. "It's more like a giant monster than a tornado!"

"Everyone stand clear!" Gina called out as she hid behind Berserker.

"_Blast away these hapless rejects!_" Primo's chant finished in a flash of light. "_Lumine Pledias!_"

The beams of light shot forward at the twister…only for all seven beams to bounce off and fly off into the street and buildings around them.

"Are you freaking kidding me!?" Gina shouted. "Even Primo's magic bounces off them!?"

The twister charged toward Berserker and the two girls instead, prompting the minotaur to pick up Gina in his arms and dive out of the way.

"I know this isn't the best time to ask, Welf," Emma said as she turned toward the Smith. "But you wouldn't happen to have a Magic Sword, do you?"

"Even if I did, I'd need one that would probably burn down the entire street to get past that thing," Welf replied.

"Magic bounces off, weapons bounce off," Gina shouted, scratching the sides of her head with her hands. "What the heck are we going to do?"

A low growling voice answered her.

"Me…break shell!"

Berserker placed Gina on the ground as his twin axes appeared in his hand.

Then with a roar (and a scream by Primo) the minotaur charged toward the twister, red lightning arcing around him and smashed his weapons into the black wind.

There was a loud crash, similar to metal scraping on metal as the twister was sent reeling through Berserker's sheer physical might. Black ash-like sand scattered across the street as the wind dissipated upon crashing into a nearby wall.

Bell and the others could only gape in amazement at Berserker's monstrous strength.

"Wait…so all we needed to do was hit it really, really hard?" Fia asked as she swooped down and landed beside Welf and Emma.

"It'd take more than a Level 2 or even a Level 3 to hit it really, really, hard enough to break it…" Welf replied. "Wait…what the hell?"

He then turned toward the collapsed wall where a creature Bell had never seen before in place of the black twister.

"W-w-what is that?" Primo whimpered in fear as she shrank in her carriage.

"A black monster?" Bell muttered.

A black beast as dark as ash. It stood on four legs and was nearly as tall as Welf was. Its red eyes contained only pure rage as it shook its monstrous bestial head.

The beast let out a roar, revealing a set of jagged teeth and launched itself at Berserker who dropped his axes to grab the monster by its twisted horns that wrapped themselves around its head like a wreath. With another monstrous roar, Berserker lifted the creature up by the horns and threw it onto the ground with enough force to shatter the stone street. Then, with his hands still on the monster's horns, he began to twist. The creature, realizing the danger, began snarling and scratching at Berserker's hands before-

KRR-AACKK!

A sickening snap echoed in the street as the black monster fell limp. Immediately after, its body vanished into black sand, leaving nothing behind. Not even a Magic Stone.

"…What was that?" Emma asked, her voice breaking the silence.

"No wait, before that!" Bell said as he pointed toward the building. "Let's check to see if the people inside are-"

Before he could finish, a surge of energy swept across the Familia as Bell felt his nerves light on fire. He immediately turned his head upward, prompting the others to do the same.

There…a second sun was shining above Orario.

X-x-X-x-X

Saber threw himself in front of the twister, smashing it to the side to clear the way.

"Run, hurry!" He said as a mother nodded her head before lifting her child into her arms and running away, allowing Saber to turn his head back toward the monster hiding within the black wind.

For some reason, Saber was reminded of the Black Goliath, the abnormal Monster Rex he and the others fought in the Dungeon several weeks prior. The Monster Rex that had been spawn as a warning from the Dungeon to not take it lightly…or at least, that was what Saber had believed.

But this creature did not feel like a monster from the Dungeon.

The beast leaped at him in fury, only to be cut down in a single strike.

Once the black wind had been stripped away, the creature was nothing special. Certainly not to a Servant, but Saber suspected that a Level 2 could easily take it down. That being said, it was not the Adventurers that needed to fear the monsters, but the regular citizens that did not receive a god's blessing.

They were the only reason Saber could not just go and hunt down each and every twister on his own. Too many people needed help in the aftermath of each one's rampage. To abandon them here was unbecoming of a hero, but if he did not move quickly, the casualties would only continue to grow.

"Mm!?"

Thankfully, the solution to his problem came in the form of a golden light in the sky.

X-x-X-x-X

"Run, hurry!"

Led by Milly, Lai, Fina, Ruu and the other children of Maria's orphanage ran down the alleyways, avoiding the main streets where the black tornadoes were rampaging nearly unchecked. Adventurers were managing to regroup to divert the wind away from civilians but there were only so many that were actually strong enough to do more than slow them down.

"Milly…wait!" Fina said, the chienthrope gasping for breath. "We can't keep up!"

"Milly knows it hurts but Fina and everyone needs to keep running!" The werewolf called back, showing zero signs of exhaustion despite being one of the shortest of the kids. "It's just a little further and-"

There was a loud crash as a black tornado smashed through a building across the street from them, sending its rooftop flying into the air.

"RUN BACK!"

At Milly's order, most of the kids managed to duck back into the alleyway with a scream but…

"Fina! Ruu!"

Lai dived at the chienthrope and half-elf, knocking them to the side as the stones came down at the spot they were at.

"Lai!"

Fina screamed as some rubble struck Lai on the side of the head, knocking the boy out as he collapsed on top of them.

Milly had dived forward, being too far from the alley to retreat, leaving her out in the middle of the street between them and the black tornado. Without turning around, the werewolf reached into her pocket and threw a golden bottle toward them. The bottle hit the ground and rolled to a stop in front of Fina and Ruu without breaking.

"Splash this on his head!" Milly ordered as she ran toward the rooftop that had been tossed aside earlier.

Fina once again watched the tiny werewolf girl pick up something over three times her size and probably a thousand times her weight before she ran back and smashed it against the black twister with a roar of both exertion and fear…and then the rock exploded, sending the tiny girl flying through the air before landing in a heap just a few steps away from them.

"Milly!" Fina called out, letting Ruu treat Lai as she ran over to toward the smaller girl.

Small rocks had dug cut through Milly's clothes and were digging into her skin, leaving blood and bruises all over her.

"R-run…" Milly said, looking up toward Fina.

But Fina shook her head as she grabbed the werewolf by the arms and started pulling her away from the black twister. But even if Milly was half a head shorter than Fina, there wasn't much a normal ten-year-old girl like her could do to drag another person away.

As Fina tried to bring the tiny werewolf girl back, the wind sped toward her.

"Someone…please…"

But there was no one else to help them. They were a bunch of orphans with no family and Mother Maria was all the way back at the church and Big Sis Syr was no doubt trapped somewhere else as well. All the adults were too busy running away themselves to help a bunch of kids.

Everyone that would help them was far away.

"_Even so, let out your voice._"

The voice of a boy who should have lived in a completely different world from them rang out in her mind.

"_If you remain silent, your pleas will never reach anyone. So cry out. Beg to be saved. For your voice lets the world know that you are still alive. That you exist. That you do not wish to disappear just yet._"

It was one of his weird lectures that made him sound older than he looked at times. No doubt as a result of whatever education being a noble gave him. But he said them so seriously that Fina couldn't help but listen to him.

"_To live is to struggle. Those that no longer resist can not be called living. That is why you must continue to do so no matter what. When you find that you can no longer go on on your own, raise your voice and cry out…_"

And so, she cried out for the only one she thought could help them.

"HELP US GIL!"

And so, she cried out. She cried out with all of her heart and soul for a hero to save them.

"There is no reason to shout, child."

And someone answered.

Golden arrows and rays of light smashed into the twister, sending it reeling back.

A golden-haired man stepped in between Fina and Milly.

Fina recognized him. She had never seen him in person, but she saw him through one of those Divine Mirrors the gods and goddesses of Orario created weeks before during the War Game.

The man looked over his shoulder down at them. His eyes swept from the two girls to Lai and Ruu behind them and then to the rest of the kids in the alleyway, poking their heads out before turning his eyes back down toward Milly.

"L-Lord Caster…" Milly squeezed out as she reached an arm out toward him.

The man's eyes widened ever so slightly before his pupils seemed to constrict themselves into slits like that of a snake, causing Fina to shiver…but she wasn't afraid…not of him anyway. He had a scent that was familiar to her.

The scent of a boy that stepped down from a different world just to play with a bunch of kids like them.

"G-Gil-?" She began but the man cut her off.

"Hold your tongue, child," the man said as he held his hand out, causing a stone book to appear in it. "You have never seen this glorious form in person and just as this form has never seen you. Do not make any false assumptions."

"No way…" she muttered as golden discs began to shimmer around the man before firing beams of light toward the black wind, scattering it apart to reveal a monster inside.

But the beams of light did not cease firing. Before the monster could even roar out in pain, it was drowned in a torrent of golden light and ceased to exist in mere seconds.

"Not enough…" the man…no, the King said. "This is not nearly enough to quell this burning rage."

The man raised a hand toward the sky, causing Fina to look up as well. A massive golden disc had formed in the skies far above Orario. It's swirling form caused the clouds above to twist and bend as if they were being dragged into it. She didn't understand what was going on, but she could tell it was some impressive magic that was forming above them.

The King then spread his arms out to the side, causing a flash of light to spark out, forcing Fina to close her eyes in pain for a second before hundreds of streaks of lightning arc'd themselves down into the city, striking in the same locations where the black pillars of wind were rampaging through the city.

In an instant, all traces of the black wind had vanished from the city skyline along with the golden light.

Caster said nothing as he shut the stone book while gazing up into the sky.

A moment later, a man in a red mantle landed beside him.

"So, this is where you were," the man said. "Your light show destroyed all the wind but several of the monsters inside them are still alive."

"Far be it for me to do everything in this wretched city," Caster replied, his frown deepening. "The mongrels running around like headless chickens should be able to take care of them now that their shell is destroyed. If they cannot, then they do not deserve to call themselves Adventurers."

Caster then turned away from the other man and walked toward Fina who flinched slightly as he placed his non-gauntleted hand on her hair.

"You did well to stand tall," he said softly, slightly ruffling Fina's cream colored hair. "It'll be all right now."

"U-uun…" Fina nodded as she felt tears well up in her eyes.

Now that everything seemed to be over, all her emotions came gushing out as Caster let out a sigh and allowed her to cry into his chest.

X-x-X-x-X

"…"

Hestia stood silently with her back against one of the pillars of the hall as she scanned the room.

Due to the commotion of the black wind and monsters earlier today, Grand Day's festivities had all been canceled.

Night had fallen on Orario and an emergency Denatus had been called so that the Gods and Goddesses of Orario could decide the next course of action.

All around her, Hestia could see that everyone had dour looks. Whether it was because the city had been damaged, because the people had been hurt, whether they had lost a member of their Familia or because they simply had their fun ruined…almost every deity in attendance was pissed at something.

More than a few were wondering about the golden light that snuffed out the majority of the monsters, with more than a few wondering if Zeus had returned to screw with them, but Hestia already knew the answer to that.

Overwhelming power hidden underneath a mass of gold? It was obvious who was behind that.

"That light show was Goldy's doing huh?" Loki asked as she walked up beside Hestia with a bottle of wine in her hand.

"I dunno," Hestia replied with a shrug waving Loki off when the latter held up the bottle in offering. "I hadn't seen him all day. Probably though."

"Humph."

Loki simply grunted before downing the wine straight from the bottle.

It wasn't a really good excuse, but it was one that Hestia will stick to.

"Hestia."

Ganesha called out to her as he came up to them as well.

"Oh Ganesha," Hestia greeted the "God of the Masses." "Good work today. I saw a bunch of your Children running around with their Tamed Monsters."

"Yes," Ganesha nodded solemnly without any of his usual antics. "Thanks to them we were able to keep casualties amongst the citizens to a minimum. However, their numbers were cut down by the black twisters and the monsters within them."

That was true.

Several of the Tamers had fought to allow the citizens to take shelter when Hestia opened up her inn for them. She watched more than a few hellhounds and other Tamed Monsters get torn to shreds as they threw themselves between them and the twisters. Most of them without prompting from their Tamers even. More than one of those Tamers simply stared blankly at the bloodied remains of their monster with one even crying as her hellhound's Magic Crystal had been destroyed, leaving nothing behind.

Seeing the close bond created by Ganesha's Adventurers and monsters made Hestia believe in the future for the Xenos.

"If you need Lancer to stop by again, I'll let her know."

"I thank you for the trouble."

Both goddesses watched Ganesha leave before Loki spoke up again.

"So? How did your lot fare?" Loki asked.

"Not so good apparently," Hestia said with a shrug. "Bell said Primo's magic just bounced off of it. Same with all their weapons. It was all we could do to keep them from charging into my inn."

Broca and Dex, her inn guards were good, but they were retired and out of practice against monsters, let alone ones that basically reflected attacks off of it. But once Lancer stripped away their wind, the two of them, Rider, Dia's Adventurers and Ganesha's guards made short work of them.

"Same over here," Loki admitted. "Lefiya's spell got bounced and only my Level 6s could reliably break through those twisters before Goldy nuked most of them."

"…Aren't we in trouble?" Hestia asked.

If it took a Level 6 (or a Servant) at minimum to shatter the wind, doesn't that make these monsters conventionally unbeatable? It was unlikely Caster would keep on fighting with the same amount of force. He said it again and again. He was an observer.

"Nah, it wouldn't be that bad," Loki replied. "Apparently Finn said there's a trick to it. The twister surround themselves with that black sand that you've probably seen everywhere in town. Basically, we need it to hit it a lot or hit it really, really hard until it breaks."

"…So long as the Children's bodies or weapons don't break first," Hestia pointed out to which Loki had no response.

X-x-X-x-X

"Are you okay, Lily?" Bell asked as he and the pallum sat in the living room together.

"Yes," Lily replied with a smile. "It was only a bonk on the head. The Floor Boss was much worse than this."

"Lily is a big girl after all," Assassin chimed in, appearing behind the two of them with a smile.

"Lily keeps on telling Jack! Lily is much older than she looks! Lily is older than Bell you know?"

"Huh!? Really!?" Bell exclaimed in surprise.

Morning had come but the goddess still hadn't returned from the emergency Denatus. The others had gone out to survey the damage, but Rider insisted that Lily remain at home for the time being. Thus, Bell decided to hold down the fort with Lily, Assassin, and the two monster members of the Familia.

"Hey, Fia?" Bell switched gears as Lily calmed down, turning to the harpy sitting on the floor of the living room. "Have you ever seen that monster yesterday in the Dungeon?"

"Never seen it before," Fia replied immediately. "Not that I've really gone that deep to begin with. If something like that came out from the Dungeon, that big tower would have been destroyed, right? Maybe it's something from the surface?"

"…Second…Dungeon?" Berserker suggested, causing both Bell and Lily to pale at the thought.

"No…something like that would have been known for a long long time," Lily assured Bell and herself. "Remember the legends of the Dungeon before the gods descended?"

"Yeah," Bell nodded. "The storyteller Orna compared it to an endless tide spawning from a hole at the edge of the continent. If another Dungeon appeared, then half the world would have known about it. But…"

"But that would mean that the black monster is a monster from the surface, right?" Lily finished for him and Bell nodded.

"Aren't monsters up here super weak though?" Assassin asked, looking confused. "Even Primo can beat them by bonking them on the head."

"Don't say that like she's the weakest one of us…"

"…Isn't she?" Came the usual blunt reply.

"That would be the goddess," Lily reminded her. "Still…Lily is worried. If these monsters came to Orario, doesn't that mean there are even more out there? Orario is safe because of all the Familia and High-Class Adventurers but…"

But the surrounding villages and towns outside of Orario with no major Familia presence must be suffering if they haven't been destroyed already.

"Lily knows that face," Lily said as she looked up at him. "It's fine if Bell wants to help people, but Hestia Familia is too small to do that. And everyone but the Servants are too weak to even hurt them."

And didn't Bell know it.

It was times like this where Bell could only feel frustration bubbling up from the bottom of his gut. There had to be something he could do at his level. But until he knew of a way to neutralize the black wind first, he couldn't do anything to help out.

Bell glanced over at Berserker who was sitting outside, next to the window, with his back on the wall. The monster Servant's strength was completely peerless amongst his Servants, beating out even Saber in terms of raw power even if the latter was more skilled with the blade. Caster's magic had also easily stripped away the black wind. These things weren't something Bell could imitate as he was now.

He had to get stronger. The goal he wished to reach seemed further away than ever before. It was starting to feel like he never even made it past the starting line.

"_No one ever said that the path of a hero was an easy one. It's a long arduous journey that you spend your whole life undertaking._"

"Wasn't that the truth…" Bell muttered in response to the voice in his head that didn't seem to be going away any time soon.

"Bell?" Lily spoke up but couldn't say anything else as Eina's voice suddenly echoed in the distance.

"_Emergency! This is an Emergency Broadcast! Calling all Familias in Orario!_"

"Another Guild broadcast?" Bell muttered as Assassin and Fia plopped themselves down on the couch beside him.

"Please put any work you are doing on hold and listen. The Guild is hereby issuing a compulsory mission to all Exploration type Familias!"

"Do we count in that?" Fia asked Lily.

"Hestia Familia is technically a hybrid Business/Exploration Familia ever since Lady Hestia opened up her inn," Lily explained. "Therefore, we should listen to it in any case."

"_This is an Eradication type Quest! The target will be the Black Twisters and their source, the Black Clouds, spreading not just in Orario, but the entire world!_"

"We already know where they come from?" Bell asked in amazement.

"As expected of the Guild," Lily muttered. "They must have sent runners out immediately yesterday and noticed these Black Clouds…wait…if we're going to be destroying them then…is Orario planning on sending all these Familias outside?"

"_These are the words of our Creator, the great God Ouranos: 'The time has come. Adventurers, save the world once more! As the great gods Zeus and Hera had done once before!_"

A soft gasp escaped Bell's throat as he placed a hand over his thumping heart while Eina's words continued undaunted.

"_We will aspire to the prosperous past and set forth to a new future! I repeat, The Guild…Orario is issuing a compulsory mission to the entirety of the world!_"

X-x-X-x-X

"What an affair this has turned out to be," Caster sighed as Hestia and Bell sat in front of him across his office desk. "To be part of the armies of the gods to save the world. You must be tickled pink, mongrel."

Bell was trying his hardest not to smile like an idiot due to the seriousness of the situation.

"And?" Caster asked, turning to Hestia. "What is the goddess's decision on this affair? As a Business Type Familia as well, you can opt the Familia out of this Quest after all."

"There is no choice," Hestia replied with a smile. "You're going as well, right?"

"This monster has interrupted my merrymaking," Caster replied in a quiet voice yet the sheer weight behind them was enough for Bell to want to lean back and away from the pressure. "And…I am in need of an…outlet."

"So…it probably isn't the best time to ask what was in that letter?" Hestia asked only to wither away from the glare.

"What have the gods learned of our enemy?" Caster asked, ignoring Hestia's question.

"Uh, right," Hestia said as she placed a map in front of Caster with Bell leaning forward for a look as well.

"Basically, there are three main targets," Hestia said as she looked around for a moment before Caster deposited some pieces on the map and she nodded in thanks. The goddess then picked up two black cylinders and placed one on the northeastern corner of the map between two mountain ranges and the second on the southwestern corner of the map between a forest and another mountain range. "To keep things short, aside from the black cloud on the southeastern end of the land, there are two massive Black Twisters, probably carrying some huge versions of those monsters from yesterday. I hear Loki and Ganesha's kids are going to be taking charge and we, as in all the Familias, will be splitting into two teams with those two in charge. Is that all right?"

Hestia asked the question as an afterthought as if worried that Caster would not approve to follow someone else's orders.

"I have no objections to Deimne's plan," Caster said simply, and Hestia nodded before continuing.

"You guys are going to be a part of Team Loki I think," Hestia said, tracing the route south of Orario to the south western tornado. "The plan is to take out every twister you see. Once you take care of that, you'll head east to meet up with Team Ganesha at the village of Dedain where Hermes's Captain spotted the black clouds."

"The village…" Bell began, and Hestia put on a grimace.

"If that's the place where it began…I can't imagine there's anything left of it," Hestia solemnly replied. "You saw how much damage was done here, right?"

Bell didn't answer as he lowered his head.

"Then the overall objective is the complete annihilation of every single Black Twister before reconvening at Dedain," Caster summarized with a nod. "I can see Hestia Familia being assigned as either a supply line or a flying column depending on the situation. It will depend on what Deimne requires."

"Would the two people you hired to guard the inn be joining us?" Bell asked Hestia.

"No, I don't think they will," Hestia replied. "Brock's prosthetic leg won't let him travel far distances and Dex's mentally exhausted himself from fighting monsters again."

Brock being the cat person and Dex being the dwarf if Bell recalled correctly.

"Trauma from fighting monsters, is it?" Caster muttered. "An all too common ailment to those that have survived the Dungeon and its horrors."

"Yeah," Hestia replied without going into detail.

Bell wondered if the dwarf had an incident similar to Naza or if he had lost members of his Familia that caused him to retire from the Adventurer life.

"Then we shall adjourn for the night," Caster said. "Rest well, boy. You will need every ounce of your strength to save the world."

"Yes!" Bell replied as Hestia placed a hand on Bell's arm.

"You be careful out there, okay?" She said. "I know it's useless to say it but I'm gonna away. Don't do anything stupid, all right? No heroics! I want you home in one piece, understood?"

"Of course!" Bell replied.

This was his home after all. If nothing else, he will always return to where his goddess resides.

X-x-X-x-X

The next morning, Bell and the rest of the Familia gathered outside the gates of Orario where hundreds, if not thousands, of Adventurers were already gathering.

"Wow…" Emma couldn't help but let out a gasp at the sight. "All of these people are Adventurers? I mean…I always knew Orario had a lot but…"

"It's one thing to see for yourself, huh?" Welf asked and Emma nodded.

People from almost every single Familia were gathered and milling about.

"I have heard that Ishtar Familia will be staying behind to guard Orario," Saber said to Caster who turned his eyes toward the other man in response. "The majority of Freya Familia will also remain. It appears that only Ottarl is being sent out to assist the second team."

"That sounds like a disaster waiting to happen," Archer pointed out to which Saber simply nodded his head in agreement. "Leaving two enemy Familia behind to guard Orario."

"I believe it would have been a bigger disaster if they were to come along," Rider chimed in, also looking at Caster from behind.

"Humph."

Beside them, Lily and Primo were loading a large pack onto Berserker, letting him carry the majority of the Familia's supplies while the rest was split amongst Lily, Primo and Emma.

"Everything okay?" Primo asked, ignoring the worried looks that Adventurers of other Familia were giving the three-meter-tall minotaur. "It's not too bulky?"

Berserker simply shook his head as he lifted the giant pack up.

"Guys, Braver's starting to speak!" Gina called out, bringing everyone's attention to the pallum at the very front of the crowd of Adventurers.

Bell couldn't help but admire Finn as he addressed the army of Adventurers. He certainly wouldn't have been able to talk to this many people without flubbing every second or third word, but the Loki Familia Captain was speaking loudly and clearly for everyone to hear as he went over the same battle plan Hestia talked about the previous night.

Even Bell and the others, even if they were at the very back of the crowd.

"It's probably a Skill of some sort," Lily surmised. "One that lets Master Finn's voice be heard by everyone in his 'army.'"

"As expected of Orario's biggest force, huh?" Welf muttered.

"…It isn't an exaggeration to say that the fate of the world lies in our hands!" Finn moved on from the battle plans. "We Adventurers of Orario, the center of the world, are the only ones that can do this!

"I'm sure some of you don't want to be here. Many of you are afraid, apprehensive, and no doubt confused…"

Out of the corner of his eye, Bell saw Lily and Primo fidget slightly.

"But I will say this to you: Rise up to the challenge!" Finn's voice roared across the field. "Rise up to the beginning of a new Heroic Myth! With the world as our witness! Rise up to become its savior! The God Ouranos speaks the truth! We shall follow the steps of Zeus and Hera and write a new legend! A new history! Take these words to heart! Do not falter! Right now, at this very moment, is our new Grand Day!"

"So that's the Braver…" Lily muttered, eyes shining in awe as the army of Adventurers around them roared with burning passion. "He lit a fire in everyone's bellies."

"A true hero of the current era," Saber said with a nod.

"That one wishes to be a beacon of hope to his people," Caster said. "If he did not know how to speak then he would never have gotten as far as he did."

"Even so, he's right," Bell said. "We need to do our part as well."

"You need not remind me," Caster said as he turned to address the others in the Familia while the rest of the crowd began to move. "Our force shall act as support to Loki Familia! Saber, Archer and Lancer shall take the vanguard. Cranel, Rider, Berserker and I shall form the center. The rest of you will support us from the rear! Harpy…are you prepared?"

"Got it!" The harpy replied, folding her wing into a salute.

Caster had already gone to Finn to field the idea of using Fia as a flying scout.

Strapped to Fia's legs were various bracelets with multi-colored gems on them. Five in total. Each time she tapped her leg against one, it would drop a simple light, not unlike a flare. Four colors (red, blue, yellow and green) for the four cardinal directions and a fifth one (black) to be used to signal numbers.

"Then get going."

With that urging, the harpy took to the skies and already surpassed the head of the army where Loki Familia positioned themselves.

"Well then, I shall leave the honor to you, boy," Caster said simply as Bell nodded.

"Right," Bell said as he pointed toward the front. "Hestia Familia! Move out!"

X-x-X-x-X

"Signal spotted!" a lookout announced. "Three lights: yellow-yellow-blue! Three black!"

Three black twisters to the south-south east.

Sure enough, within moments, they could see the targets in the distance with one of them moving away from the other two.

As Finn directed Gareth to take the closest one with a mage squad to support him, his eyes were on the red-feathered monster in the sky.

Finn had been surprised by Caster's offer, though he had phrased it more like a demand, for Hestia Familia's Tamed Monster to do the recon but it was doing its job perfectly. The signals were accurate and allowed them to organize task forces to head them off immediately.

Not only could the harpy move faster in the air than most Adventurers on the ground (and faster than most harpies Finn had seen in the Dungeon for that matter), it was intelligent enough to recognize the cardinal directions and use magic items to report its findings.

Not only that, but during the War Game it was strong enough to lift and carry Bell Cranel from one castle to the other and came to Gina Gwen's rescue without any prompting from the other Hestia Familia Adventurers, risking its own safety and even taking on an injury to insure that the amazoness was safely in the hands of another Familia before it crashed into the grass.

Quite frankly, it scared him that a mere monster could be so intelligent. Was it a result of Hestia Familia's strict training or something else?

Speaking of Hestia Familia…

Finn chanced a glance toward the right flank once he was sure nothing would go wrong.

There seemed to be a rather tense air hovering around the mysterious Familia. Every so often one of their members would glance over toward Gina Gwen while the girl was steadfastly keeping her gaze forward. Marching next to them was Hermes Familia, with the God Hermes inviting himself along for the ride. Whenever that chienthrope girl that Ais and Lefiya knew or Hermes's Captain Asfi drew close to Hestia Familia, Gina would quicken her pace to avoid them.

The Guild did say that Gina did a Conversion from Hermes to Hestia Familia after Ais, Lefiya and Bete returned from the Twenty-Fourth Floor. Or more specifically, after Hestia Familia made a name for themselves defeating the Goliath.

You didn't have to be a genius to put two-and-two together the girl's reason for Converting.

X-x-X-x-X

"…"

Bell couldn't help but feel the weight of the atmosphere on his shoulders.

Gina was trying her absolute hardest to avoid her old Familia and everyone else didn't know what to say about it. The dark-haired chienthrope girl, the pallum and Asfi kept on trying to get her to open up but Gina refuted them at every turn, eventually hopping onto Berserker's shoulder to avoid them

Berserker, for his part, seemed to understand what was going on so he growled menacingly whenever someone from Hermes Familia got too close.

What he wouldn't give for someone to be able to break this dreary atmosphere.

"Oh, there they are! Hey, Archer!"

"Oh, thank the gods above…" Welf muttered as they turned to see Tiona from Loki Familia walk over toward them with Ais in tow.

"So you guys were here too," Tiona said as she walked alongside them.

"Guess so," Archer replied. "Shouldn't you be up there with the rest of your Familia?"

"Gareth's got it handled," Tiona said just as a wave of magic smashed into the black twister in front of the dwarf, allowing him to smash through the mysterious black monster within. "What about you guys? Did you get caught up in the commotion?"

"A bit. We were in the middle of town when it happened, and we split up to deal with it."

"Did you see what was inside the black wind?" Ais asked, turning away from staring at Berserker.

"Yeah…" Bell replied. "Some sort of black monster we've never seen before."

"Don't you think they were weird?" Ais asked and Bell couldn't help but note that she was turning to the Servants when she asked her question.

"It is a creature that returned due to an act of god on the anniversary of Grand Day," Caster replied simply. "Is there anything else to say about the origins of that creature?"

"You make things sound so simple, don't you?" Rider asked.

"The entirety of Orario has been mobilized to slay the beast. Any further inclination toward it is merely academic at best and above all else, I already know everything I need to slay it."

"Then you won't mind sharing that information with the rest of us?"

"I already have."

Rider blinked and turned toward Lancer who simply shook her head in confusion as well.

"Well…I suppose we should just be happy that you're even coming along, shouldn't we?" Rider muttered with a sigh.

"The beast has struck at what is mine," Caster answered. "I am not so merciful as to let that go unanswered."

At this, Bell noticed Archer glancing over at Lily who was fidgeting back and forth.

However, Caster refused to clarify as he quickened his pace to the front of the group.

"Do you get what he's saying, Archer?" Tiona asked to which the bowman simply shook his head.

"That man sees things us puny mortals can't hope to understand," Archer replied. "He'll place himself above the gods if you let him."

"Is that so? You've got it rough."

As Tiona chatted with Archer, Bell noticed another pair coming up to them.

"Yo, Hestia Familia, right?" The head of the group, an orange-haired human woman that looked rather familiar…ah!

"Yes," Bell replied as he turned toward the woman. "You're Dia Familia?"

"That's right," the woman replied with a chuckle. "The name's Orianna. Nice to meet you, Bell Cranel."

Bell wasn't too surprised that the Dia Familia knew his name as he shook the woman's hand. At her side was a girl wearing a purple tunic with a rapier by her side. She seemed to be a little bit taller than Bell and had an air around her that was kind of similar to Caster in a way. Maybe she was some noble from some country somewhere before joining the Dia Familia.

"Seeing as our goddesses are friends, I had been hoping to have a chat with you for a bit, Vice Captain to Vice Captain but…" Orianna continued with a sad smile. "Too bad this all happened before I got the chance though."

"Yeah," Bell agreed. "I would have liked to swap stories about our goddesses as well. Well, nothing says that we can't do that once this is all over though."

"Indeed, indeed," Orianna replied, still keeping a smile on her face. "Quite frankly, I think it's a bit overkill to send all the Familias out to deal with this crisis. Don't get me wrong, I understand that it's insanely destructive but from the looks of things, Loki Familia seems to have gotten it handled, doesn't it?"

Bell couldn't help but agree. Loki Familia, under the command of Braver, were systematically wiping out every twister that they spotted, leaving the rest of the army nothing to do but handle strays.

"Well, I suppose things will change once we get to the supposedly huge twister," Orianna decided, glancing off into the distance before turning back to Bell. "Anyway, I didn't come over here just to chat. Are you familiar with our Familia's method of operation?"

"Umm…the goddess said that you both teach Adventurers before coming to Orario while also collecting Adventurers who wish to go to Orario in the first place and then help them find Familias within Orario to join?" Bell answered, trying to summarize what he had heard from Hestia.

"Correct," Orianna replied as she placed a hand on the shoulder of the girl beside her. Which made walking for them a bit awkward until she brushed her hand off in annoyance. "And Karen here wants to join Hestia Familia."

At that revelation, the others turned to glance over at the girl as well. However, Karen did not flinch, nor did she wither under the gaze of Bell and the rest of Hestia Familia. Instead, she kept her eyes on Bell, waiting for his answer.

"Umm…as Vice Captain, I don't have any say in whether or not we get new Familia members," Bell replied. "That lies solely with our Goddess."

"Of course. But I was hoping that before then you'd let her tag along with you for a bit. To see if she clicks with your Familia and vice versa."

Bell glanced over toward Caster, but the king didn't seem to be paying attention to them one way or another, telling Bell that it would be his decision. In another life, Bell would have happily welcomed her into the Familia without a second thought but considering all the secrets surrounding their little Familia…he had to be more careful about it.

"Well, I don't have any objections to it," Bell said as he glanced in Karen's direction. "Umm, how long have you been an Adventurer?"

"Close to a year," Karen replied.

Her voice was rather soft, similar to Ais in a way. In fact, her dignified demeanor reminded Bell of Ais in a way, but only superficially. He didn't know the Sword Princess well enough to make a more detailed judgement.

"I use a sword in battle and have had prior training before becoming an Adventurer," Karen continued, moving onto her speciality. "I specialize taking down foes in one-on-one, but I recognize that that isn't possible at times."

"Basically, you can consider her a frontline duelist," Orianna cut in, trying to sell Karen a bit more. "She can single out stronger opponents and keep them busy, or even beat them if she's lucky, until you can regroup. She doesn't do well against large numbers of weaker enemies though."

Weaker or not, few people do well when surrounded by a bunch of enemies to begin with.

Since she was still Level 1, she could easily fit into Team B. Gina focused more on utilizing her speed and taking down careless foes from the flanks. Emma shared a similar role but thanks to her Skill, she was more capable of striking down stronger foes in a single hit rather than just lock them down. Something Hestia referred to as an "Alpha Strike." And Primo was the mage so another person to cover for her is already a plus.

"Well, if you're really interested in coming along for a bit…" Bell began, glancing over at Caster who merely tilted his head to the side to say that he didn't care one way or the other. "Then I don't have any objections."

"Yes, thank you very much," came the reply even as there were no changes to her expression.

"…She reminds me of you, Ais," Tiona made the comment Bell was thinking.

""…?""

However, both Ais and Karen could only tilt their heads in confusion.

X-x-X-x-X

The army of Adventurers continued marching for another few hours before a small incident occurred.

Fia stopped flying for a moment, turning her head up toward the sky at the sun to feel its warmth. She didn't really understand how to tell time yet, but she knew that when the sun was straight above the world in the sky, it was time to eat…or at least that's usually when Rider came out to give her and Berserker food.

However, when she turned to look back at all the marching Adventurers, all of them were still marching with no signs of stopping or tiring. According to the goddess, Adventurers could run for hours without growing tired and the stronger ones could probably constantly fight for longer still. It surprised her that they could get so strong without eating Magic Stones like Fia and her fellow Xenos.

"I know these things are dangerous, but can't we at least stop for food?" She grumbled even though there was no one to hear her.

On the bright side, she did feel like she was being useful and not just some deadweight that did nothing but laze around and eat all day. Not that she didn't mind it of course. It was just that she still felt guilty knowing that she was relaxing and living the easy life while all of her other companions were still in the Dungeon.

That being said, she wasn't that strong compared to the others. She had been one of the newest "born" and one of the ones to stupidly get caught too…

"Ranieh…Foh…"

She mentioned names of her friends…friends that she would never see again. Friends that hadn't been as lucky as she was.

…She wanted to go back. Back to where the others were…back down into "Mother."

"…I'll ask the goddess to find a way to talk to Fels again," Fia decided. "Set up a meeting point and then I'll take everyone to meet the others."

There was the risk that the people who caught her would be keeping an eye on them in hopes of using Fia to find the other Xenos, but she believed that Berserker and the other Spirits would be strong enough to spot them and take them down. She did hope that the Lady Goddess would be safe back at home without them though.

"Ah…another one."

She sighted another big tornado in the distance. It was moving toward the army, and by extension Fia, at a rather fast speed.

"Let's see…the sun goes up from that direction so…"

Using the sun's position for alignment, she then tapped her legs together, activating the Magic Items on her legs. The Magic Items shot out colored lights, signaling the army about the wind's movements and sure enough, she saw a large group break off to handle it.

However, when she turned back to the black twister, she noted something was off about it.

"…Isn't that thing…a bit big?" She wondered to herself.

Feeling a bit worried, she flew toward it, stopping when she felt the wind shift and she realized that the thing was big. If the regular twisters were as big as a bench, the one in front of her was as big as the Hearth's Chime inn. Calling it "a bit big" was a huge understatement.

Then, a sickening sound reached Fia's ears. It sounded like flesh was being contracted and stretched followed by the sound of bones snapping. And then, the twister split in two…and then again…and again…

And they were all heading right toward her.

"…Uh oh."

Yet another understatement.

X-x-X-x-X

"What's going on?" Finn wondered.

The harpy had sent out a flare signaling that another black twister had appeared to the east just a moment ago but now she was dropping black flares like crazy.

No sooner did he say that did Bete come rushing back from the advance team.

"Oi Finn!" The werewolf shouted, sounding extremely agitated. "Those fucking things are splitting and making more of themselves!"

"Splitting?" Riveria repeated.

"Like big ones are splitting up into smaller ones and rushing us! Don't ask me how!"

"…"

Weren't there creatures inside those twisters? How exactly were they splitting up?

"Captain! The harpy!"

Anakitty's shout drew Finn's attention and he saw that the harpy, and its flares, had been surrounded and swallowed up by the twisters.

They weren't the only ones to notice either.

A burst of blue flame erupted from the side of the army and Finn spotted Hestia Familia's Lancer zip across the plain to reach the harpy, followed closely by their minotaur shrouded in red lightning…with two unfortunate little girls, the elf and the amazon, screaming as they were clinging onto its back.

"…That ain't no normal minotaur either…" Bete muttered as the fire and lightning overtook the advance team and smashed into the twisters, scattering half of them on impact. "They didn't give a freaking monster a Magic Sword, did they?"

"They already trust the harpy with Magic Items," Finn reminded him. Granted it didn't do more than send out signal flares but even something like that was valuable. "In any case, go back them up. Although I don't think it's necessary."

"…So, the day's come where I gotta go save a fucking monster, huh?"

Bete grumbled and spouted profanities under his breath, as he won't do, but he nevertheless obeyed Finn's command and sped back toward the twisters.

Being the fastest member of the Familia, one of the few things Bete could properly claim to be even better than Ais at, it didn't take all that long to reach the battle. When he got there, the little elf and amazoness kids were scurrying away with the harpy between them. The minotaur and Lancer woman were clashing with the black twisters, their weapons scattering the winds and knocking them back like it was nothing.

"Vanagrand, wait!" The amazoness called out to him.

"What?" He shouted as they changed direction to head toward him.

"You can't go there without this!"

The girl tossed him a small rock or some kind. On it was a set of strange symbols that he felt like he saw on one of Loki's books in her office once upon of time. They were glowing a faint red color and seemed to have been inscribed onto the stone with flame.

"The hell is this?" He began only for a faint light to start glowing around his body.

"It's an impromptu Magic Item that protects against poison!" The girl replied. On closer look, the elf, woman and minotaur were also glowing slightly as well. Only the amazoness wasn't as she had just given him her stone. "Those twisters are scattering some kind of poison!"

Come to think of it, the harpy didn't look like it had any external wounds but its face was an awful color and covered in sweat not unlike how the other members of Loki Familia and Hephaistos Familia did when they got caught by other poisonous monsters on the way back from the Expedition a while back.

"…Ain't it dangerous for you to go without it then?" Bete asked.

"I should be fine at this distance but if you're going to be fighting, it's better for you to have it, right?"

Bete had the Development Abnormal Resistance at G so it should protect him against poisons anyway but considering how utterly bullshit the black twisters were, he wasn't going to say no to extra protection.

"Don't complain if you croak then."

The girl stuck her tongue out at him in response, not unlike a certain other amazon in his Familia. As Bete was about to head toward the fight, he did a double-take back toward the harpy. He hadn't been really paying attention, but he realized that the face mask the thing always wore was off, probably to let it breathe better. He didn't really think much of it before. He figured that Archer's Familia just covered its face because all harpies looked like wrinkly old crones that had more folds on their faces than than one could count…except that one didn't.

Its face was as smooth as the brats carrying it making it look way younger than the harpies down in the Dungeon. It also didn't stink to high heaven like the harpies he knew either though that might be because they probably actually bathed the damn thing once in a while. If it weren't for the fact that it had wings for arms and sharp talons for feet, he might have wondered if it really was a harpy wearing human clothes.

"Umm…is something wrong?" The elf asked.

"Nothing," Bete snapped, causing her to flinch. "Get going before you get in our way."

"Yeah, yeah…let's go, Primo!"

"R-right!"

As the two brats scampered off, carrying the harpy between them, Bete rushed forward toward the fight.

As he drew close, the minotaur seemed to notice him as it spun around, arms wrapped around one of the black monsters' neck and placed it right in Bete's path. Without questioning it, Bete jumped and slammed his feet straight into the black monster's face. The minotaur released its grip just as he made contact, allowing the monster to be sent flying off into the distance, crumbling to ash as it hit the ground.

Now that he was in the thick of things, he could see some sort of black miasma floating in the air. Definitely some kind of poison then. The faint light around him was slowly fading as the poison made contact with him. Looks like it really was just some half-assed thing that was thrown up at the last second to get the harpy out.

On the other side, Lancer was striking the black twisters with her large spear wreathed in blue fire. It reminded Bete of Ais's wind in a way. If that was the case…

"Oi! Toss some of that fire my way!" Bete shouted.

"Raging Flames…"

She glanced his way for a moment before drawing some burning characters in the air, creating a Magic Circle which she then sent toward Bete's Flosvirt boots. Thanks to being made out of mithril, the boots could channel the magic easily. Bete had done so several times using Magic Swords or borrowing Ais's wind and the flames from Lancer were no different.

Not only that, his body felt lighter and stronger as well.

A single flaming kick was all that was needed to scatter the black wind and reveal the monster inside.

One part of him was glad this was easy.

Another part wondered if she was the same as Archer with this strange magic of hers…

"_Spirits, huh?_" Bete thought to himself, remembering what he overheard Lefiya talk to the Loki Familia executives about. Then there was the fire and wind… "_That mean Ais too?_"

As the three of them whittled down the black twisters, both Lancer and the minotaur suddenly glanced back at the army, prompting Bete to look back too.

"How the hell?"

Several more of the black twisters had appeared right in the middle of the army, scattering its black haze across them.

"Enough screwing around!" Bete shouted. "Let's kill these things and head back!"

"Yes," Lancer agreed while the minotaur let out a massive roar and smashed itself against the black twister.

X-x-X-x-X

"Well…that could have gone better," Bell muttered as he looked around.

The monsters had sprouted up right from the ground, having actually tunneled underground and waited for the army of Adventurers to cross by them. The black wind erupted from the earth, scattering stone, dirt and Adventurers. Not only that, they spread out some kind of poisonous mist at the same time.

However, thanks to the quick action of Braver, the casualties were limited but several Adventurers needed more healing than just potions and antidotes. Bell could only count his blessings in that since Hestia Familia was at the outskirts of the army, they didn't take any damage from the ambush.

Fia still needed to be treated however…

"…We'll have to split the army," Finn was saying to the gathered Captains and other executives of the various Familia in the army. "Those Familia who are still fight capable will continue onto the large black twister while the rest remain behind to treat the wounded."

"Where would we go to treat them?" Orianna asked. "It's not like there are any villages or towns nearby."

"Umm…that's not entirely true."

Bell, Caster and the other high-ranking Adventurers turned to see Primo walking up to them, looking rather nervous at addressing so many executives at once.

"What do you mean?" Riveria asked.

"There's…there's a village in one of the forests nearby," Primo explained, taking a deep breath.

"Village?" Finn repeated as he spread out a map on a large boulder. "There isn't one marked on the map."

"It wouldn't be on any maps…" Primo replied as Caster placed a hand on her shoulder and steered her to the front. "It's right here…an elven village…"

"A hidden Elf Village all the way out here…" Riveria muttered. "Am I correct in saying that it is the one you are from, little one?"

"Y-yes!" Primo said, snapping to attention before her body slackened slightly. "We uh…they don't really take in non-elf visitors but I'm sure I can convince the elder to make an exception just this once! The forest also has a lot of medicinal herbs if we need them!"

"Then, can I ask Hestia Familia to take care of the wounded, Caster?" Finn asked.

"We cannot allow the wounded to delay the army," Caster said with a nod. "As Libera is the only one who knows the location of the village, we will take responsibility."

"My thanks," Finn replied with his own nod. "Then…I'll give you some Supporters from Loki Familia to assist you. Dia Familia should go as well…and then…"

"I volunteer my Familia to help out as well," Hermes said, slipping into the group between his Captain and Vice Captain, causing Asfi to stare at her god in disbelief.

Finn glanced at Caster to ask for his response to which Caster simply jerked his head to the side without care. Bell wanted to object for Gina's sake, but he couldn't get the words out.

"If there are no objections then that's settled!" Hermes said with a clap of his hands.

"I suppose there's no point in arguing then," Finn said with a wry smile before turning to an Adventurer behind him. "Raul, you'll take care of the second group."

"Got it!"

Raul Nord, dubbed "High Novice" by the Gods, was a Level 4 Loki Familia Adventurer that Bell remembered seeing down on the Eighteenth Floor of the Dungeon before fighting the Black Goliath. He seemed to know what he was doing as he and Finn started splitting their Familia in order to help cart the wounded over to the hidden village.

"By the way," Riveria began as she turned toward Caster. "Bete said that your Lancer was able to make something to help protect against the poison. Is it possible for her to distribute some before you leave?"

"Without the proper materials they would only last for a short while," Caster replied. "Not nearly long enough for you to reach the massive black twister in the first place. And as she is our Familia healer, I cannot have her split from the Familia at this time."

Bell glanced back to where the rest of the Familia were and saw Lancer still combing over Fia. The poor harpy was split between groaning and gagging to try and expel the toxins from her body.

"I understand," Riveria replied before turning to Primo and lowering herself down to eye level with the girl. "Thank you for telling us this. Your decision has helped a lot of people today."

"I-it's no problem!" Primo said before turning her face away from Riveria shyly as the High Elf simply chuckled.

About half an hour later, the army was on the move again, with the main force continuing onto the objective while Bell's group moved toward the forest region. It was rather slow going as people were being carried in makeshift stretchers or just being helped along by their fellow Familia members.

"Are you okay, Primo?" Assassin asked as the elf looked rather downcast as they made their way through the forest. "This is your home, right? Do you not like it?

"Not really…" Primo admitted. "I didn't exactly tell anyone that I was leaving to be an Adventurer."

"Heh? Really?" Gina asked in surprise. "You're a runaway?"

"Uuu…"

"Don't worry, Primo," Emma said with a smile. "We'll back you up should you get into trouble!"

"That's right," Lefiya added. "You've become a proper Adventurer after all."

Lefiya was part of the group from Loki Familia to come with them to the elven village along with several other elves of Loki Familia.

"Something tells me there's more to it then just running away from home," Welf whispered to Bell.

"Yeah, but I have a bad feeling that we might not like the answer if we ask," Bell replied with a nod.

"It would take someone without an ounce of tact to ask that question," Archer joined in.

The three of them then turned to the left where Caster was walking.

"What?" He demanded to which they quickly looked away.

Eventually, they managed to find it.

The village gave off a rather serene atmosphere. The houses were built into the trees with a small river flowing through the middle of the village. Colorful flowers and herbs filled the gardens of each house as several elves poked their heads out to watch the new arrivals with caution.

It was everything Bell expected an Elf Village to be like.

"Primo?" An older elf man shouted as he rushed forward to meet them. "Primo Libera? Is that you, child?"

"Yes, Elder," Primo replied, not meeting the man in the eyes. "I'm home…"

"And you brought quite the number of guests…"

The Elder didn't seem angry at the sheer amount of non-elf Adventurers that dropped in on his doorstep. He seemed more bemused than anything else.

"Umm…did you happen to hear about the black twisters?" Primo asked. "Orario's Adventurers set off to combat them and we were hoping to let our injured rest here."

"'We' and 'our,' huh?" The Elder mumbled as he eyed Berserker warily before sighing and nodding his head. "I understand. Rumors of the black winds have reached us as well. Circumstances being as they are, I'll allow it…although I am unsure if we have enough beds for everyone, I'll get everyone to offer anything they can."

"T-thank you very much, Elder!" Primo said with a bow. "And…I'm sorry for leaving without saying anything."

"No, if we are to survive the black twisters, we will certainly need the assistance of you Adventurers. And while I certainly wasn't happy to find out you had gone; I suppose it was only natural for you to do so in hindsight. Just be sure to give your greetings to your mother while you are here."

"Yes…"

"Then…who should I discuss the details for the lodgings with? In the meantime, feel free to use the space by the river."

Caster and Raul stepped forward and followed the elder into his house while the other Adventurers settled near the river as directed.

"Hey hey, Primo!" Assassin said as she popped up next to the elf. "Show us your house!"

"Yeah! What's it like?" Gina asked as she popped up on the elf's other side.

"Uhh…sure…if anyone else wants to come, I don't mind…" Primo said as she plucked a flower from a nearby bush and started walking with the other two following suit.

The three girls walked further into the village with Bell, Emma and Lefiya following behind them. Welf opted to stay behind to maintain their equipment with Saber. Lancer and Berserker also stayed behind to look after Fia while Archer and Rider started setting up camp.

"Does Primo seem off to either of you?" Emma asked, turning to Lefiya and Bell.

"Yes…the Elder seemed rather reasonable," Lefiya replied. "Maybe it's her mother she didn't want to meet?"

Bell didn't say anything as a cold feeling started creeping up his back. Something about Primo's behavior felt rather familiar.

"What is it?" He wondered as the icy grasp tightened around his heart. "What is this bad feeling?"

The six of them came to one of the buildings deeper in the village, although it looked nearly identical to the rest of the houses.

Primo ran her finger along the handrail up to the front door and held it up to her face. She rubbed her fingers together for a moment before walking to a flowerpot filled with dirt sitting beside the door and dug her fingers into it, fishing out a small key.

As she inserted the key into the door, a familiar face flashed in Bell's eyes.

A smiling old man with gray hair and beard.

Bell suddenly became very aware of the reason Primo probably left her village.

"Come on in…" Primo said as she stepped inside.

"Sorry for intruding!" Gina called out as she and Assassin jumped on in.

However, no one called back out to them. The air in the house seemed rather still, as if no one had lived in it for a long, long time.

As the others looked around in confusion, Bell watched Primo walk up to a small urn in the corner of the living room and place the flower beside it.

Bell understood.

She had left the village for the same reason Bell himself had.

**Because there was nothing left for her at home.**

Emma and Lefiya stared at Primo for a moment before Emma quickly crossed the room and pulled Primo into a hug, which the elf girl accepted without complaint. Gina seemed to understand what was going on as well, but Assassin had her head tilted to the side in confusion.

"So…there's really nothing here," Primo said. "I'm surprised no one else moved in, actually. Someone's even been keeping the place clean."

"Primo…" Emma muttered, still keeping her arms around the younger girl.

"This village used to just be a treatment facility for the sick, but as more and more people kept coming here, they ended up staying for good and ended up founding the village. Since then, other elves started coming here once they heard rumors about this place. Mom was one of them. Mom used to be in a Familia, but they got wiped out aside from her…and the unborn me I suppose."

"Y-you don't have to say anything," Lefiya said quickly. "We understand."

But Primo kept on talking. Bell wondered if she just wanted to get it off of her chest or that she felt like she had to say something.

"Since she was apparently an Adventurer before, her job in the village was to go out and keep the forest clear of monsters. She worked really hard and was really good at it you know. Everyone was counting on her and she worked hard to make sure to keep everyone safe. Not only that, she did all the chores like shopping, cooking and cleaning in the house as well. I didn't have to do anything."

As she said that, Primo's fist curled up into little balls.

"Whenever I asked to help, she always said 'Don't worry Primo. Just go out and have fun with the other kids.' Even though she worked from the moment she got up to the moment I went to bed, she didn't let me help out with anything. 'It's an adults' job,' she said. And then she went out into the forest a few months ago and then never came back."

An uneasy silence loomed over them before Assassin broke it.

"…Do you hate your mommy?" She asked.

"Of course not!" Primo shouted, biting her quivering lip. "She's my mom! I can't hate her! I just…I just wanted to help her…what's the point of being family if I can't?"

"…So that's what you meant back at Melen…" Gina muttered quietly as she grabbed Assassin and joined Emma in hugging Primo.

Lefiya turned to Bell questioningly but Bell just shook his head.

He couldn't recall anything that stood out from things that Primo said back then. It must have happened after they split up in the morning to go into the city before they found Fia. But…Bell did understand why Primo was always so eager to help out back at Home with various chores when she wasn't playing with Gina and Assassin…and why she jumped at the chance to become Caster's successor as Captain of Hestia Familia.

"Ahem."

Bell and Lefiya turned to look at the group hug to see Gina and Emma looking back at them expectantly.

"Uhh…"

"Umm…"

The two shared another glance before Lefiya jerked her head over to them and the two of them joined in on the hug…with Bell being careful to keep from touching anything he shouldn't.

X-x-X-x-X

"All right, Miss Emma…you look over there and Lily and Miss Morris will look over here."

"Got it."

"Do not go too far. If you get lost, stay still and Lily will find you in about half an hour."

"Oh, come on, Lily! I'm not that bad!"

"Lily will take no chances in a dark forest at night!"

"But there's no need to treat her like a lost child, right?"

"Miss Morris has a lot to learn if she wishes to join our Familia!"

After the somber mood in Primo's old home, they returned to the others in order to move Fia into the house so she could rest in a bed instead of out on the ground. The Elder made good on his word and the villagers were eager to help out in any way they could.

Of course, the number of Adventurers outstripped that of the villagers, so their supplies were stretched thin. Thus Emma, Lily and the newcomer Karen were one of many groups tasked with gathering more of the medicinal herbs after being shown a sample.

Luckily, they grew rather plentifully in the forest surrounding the village, but they couldn't take them all or else the village would be left with nothing. So, they were only to take a little bit from each patch they found and move on to a new one after.

"All right, this should be enough," Emma said after she managed to fill her basket.

Standing up, she took a look at her surroundings and nodded to herself.

"Yep, I have no idea where I am!" She said with a smile before placing a hand against a tree and letting out a long and defeated sigh. "Uuuu…why does this always happen to me?"

"…I see that part of you hasn't changed."

Emma's body froze up at the words.

The voice was familiar and something she had hoped to hear while at the same time had no expectations of ever hearing again.

Slowly, she stood up and turned around to see a robed figure behind her, their features obscured by a hood.

Before Emma could say anything, the figure raised their hands up and lowered the hood, revealing a young woman a few years older than Emma with long purple hair that fell down to her waist.

Emma's jaw dropped at the same time as the basket in her hands.

"…Sophia?"


End file.
